A Daughter of the Samurai · Chapters

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Chapter companions for A Daughter of the Samurai by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The author dedicates her sacred memories to her two mothers, honoring their love and influence despite their vastly different lives and environments.
Chapter 2
Acknowledgment to Nancy Virginia Austen
The author expresses gratitude to Nancy Virginia Austen for her friendship, encouragement, and practical support, which inspired the author to collect and share the fading spirit of the samurai with contemporary readers.
Chapter 3
A Daughter of the Samurai
The opening chapter introduces Etsu-bo's early life in a samurai household in Nagaoka, detailing her family's strict adherence to samurai codes, her mother's quiet strength, and the cultural expectations placed upon her as a girl. It sets the stage for her journey between tradition and modernity.
Chapter 4
I: Winters in Echigo
The narrator describes the harsh winters of Echigo province, the family's home in Nagaoka, and the household's history after the Restoration. She recounts how her mother burned the family mansion to prevent its capture, and how her father rebuilt a modest home, planted mulberry groves, and relied on the loyal but inexperienced Jiya for business. A story of Jiya's involvement in a silkworm egg fraud illustrates the misunderstandings of the era. The chapter also portrays winter preparations, childhood games, and the family's daily life.
Chapter 5
Curly Hair
Etsu-bo recalls her childhood struggles with her naturally curly hair, which was considered ugly and animal-like in Japan. She endures painful treatments to straighten it and faces humiliation at her seventh-year celebration when an aunt criticizes her appearance. Her nurse Ishi makes a loving sacrifice by cutting off her own straight hair and offering it at a temple, praying for Etsu's hair to become straight. The chapter also describes the community's fervent participation in rebuilding the great Hongwanji temple in Kyoto, including women donating their hair to be braided into ropes for construction. Etsu joins the procession, holding the pulling cord of the sacred Buddha's cart, experiencing a moment of profound reverence.

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Dedication

Acknowledgment to Nancy Virginia Austen

A Daughter of the Samurai

I: Winters in Echigo

Curly Hair