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Book

Daughters of the samurai : a journey from East to West and back

Call Number

  • 920 N713 (CEN)

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Edition

First edition.

Publication Information

New York, N.Y. : W.W. Norton & Company, [2015]

Physical Description

336 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map, portraits ; 25 cm

Summary

"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 feted by newspapers across the nation. The passionate friendships 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, Daughters of the Samurai is beautifully, cinematically written, a fascinating lens through which to view an extraordinary historical moment"--Provided by publisher.

Contents

  • Samurai daughter
  • The war of the Year of the Dragon
  • "A little leaven"
  • "An expedition of practical observers"
  • "Interesting strangers"
  • Finding families
  • Growing up American
  • At Vassar
  • The journey "home"
  • Two weddings
  • Getting along alone
  • Alice in Tokyo
  • Advances and retreats
  • The Women's Home School of English
  • Endings.

Subjects