In Azabu Toriizaka, Tokyo, in 1884, Toyo Eiwa Jogakko was opened by Martha J. Cartmell, a missionary sent by the Woman's Missionary Society of the Methodist Church of Canada (currently the United Church of Canada).
Overcoming many difficulties, such as a backlash against Europeanism, the rise of nationalism and other pressures during World War II, our school has still been standing true to the purpose of its founders and teaching in the Christian spirit. Toyo Eiwa, which started with two students, currently has an enrollment of nearly 4,600 students. These include 2,000 pupils from kindergarten to high school, 2,500 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students.

"After the rain there is a rainbow. Let us believe in the blessed rainbow," she encouraged her students and colleagues after the school building frames collapsed twice as a result of typhoon damage during their construction.

1863 - 1942
Serving as the principal four times, she held office for forty years. She educated the girls based on Puritanism and her educational policy, "Freedom lies in strictness." Navigating the crisis in Christianity caused by the 1899 announcement of the Ministry of Education, she reorganized and developed the school. When Toyo Eiwa Collegiate Department was affiliated with Tokyo Woman's Christian University, she became governor of the University. Moreover, she took on heavy responsibilities for both the Nagasaka Orphanage and the Kobokan Settlement. She also strived for the expansion and practice of social work.

"The education I was given at Toyo Eiwa in my early life guides my entire life. The fact that I was engaged in social work while studying as a student has defined who I am today."

1875 - 1948
Graduated from Toyo Eiwa Jogakko in 1894. She was President of the Alumnae and Board of Directors. As the leading authority in Japan, she was committed to training girls' school teachers in domestic science. She also conducted significant research in this area, publishing two famous pioneering books. She established the Tokyo Kasei Gakuin school to realize domestic science education.

"Education is not merely to transmit knowledge, but also to cultivate sensitivity of the joy in contemplation of creation and the mental exertion this requires, as well as the quest for knowledge. I felt this keenly even at the early age of twenty. What I learned in my school days in Azabu is indelibly imprinted in my mind."

1893 - 1968
Graduated from Toyo Eiwa Jogakko in 1914. While in school, she was introduced to Nobutsuna Sasaki, a leading poet, by her classmate, Byakuren Yanagihara. Among his followers, she met Hiroko Katayama, a graduate of Toyo Eiwa, who influenced her enormously in literary and spiritual matters. After the war, she successively filled various positions both on government boards and in cultural organizations. Besides a collection of fairy tales titled Tampopo no Me, she published many books, including the translations of The Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery.