Playing Japanese 1896–1922

After her return from Jamaica in 1896, Eaton worked as a stenographer, first in Cincinnati, then in Chicago. At this time, she assumed the identity of “Kitishima Tackehasche,” a young Yokohama-born writer who published under the pseudonym “Onoto Watanna,” the name under which Eaton would become best known. For the next decade, Eaton indulged readers’ seemingly endless appetite for the Orient, depicting with exotic flair Japanese gardens, tea-houses, geishas, and matchmakers. Eaton’s earliest Japanese story, “A Japanese Girl,” was published in Cincinnati’s Commercial Tribune in 1896. Between 1896 and 1922, Eaton published 12 Japanese novels, as well as scores of short stories, ethnographic pieces, and poems, many of which enforced facile stereotypes of Japanese femininity and culture. She also co-authored A Chinese Japanese Cookbook with her sister Sara Eaton Bosse.

Playing Japanese

TitleDate PublishedTranscription Available
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Girl.
A Japanese GirlNovember 08, 1896Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Love Story.
A Japanese Love Story1897Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Introduction to Frank Putnam’s Love Lyrics.
Introduction to Frank Putnam’s “Love Lyrics”1898Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Prince Sagaritsu’s Patriotism: A Story of the Japo-Chinese War.
Prince Sagaritsu’s Patriotism: A Story of the Japo-Chinese WarFebruary 1898Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Ojio-San: A Noble’s Daughter.
Ojio-San: A Noble’s DaughterMarch 1898Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Karo: A Story of Japanese Honor.
Karo: A Story of Japanese HonorMay 1898Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Rhapsody on Japan.
A Rhapsody on JapanJuly 1898Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Half Caste.
The Half CasteNovember 1898Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for An Oriental Holiday.
An Oriental HolidayDecember 1898Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Miss Numè of Japan: A Japanese Romance.
Miss Numè of Japan: A Japanese Romance1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Shizu’s New Year’s Present.
Shizu’s New Year’s PresentJanuary 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Where the Young Look Forward to Old Age.
Where the Young Look Forward to Old AgeFebruary 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for His Japanese Teacher.
His Japanese TeacherMarch 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Natsu-San: A Japanese Tea House Girl.
Natsu-San: A Japanese Tea House GirlMarch 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Life of a Japanese Girl.
The Life of a Japanese GirlApril 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for His Wife’s Husband.
His Wife’s HusbandMay 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Miss Numè of Japan [Author Commentary].
Miss Numè of Japan [Author Commentary]May 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Story of Ido: How a Japanese Half-Caste Came to His Own.
The Story of Ido: How a Japanese Half-Caste Came to His OwnAugust 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Half Caste.
A Half CasteSeptember 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for His Interpreter (Part 1).
His Interpreter (Part 1)September 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for His Interpreter (Part 2).
His Interpreter (Part 2)October 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Geisha Girl is Primarily an Entertainer.
The Geisha Girl is Primarily an EntertainerOctober 29, 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Geisha Girl.
The Geisha GirlNovember 1899Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Father.
A FatherJanuary 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for New Year’s Day in Japan.
New Year’s Day in JapanJanuary 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Taro.
Taro1899–1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 1).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 1)February 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 2).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 2)March 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Horseless Carriage of Japan.
The Horseless Carriage of JapanApril 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 3).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 3)April 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 4).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 4)May 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wickedness of Matsu.
The Wickedness of MatsuMay 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 5).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 5)June 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 6).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 6)July 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 7).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 7)August 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Her Japanese Lover.
Her Japanese LoverSeptember 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 8).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 8)September 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Old Jinrikisha (Part 9).
The Old Jinrikisha (Part 9)October 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Amoy, A Chinese Girl.
Amoy, A Chinese GirlNovember 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Betrothal of Otoyo.
The Betrothal of OtoyoDecember 1900Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Nightingale.
A Japanese Nightingale1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Home and Social Life of the Japanese.
Home and Social Life of the JapaneseFebruary 1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 1-2).
A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 1-2)April 1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 3-4).
A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 3-4)May 1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 5-7).
A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 5-7)June 1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 8-9).
A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 8-9)July 1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 10-12).
A Japanese Nightingale (Chapters 10-12)August 1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Two Converts.
Two ConvertsSeptember 1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Kirishima-san.
Kirishima-sanNovember 1901Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria.
The Wooing of Wistaria1902No
The Wooing of Wistaria1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Happy Lot of Japanese Women..
The Happy Lot of Japanese Women.February 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Pot of Paint.
The Pot of PaintFebruary 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Yoshida Yone, Lover.
Yoshida Yone, LoverFebruary 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Miss Perfume.
Miss PerfumeApril 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Bride of Yonejiro.
The Bride of YonejiroMay 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wife of Shimadzu.
The Wife of ShimadzuMay 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Love of a Geisha Girl.
The Love of a Geisha GirlJuly 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Contract.
A ContractAugust 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese American Love Story.
A Japanese American Love StoryAugust 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Natsu-san.
Natsu-sanAugust 06, 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Japanese Drama and the Actor.
The Japanese Drama and the ActorSeptember 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Home Life of the Japanese Woman.
Home Life of the Japanese WomanNovember 1902Yes
