Yokohama Bluff School Archive – Clara Converse – Soshin Jo Gakkō 捜真女学校
This archive feels like it's straight out of a time capsule—all original and all dating to around 1930. It includes 3 postcards made from original photographs, two postcards created from photographic prints, and one original photo that was never "postcarded" and a rare 1928 edition of the "Handbook of Yokohama."
The "Handbook of Yokohama: Guide to Churches, Missions, Doctors, Hotels, and Shopping Directory 1928" is essentially a Yellow Pages of its day. Compact and delicate, it spans 22 numbered pages and measures approximately 3 x 5 inches, with thin card covers. Its remarkable that this fragile little booklet has survived nearly a century in such excellent condition, showing only minor handling.
What makes this copy particularly special is the presence of red ink corrections—likely made after printing but before distribution—to fix small address errors. That kind of detail hints at how few were produced, and how even fewer may have survived. One listing that stood out to me is St. Joseph College. I attended that school for many years, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it mentioned. I dont know how many copies of this fragile booklet survived, but it has to be very few. No doubt in my mind that ours is the finest copy in existence.
The booklet was published by ODells Service Bureau, located at 66 Yamashita-chō, Yokohama. Its founder, Douglas Herbert ODell, was born in 1882 and died in 1933. He is buried in the Foreigners Cemetery (Gaijin Bochi) in Yokohama. Little is known about ODells life, but it is understood that he struggled with alcoholism and died by suicide.
Now, let's move on to the postcards. Bear with me, as things get a bit tricky here. I've numbered the photos to help keep everything clear. These postcards, along with the "Handbook of Yokohama," all have a connection to Clara A. Converse, an American missionary and educator who arrived in Yokohama in 1890.
Photo #1 – These two postcards show Clara Converse seated indoors and standing outside with friends.Without identification, these two cards from ca. 1930 would be dismissed as common period pieces—worth maybe ten dollars for the pair. But now that we know the sitter is Clara Converse, they transform into something extraordinary. These weren't mass-produced for public sale; instead, they were printed in a limited batch, likely intended only for close friends and family.
Photo #2 – This photo card is the original photograph used to produce the two postcards above. The image is crystal clear, with sharp focus and strong contrast.
Photo #3 - The reverse side identifies the three women pictured: Miss Converse, Miss Yamada, and Akizu-san. This is a rare and valuable piece.
Photo #4 – These two photo cards show a large building and are original prints, not reprints. The reverse identifies the building as “Miss Converse's House in Yokohama, Japan.” That's doubtful—its quite large for a single, unmarried woman. More likely, it's the Soshin Jo Gakkō (捜真女学校), the girls' school she founded.
Photo #4A - you can see Miss Converse with two women looking out from an upper window, adding a human touch to the building's identity.
Photo #5 – An original portrait of Clara Converse, with a handwritten note on the back: “Clara A. Converse, April 15, 1929, Yokohama, Japan.”
Photo #6 is a close-up of the same image. This one is especially significant—she's wearing the "Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon" awarded to her by Emperor Hirohito (昭和天皇) in 1929.
All said and done, this is a remarkable original archive from just after the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. These kinds of materials simply can't be recreated. If youre interested in early Yokohama history, this is a rare opportunity you won't want to miss—and its priced fairly, too.
The following is a brief biography on her.
Clara A. Converse and Soshin Girls' School
Clara A. Converse, an American missionary sent by the Baptist Missionary Union, arrived in Yokohama in January 1890. She took over a small girls' class previously organized by Mrs. Nathan Brown at 67 Bluff and began developing it into a formal school.
In 1891, she opened the Mary Colby School at 34 Bluff. As the student body grew, Converse later moved the school to Kanagawa, where a larger facility was built. The institution was formally registered as Soshin Jo Gakkō (Soshin Girls' School), with a curriculum based on Christian principles and a strong focus on both academic and moral education.
Soshin was the first girls' school in Yokohama to receive official recognition from the Japanese government, granting its graduates special privileges. Converse served as principal until retiring in 1929. That same year, she received the Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon from Emperor Hirohito. She died in Yokohama in 1935 and is buried in Mitsusawa Cemetery.
Today, Soshin Girls' School continues in Kōhoku Ward, preserving the values and vision Converse established more than a century ago.
