Table of Contents
- Collection Summary
- Biographical Note
- Scope and Content Note
- Subject Headings
- Related Material
- Administrative Information
- Access and Use
- Encoding Information
- Container List
Collection Summary
| Repository: | Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries |
|---|---|
| Creator: | Uriu, Shigeko, 1861-1928 |
| Title: | Shigeko Nagai Uriu Papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1878-1999 |
| Quantity: | 0.2 cubic feet (1 box) |
| Abstract: | The collection includes correspondence, most of which is transcribed from the original letters; clippings and other published materials; photographs; and other miscellaneous documents related to the life of Shigeko Nagai Uriu. |
Biographical Note
Shigeko Nagai Uriu (1861-1928) came to the United States from Japan in 1872 with the Iwakura Mission, a group of diplomats, scholars and students sent abroad as political and cultural ambassadors. The mission included 5 young girls ranging in age from 6-14. Nagai, then ten years old, was placed with the family of the historian John S. C. Abbott in New Haven, Connecticut. She spent five years there, learning about American life and attending the local high school. In 1879, Nagai and Sutematsu Yamakawa (VC 1882), another young member of Iwakura Mission placed in New Haven, were accepted at Vassar College. Yamakawa (later Princess Oyama) went on to become the first Japanese woman to earn an college degree. Nagai did not earn a degree, but remained at Vassar for three years as a Special Student in music. She returned to New Haven during the summers, and while there was introduced to Baron Sotokichi Uriu, then a cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. The two returned to Japan after he graduated in 1881 and were married in 1882, making her the Baroness Uriu. They had four sons and three daughters.
During a visit to the United States in 1909, the Baroness presented Vassar College with a silver and enamel bowl. The bowl had originally been given to her by the Emperor of Japan. When the Emperor heard of the Baroness's upcoming visit to Vassar, he gave permission for the Baroness to present the bowl to the College. The bowl is maintained within the College's collections.
TopScope and Content Note
The Shigeko Nagai Uriu Collection includes correspondence, most of which is transcribed from the original letters; published materials, photographs, and miscellaneous realia. The greatest portion of the collection are periodical articles and newspaper clippings covering the period 1882-1995, the bulk from 1909, the year that the Baroness and her husband revisited the United States.
TopAccess and Use
Access
This collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library without any additional restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library.
Subject Headings
Names:
- Uriu, Sotokichi, Baron, 1857-1937
Organizations:
- Vassar College--Students
Subjects:
- Japanese students--United States
- Marriage--Japan
- Women college students--New York (State)--Poughkeepsie
- Women--Education
VCL Categories:
- East Asia, South Asia, and India
- Vassar College
Encoding Information
Encoded by Elizabeth Clarke, June 2007. Updated by Emma Gronbeck, November 2025.
TopAdministrative Information
Preferred Citation
Shigeko Nagai Uriu Papers, Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.
Processing Information
Original processing date unknown. Guide last updated October 2008.
Acquisition Information
Gift of various donors.
Container List
Return to the Table of Contents
Details
The collection includes correspondence, most of which is
transcribed from the original letters; clippings and other published materials; photographs; and other miscellaneous documents related to the life of Shigeko Nagai Uriu.
