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 a wealthy celebrity in Iizuka in the early 20th century. He made a tremendous fortune by running a coal mining company and was known as “The King of Coal Mines.” However, he became even more famous across Japan due to a scandal involving his second wife, who ran away with a younger man and published a breaking-off letter in the newspaper.
Byakuren
Byakuren was the waka poet name of Denemon’s second wife, Akiko. Born into a family related to the Imperial Family, she married Denemon in a marriage of convenience and moved to Iizuka. She continued writing waka poems and earned the title “Queen of Chikushi.” However, her marriage was unhappy, and she eventually ran away with a younger man, causing a great scandal by publishing a breaking-off letter in the newspaper. After her divorce, she lived a poor life and passed away at the age of eighty-one.
Coal Mines
Coal mines were crucial for industrial development in Japan from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, earning the nickname “Black Diamond.” Coal mining areas, including the Chikuho district and Iizuka City, flourished with large populations. However, as coal mines declined, these areas became less lively. Today, Iizuka is an ordinary city.
Waka Poem
Waka is a traditional form of Japanese poetry, with the main style being Tanka. Tanka poems follow a specific structure of syllables: five, seven, five, seven, and seven. Waka was popular among aristocrats and high-ranking officials in ancient times but lost popularity after the aristocratic age. It regained popularity in the 19th century with the rise of poetic literature movements, and Byakuren was one of the notable poets of that era.
Hanako Hanaoka
Hanako Hanaoka was a famous translator in Japan, best known for translating “Anne of Green Gables.” She was a friend of Byakuren. The TV drama “Hanako to Anne,” based on the lives of these two women, became very popular.
Zetuenjo
A “Zetuenjo” is a Dear John letter. Byakuren did not send one personally to her husband but instead published it in a newspaper, making the situation public knowledge.