Yosheda Yone, LoverNovember 25, 1902No
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Count Oguri’s Quest.
Count Oguri’s QuestDecember 1902Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Heart of Hyacinth.
The Heart of Hyacinth1903Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Japanese in New York.
The Japanese in New YorkJanuary 1903Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Japanese Woman Not a Slave.
Japanese Woman Not a SlaveFebruary 25, 1903Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Loves of Sakura Jiro and the Three Headed Maid.
The Loves of Sakura Jiro and the Three Headed MaidMarch 1903Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Diary of Dewdrop.
The Diary of DewdropJune 1903Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Miss Lily and Miss Chrysanthemum.
Miss Lily and Miss ChrysanthemumAugust 1903Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Cottage in Matsushima.
A Cottage in MatsushimaSeptember 1903Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Flight of Hyacinth.
The Flight of HyacinthOctober 1903Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Daughters of Nijo.
Daughters of Nijo1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Nightingale.
A Japanese Nightingale1904No
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Love of Azalea.
The Love of Azalea1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Love of Azalea.
The Love of Azalea1904No
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Love of Azalea.
The Love of Azalea1904No
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Japanese War News by Word O’ Mouth.
Japanese War News by Word O’ MouthApril 1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Every-day Life in Japan.
Every-day Life in JapanApril 02, 1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Japanese Women Train their Babes from Infancy.
Japanese Women Train their Babes from InfancyMay 06, 1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Marvelous Miniature Trees of Japan.
The Marvelous Miniature Trees of JapanJune 1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Love of Azalea (Part 1).
The Love of Azalea (Part 1)August 19, 1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Love of Azalea (Part 2).
The Love of Azalea (Part 2)September 20, 1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Love of Azalea (Part 3).
The Love of Azalea (Part 3)October 21, 1904Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 7-9).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 7-9)December 17, 1905Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 10-12).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 10-12)December 25, 1905Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Blossom.
A Japanese Blossom1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 13-16).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 13-16)January 01, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 16-19).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 16-19)January 08, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 19-22).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 19-22)January 15, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 23-26).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 23-26)January 22, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 26-29).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 26-29)January 29, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 30-33).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 30-33)February 05, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 34-37).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 34-37)February 12, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 37-39).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 37-39)February 19, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 39-42).
The Wooing of Wistaria (Chapters 39-42)February 26, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Little Geisha.
The Little GeishaMay 17, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wrench of Chance (Part 1).
The Wrench of Chance (Part 1)October 20, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Wrench of Chance (Part 2).
The Wrench of Chance (Part 2)October 27, 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Ochika-San.
Ochika-SanNovember 1906Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Japanese Lullaby.
A Japanese Lullaby1898–1907Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Japanese in America.
The Japanese in AmericaFebruary 1907Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Manoeuvres of O-Yasu-san.
The Manoeuvres of O-Yasu-sanJanuary 25, 1908Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Daughter of Two Lands.
A Daughter of Two LandsNovember 1909Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for An Unexpected Grandchild.
An Unexpected GrandchildDecember 1909Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Tama.
Tama1910No
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Marriage of Okiku-San.
The Marriage of Okiku-SanJune 1910Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Marriage of Okiku-San (Reprint).
The Marriage of Okiku-San (Reprint)April 16, 1911Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Tokiwa: A Tale of Old Japan.
Tokiwa: A Tale of Old JapanMay 1911Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Visiting Mlle. Butterfly.
Visiting Mlle. ButterflySeptember 1911Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Honorable Miss Moonlight.
The Honorable Miss Moonlight1912Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Marriage of Jinyo.
The Marriage of JinyoFebruary 1912Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Chinese-Japanese Cookbook.
Chinese-Japanese Cookbook1914Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Japan Will Not Go To War.
Japan Will Not Go To WarJanuary 29, 1914Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for A Kiss.
A KissOctober 1914Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Miss Spring-Morning.
Miss Spring-MorningJanuary 1915Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Sunny-San.
Sunny-San1922Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Sunny-San [Part 1].
Sunny-San [Part 1]February 1922Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Sunny-San [Part 2].
Sunny-San [Part 2]March 1922Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Sunny-San [Part 3].
Sunny-San [Part 3]April 1922Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Sunny-San [Part 4].
Sunny-San [Part 4]May 1922Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Sunny-San [Part 5].
Sunny-San [Part 5]May 1922Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for Sunny-San [Part 6].
Sunny-San [Part 6]May 1922Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for The Little Journal of Miss Spring.
The Little Journal of Miss SpringSeptember 1922Yes
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for In the Castle of Hikone.
In the Castle of Hikone1917–1935No
Thumbnail of the first page of the facsimile for When Christmas Came to Fukui.
When Christmas Came to Fukui1917–1935No

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People Mentioned

Joey Takeda

Joey Takeda is the Technical Director of The Winnifred Eaton Archive and a Developer at Simon Fraser University’s Digital Humanities Innovation Lab (DHIL). He is a graduate of the M.A. program in English at the University of British Columbia where he specialized in Indigenous and diasporic literature, science and technology studies, and the digital humanities.

Winnifred Eaton

  • Born: August 21, 1875
  • Died: April 08, 1954
See the Biographical Timeline for biographical information on Winnifred Eaton.
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February 03, 2024JTPublishedGenerated page.
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