English Official Website (Digital Translated): Iizuka City https://kankou–iizuka-jp.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=ja
Denemon Ito
Denemon Ito was an early 20th-century industrialist and celebrity in Iizuka, renowned for amassing a tremendous fortune through his coal mining operations, which earned him the nickname “The King of Coal Mines.” However, his wealth was eclipsed by his nationwide notoriety following a major personal scandal: his second wife eloped with a younger man and published a letter of separation in the newspaper—an unprecedented act that captivated the public and made him infamous across Japan.
Byakuren (Akiko Ito)
Byakuren was the waka poet name of Akiko, the second wife of Denemon Ito. Born into a family with imperial lineage, she entered into a marriage of convenience with the industrialist and moved to Iizuka. Despite her unhappy personal life, she continued to write waka poetry with such skill that she was celebrated as the “Queen of Chikushi.”
Her life took a dramatic turn when she fled her marriage for a younger man, creating a national scandal by publishing a letter of separation in the newspaper. Following her divorce, she lived in poverty for the remainder of her life and died at the age of eighty-one.
Coal Mines
From the late 19th to the mid-20th century, coal was a critical engine of Japan’s industrialization, so valued it was nicknamed “Black Diamond.” Regions like the Chikuho district, including Iizuka City, thrived during this boom, supporting large, vibrant populations. However, with the decline of the coal industry, these areas experienced significant economic and demographic shifts. Today, Iizuka has transitioned into a quiet, ordinary city, its past prosperity now a chapter in its history.
Waka Poem
Waka is a traditional form of Japanese poetry, the most common style of which is the Tanka—a 31-syllable poem arranged in five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables. Originally cultivated by aristocrats and court officials in classical Japan, waka declined in popularity after the Heian period. It experienced a significant revival during the 19th-century literary movements, and the poet Byakuren was one of the prominent figures in this modern resurgence.
Hanako Hanaoka
Hanako Hanaoka was a pioneering Japanese translator, most celebrated for her widely read translation of Anne of Green Gables. She was also a close friend of the poet Byakuren (Akiko Ito). Their lives and friendship were portrayed in the popular 2014 NHK television drama Hanako to Anne, which brought the stories of these two remarkable women to a national audience.
Zetuenjo
A “Zetsuenjo” is the Japanese term for a “Dear John letter”—a written notice sent to end a romantic relationship. However, Byakuren did not simply send one privately to her husband. Instead, she published her letter in a newspaper, turning her personal affair into a sensational public scandal.
