Hirooka Asako, Uruno Coal Mine’s Transformation, and Finding Businesswomen in Meiji Japan.

Amidst changes redefining and subjugating womanhood in the Meiji period (1868-1912), industrialist Hirooka Asako (1849-1919) rescued her marital family’s failing coal mine in Uruno. This story highlights her determination, knowledge but also her collaboration with male relatives and associates, and direct management, illuminating the underexamined contributions of women business leaders in Japan’s economic and industrial development.