Mariano Ponce (1863-1918), a Filipino physician, writer, statesman, and the Philippines independence advocate, lived in Yokohama with his Japanese wife, Okiyo.

(Posted on September 11, 2024)

On November 4, 2011, a group of twenty or so Filipinos visited Yokohama. First, they went to Yokohama Sogo department store to see an exhibition about the Philippines, which was arranged by the Yokohama Manila Sister City Friendship Committee. Then, they headed to nearby Myokouji, a Bhuddist temple. They were the descendants of Mariano Ponce. Linda Cruz, his granddaughter, headed the group. According to Merlee Jayme, Cruz’s daughter, who compiled their travel to Yokohama for the local news media, Ponce once lived in Yokohama near Myokouji with his Japanese wife Kiyo from 1898 to 1907. What brought Ponce to Yokohama and how did he fare?

Mariano Ponce seated on the right flanked by Jose Rizal on the left and Marcelo Pilar, all high-profile national figures at that time. This photo was taken in Spain circa 1890s.

After completing his medical education in his native country, Ponce went to Spain in 1881 to further his medical studies. There, Ponce made acquaintances with Filipino intellectuals and joined their political movement, which initially aimed at reforming the Spanish colonial administration. Because of this background, Ponce was imprisoned (but only very briefly) by the colonial authorities when the revolution broke out in 1896. Fearing another arrest, Ponce had decided to flee his country and eventually managed to settle in Hong Kong.

In 1898, Emilio Aginaldo, the leader of the revolutionary government asked Ponce to represent the country in Japan and specifically requested him to purchase weapons and munitions for the revolution. Through diligent work, Ponce succeeded to get what he wanted. It’s interesting to note that Ponce and Sun Yat -sen, who went in exile to Japan before he became the first provisional president of the Republic of China, became friends and helped each other especially related to their requests towards top Japanese figures.

Ponce and Sun Yat-Sen (seated)

Officially, the government of Japan took a neutral position regarding the Philippine revolution. Why? Japan’s top diplomatic priority then was to revise “unfair” treaties made between the Tokugawa Shogunate in its last days and the western powers. So, simply put, the Japanese government did not want to upset the US in any way. A ship carrying weapons managed to sail from Japan but unfortunately the vessel sunk near Taiwan because of a typhoon to the great disappointment and grief of Ponce.

Ponce continued his revolutionary diplomatic role both in Japan and sometimes in Hong Kong where there was a Filipino outpost. In 1907, Ponce returned to the Philippines with his wife and two children. The country was firmly under the control of the American colonial administration. How did he maneuver in his country? Ponce joined a political movement aimed at propagating the nationalistic cause. He was elected to the Philippine Assembly from 1909 to 1912. He published his memoirs, “Letters on the Revolution.”

Perhaps Ponce contributed something to the nationalistic movement and in 1906, the American Congress passed a law for the self-determination of the Philippines and proclaimed its future independence. In 1934, its independence in 10 years’ time was made official in America. But the Second World War and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines protracted it until 1946. It’s the irony of history that it took more than a half century to achieve independence from the first proclamation of the republic in 1898.

To learn about Kiyo’s family roots, her youngest daughter, Mary Ponce visited Yokohama in 1960 but without any outcome. It took more than 40 years to come closer to where Ponce and Kiyo lived then thanks to the efforts of the National Historical Institute of the Philippines and the Yokohama Manila Sister City Friendship Committee. So, this resulted in the visit of the Ponce descendants to Yokohama as mentioned.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to mention that a young Filipino scholar came to Yokohama in August, 2024 in order to make a documentary about Ponce while he was in Yokohama. What was Yokohama like at that time? I happened to assist him with interviewing various people including scholars, local historians and Myokouji’s personnel. I look forward to seeing the documentary when completed.