Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back

In 1871, five young girls were sent by the Japanese government to the United States. Their mission: learn Western ways and return to help nurture a new generation of enlightened men to lead Japan.

Raised in traditional samurai households during the turmoil of civil war, three of these unusual ambassadors--Sutematsu Yamakawa, Shige Nagai, and Ume Tsuda--grew up as typical American schoolgirls. Upon their arrival in San Francisco they became celebrities, their travels and traditional clothing exclaimed over by newspapers across the nation. As they learned English and Western customs, their American friends grew to love them for their high spirits and intellectual brilliance.

The passionate relationships they formed reveal an intimate world of cross-cultural fascination and connection. Ten years later, they returned to Japan--a land grown foreign to them--determined to revolutionize women's education.

Based on in-depth archival research in Japan and in the United States, including decades of letters from between the three women and their American host families, Daughters of the Samurai is beautifully, cinematically written, a fascinating lens through which to view an extraordinary historical moment.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 05/04/2015
ISBN: 9780393077995
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.40lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.50w x 1.40d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2015
Publishers Weekly 03/09/2015
Library Journal 03/15/2015 pg. 121
Booklist 04/15/2015 pg. 14
Shelf Awareness 05/15/2015
New York Times Book Review 05/31/2015 pg. 26
New York Times Book Review 06/07/2015 pg. 34
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 12/06/2015 pg. 27