Sada Abe

Lore & Background

Sada Abe was the seventh of eight children in an upper middle-class family of tatami mat makers in Tokyo's Kanda area. Her father, originally from Chiba Prefecture, was adopted into the Abe family and inherited the business. Only four of the children survived to adulthood, with Sada being the youngest. Her brother Shintarō was a womanizer who ran away with his parents' money, and her sister Teruko was sent to work in a brothel by their father as punishment for sexual promiscuity, though he soon bought her back. Abe was doted on by her mother and allowed to do as she wished, taking lessons in singing and shamisen, activities associated with geisha and prostitutes. At age 14, she was raped by a Keio University student; her parents initially supported her but soon sold her to a geisha house in Yokohama in 1922. Abe worked as a low-rank geisha for five years, contracting syphilis, then moved into legal prostitution in Osaka's Tobita district, where she gained a reputation as a troublemaker. After escaping, she worked as a waitress and later returned to unlicensed prostitution in Osaka in 1932. Following her mother's death in January 1933, she traveled to Tokyo, became a mistress, and nursed her father until his death in January 1934. In October 1934, she was arrested in a police raid but released by Kinnosuke Kasahara, who made her his mistress. Their relationship ended when she asked to marry him or take another lover; he refused, and she left for Nagoya. There she worked as a maid and became involved with Gorō Ōmiya, a professor and banker, who paid for her syphilis treatment at a hot springs resort from November 1935 to January 1936.

Reader's Guide

Sada Abe's case became a national sensation in Japan, acquiring mythic overtones that have persisted in cultural memory. Her story has been interpreted by artists, philosophers, novelists, and filmmakers, reflecting deep societal fascinations with sexuality, violence, and female agency. After serving five years in prison, she wrote an autobiography, contributing to her lasting notoriety. The case highlights tensions in prewar Japan between traditional moral codes and emerging modern sensibilities, as well as the complex status of geisha and prostitutes. Abe's actions and the public reaction to them continue to be studied as a lens on gender, crime, and celebrity in Japanese history.

Did You Know?

• Sada Abe was the seventh of eight children, but only four survived to adulthood.
• She contracted syphilis while working as a geisha and later received treatment at a hot springs resort.
• Abe carried her lover's severed penis and testicles in her kimono after killing him.
• She was released after serving five years in prison and wrote an autobiography.