Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-04
JAPANESE WOMAN WRITER,
otanO Watnnna Writes Clever Stories
of Life in Japan.

otanO Watnnna Writes Clever Stories
OF Life in Japan.
Ficm the Chicago Times Herald.
Kitishima Kata Hasche Is the real or
family name of the clever Japanese girl
who Is living in Chicago at present and
winning fame by writing for the maga-
zines and newspapers Of Chicago and the
east under the pen name of Otano Wat
anna, while more dollars come from her
work as stenographer. Miss Hasche, or,
as she prefers to be called Miss Watanna
the two names meaning the same thing.
but belonging to different japanese dialects
although scarcely past her twenty-frst
plfthday, has seen more of life and cxper-
fence than the average woman Of twice
ner age. Inc realism which makes her
nction SO true TO life and so keenly inter-
esting is based on a knowledge of life and
the world which has been acquired in the
most practical way
Born in Yokohama. Japan, size was taken
by her parents, and in company with the
three brothers and nine sisters who shared
win ner their care and supervision to
liverpool England, and from thence to
Manchester, before she was eight wears Of
age. The journey from japan TO England
was made by sailing vessels, and occupied
an entire year.
From Manchester the family emigrated
10 canada, settling in Montreal, and it was
in this city that Miss Watanna received
most OF her education. Shortly after en-
terlns her teens she taught herself short
hand. totally unaided except by a book on
the truman system Of shorthand, and she
lett Montreal when only sixteen, to go to
the West Indies as court reporter and COR
respondent for the News Letter of King
Ston, Jamaica. While filling this nosition
she was the only woman allowed to he
present at the sessions of the British par
Lament, and her reports, differing from
those OF her fellow workers in that they
were unofficial, were witty and sarcastic
enough to call general attention TO their
writer 1
A severe attack of yellow fever, with its
consequent weakening Of the entire sys-
TEN, made necessary her return to New
York, and Miss Watanna's older sister now
occupies her former position in Jamaica.
announcer sister, also writer, is married
~ one OF the pest known philosophical and
sclent11c writer's of America
After remaining in New York for some
months Miss Watanna came to Chicago.
here she made the acquaintance of Miss
possesses the distinction Of being the onIv
representative of her sex to be registered
at the United States patent Office and by
MISS King was set af1oat in the business
ana literary circles of Chicago. At present
the japanese writer is busily occupied with
stenographic work during a portion of
every day. The remainder Of her time in
Guiding many midnight hours, she devotes
TO the writing OF short stories and poems
Some OF these stories, nearly all of which
deal with Japanese life and customs, and
which are peculiarly fresh and unhack-
neyed In treatment, have been recently ac-
cepted py the editors of Munsey's Maya
zine. the Ladies' Home Journal, the Black
Cat and the Iroquis Magazine. The Metro
po!ltan Magazine was the first to bring out
DIT of the japanese writer's work, and
sne mas also contributed to some of the
leading newspapers in eastern cities, A
japanese novel, written by Miss Wataana
some time ago. is soon to be dramatfzed
as serious representation Of Japanese life
and tragedy, and w, G. Gillefta has haar
asked to prepare the manuscript for stage
use.