“Geisha Dreams, Love and Murder: The Life of Abe Sada”

“Life’s Uncertain Outcomes” is a history lecture series that considers people’s lived experiences and how historical circumstances and choices made by individuals and the decisions of others shaped the direction of their lives. Lectures will be presented by History Department faculty members and Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturers throughout the academic year.

In 1936, Abe Sada was arrested for the murder of her lover, Ishida Kichizō. The ensuing police investigation revealed details that both shocked and enthralled the public and media. Sada’s life, from her middle-class, youthful dreams of becoming a glamorous geisha, to her descent into prostitution and heartbreak culminating in murder and mutilation, was exposed to the world. The sordid tale only confirmed society’s views of female sexuality, rooted in traditional samurai gender roles reinforced by borrowed Victorian values. Abe Sada’s sexual experiences removed the possibility of a happy, normal life, leading to her decision to murder and mutilate her lover to preserve her dream of romantic love.

The series will continue with:

●       April 4: Chris Kimball, PhD, “The Buck Stops Here: Harry Truman’s Improbable Path to the Presidency” 

The event is free.