A Daughter of the Samurai

Memoir of a Remarkable Asian-American Woman

Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto author Christopher Morley editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Tuttle Publishing

Published:8th Aug '23

Should be back in stock very soon

A Daughter of the Samurai cover

"Her life was a bridge from the nineteenth century to the twentieth, from the time-hallowed beauty and rigidity of a samurai household to the disorienting, forward-looking freedoms of the West." —Janice P. Nimura, from the foreword.

This is the story of one woman's remarkable life successfully navigating two very different cultures—the first memoir of an Asian-American woman.

Beautifully told, this immigrant's account of an unforgettable journey is the story of a headstrong and empowered woman—a loyal wife, a widowed mother and a bilingual breadwinner—finding her way and finding her voice in a strange new world.

Follow in her footsteps and trace the remarkable trajectory of her life as she:

  • Witnesses her father prepare and perform the ritual seppuku and her mother burn down the family home
  • Bids an emotional farewell and sails across the ocean to marry a wealthy merchant in a new land
  • Returns to Tokyo with her two daughters and mother-in-law, only to find her homeland just as alien as America, forcing her to reinvent herself again in order to provide for her family
  • Returns to America with her children following the death of her mother-in-law

An international bestseller when it was first published a century ago, A Daughter of the Samurai emerges as a rare testament to a singular woman's resolve, strength and endurance. This edition features a new foreword by 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist Janice P. Nimura.

"A book of extraordinary general interest, great historical value, and considerable literary merit." --South China Morning Post
"Her life was a bridge from the nineteenth century to the twentieth, from the time-hallowed beauty and rigidity of a samurai household to the disorienting, forward-looking freedoms of the West." --Janice P. Nimura, from the foreword
"It is never wise for a Japanese woman, if she wishes to retain a position of influence and dignity, to say much on any subject. Actions, not words, are her most successful means of expression; but the time came when I saw that I must speak." --Estu Inagaki Sugimoto

ISBN: 9784805317556

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 510g

288 pages