Garrett L. Washington Uncovers the Hidden Role of Women in Modern Japanese History

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Dr. Garrett Washington, Associate Professor of History and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within HFA, is bringing new attention to an often-overlooked dimension of modern Japan: the role of laywomen in religious life and imperial expansion. His project, “Faith in the Realm,” examines how religion intersected with empire and how women actively participated in those dynamics.

“Japanese imperialism…is one of the topics that most interests historians today,” Washington said, noting that while scholarship has expanded beyond State Shinto to include Buddhism and Protestant Christianity, “in all of these studies, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of women.” His research builds on earlier work on Japanese Protestant women and extends that approach to empire, ultimately broadening to include Buddhist women as well.

The project centers on elite laywomen involved in organizations such as the Young Women's Christian Association and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, as well as Buddhist women’s groups and local temple and church associations. Although these women were not ordained, Washington emphasizes that his work looks “beyond these auxiliary, supportive roles to reveal how they were leading, acting, and expressing themselves in relation to Japanese imperialism.”

Religion played a key role in legitimizing imperial expansion, particularly during conflicts like the Russo-Japanese War. Women supported imperial efforts in multiple ways, including “making consolation visits to soldiers’ families, welcoming soldiers back home, holding prayer gatherings, and assembling and sending care packages,” but Washington’s research also uncovers less visible forms of engagement, such as “fundraising for disaster relief in Japan’s colonies” and building transnational networks across the empire.

Drawing on sources such as organizational periodicals, letters, diaries, and photographs, including materials housed in the Sophia Smith Collection, Washington highlights how women navigated and shaped these systems. His work is supported by a fellowship from the Japan Foundation, which he describes as “a great honor and a privilege” that allows him to spend extended time conducting research in Japan.

As both a historian and a DEI leader, Washington is committed to creating more inclusive historical narratives. “I am committed to contributing to more inclusive histories that…consider Japanese women as agentic historical actors,” he said. He hopes readers will come to see “Japanese women as complex individuals who were both agentic actors and subjects of systems of gender-based discrimination,” ultimately reshaping how modern Japanese history is understood.