A Daughter of the Samurai · Character

Jiya

Old Jiya, faithful and wholly inexperienced, manages the family's business affairs and once tangles their name in a scheme he never understood.

supporting

Also known as Jiya San, old Jiya

First appearance: I: Winters in Echigo

As a supporting figure in A Daughter of the Samurai, Jiya is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The loyal but inexperienced head servant who managed business affairs and was tricked into a silkworm egg fraud.

In the storyI: Winters in EchigoOpen this moment free

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After the family's fall from rank, Jiya is handed the impossible task of managing money for men who were raised to consider it beneath them. Honest to the bone, he is nonetheless easy prey for a smooth-talking agent selling a foreign business method, and his loyalty to his master becomes the very thing that nearly ruins him. He matters because his blunder captures the painful collision between samurai honor and a modern economy the family is unprepared to enter.

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See Jiya in I: Winters in Echigo

Character Web

14 connections

A slice of how Jiya sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Japanese Family and Servants

+9 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it captures the emotional and psychological peak of the protago…

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Relationships

Father
professional · positive
Master and servant, with Jiya being a loyal retainer to the father. How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Jiya in I: Winters in Echigo

In the story

Jiya appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I: Winters in Echigo
The loyal but inexperienced head servant who managed business affairs and was tricked into a silkworm egg fraud.
Falling Leaves
Accompanies Father to Tokyo; his absence leaves Etsu-bo desolate.
A Sunny New Year
No longer hums old folk-songs; helps with the forty-nine-day rituals and is present at the New Year servant gathering.
The Story of a Marionette
He trims trees, sweeps the ground, and gathers lotus blossoms at dawn for the shrine.
Travel Education
Referenced as the source of information about the mountain's dai and as Miyo's brother, connecting the household to the rural village.
Lessons
Mentioned as the one who maintained the garden at home, wiping stepping stones and scattering pine needles.
How I Became a Christian
Seen carrying a whitewood chest with the family crest during an airing day.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Jiya unlock in the free preview.

See Jiya in I: Winters in Echigo