Tadashi Hyōdō (兵頭精 (Hyōdō Tadashi) April 6, 1899 - April 23, 1980) was the first Japanese woman aviator licensed in Japan.
Born Tadashi Hayashi in Kita Uwa-gun, Ehime Prefecture (presently Oniki Town)[1], and known as a gifted girl since childhood, she transferred to the senior year at Seibi Girls' Higher School (present Saibi High School) in the city after finishing elementary school. As her late father Tarou aspired to be a pilot so that he worked as a draftsman for airplane factory, she aimed for a pilot to fulfill her late father's dream.[2][3]
After graduating from high school and her family wished her to become either a practitioner or a teacher, she went to Osaka in January 1919 and became an apprentice to a pharmacist, and she left to Tokyo in November the same year.[4][5]
Tsudanuma aviation school
With support from Kazoe, her elder sister, Tadashi was trained to fly at an aviation school in Tsudanuma managed by Otojiro Itō. Since a woman student at aviation school itself was so rare in those days, she was in newspapers when admitted to Itō's school, with articles read; "... a petite girl, round-faced and chubby, but a tomboy like a boy..." It is said that the tuition at those days cost "two yen per minute", when a new college graduate earned 40 yen per month. She worked time to time to earn enough for tuition, and it took her three and a half years to finish the course which trainees usually graduate in six months' time. She was the 15th trainee to finish the Tsudanuma aviation school, and as a matter of course the first as a woman.
During her days at training, she attracted scandalous attention as to become a subject of a first page newspaper article and featured on air journals, but she was steadily working on to master maintenance as well as joining lectures among male trainees. She survived several accidents including a crash gliding from 3000 meters high in 1911 without serious injury but part of airplane's leg was damaged, or on other occasion, an emergency water landing.
It was in April 1921 when the Air Regulatory Regulations were promulgated in Japan, and after the pilot licensing system was established, she was licensed a third-class airplane aviator (License #38) on March 21, 1922.[6] on her second challenge. The same year and soon after obtaining her aviation license, Hyōdō participated in the flight competition for the third-class aviators hosted by the Imperial Flight Association. She was the 10th out of the 15 in the speed category.
Being the first woman pilot in Japan, she was exposed as scandalous figure out of curiosity and criticism that she was seeing a Mr. Tomita, a married lawyer from the same hometown.[7] It also was the time when the Great Kanto Earthquake made a huge impact on the society and aviation industry, her figure disappeared from the aviation circle very abruptly, and never seen flying again. Tadashi Hyōdō planned to set up an aviation school of her own, and aimed for a lawyer later. She died at the age of 81 on April 23, 1980.[8]