# Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto — A Daughter of the Samurai character guide > Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto in A Daughter of the Samurai by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Etsu, Etsu-bo, Etsu-ko, Etsu-bo Sama, Etsu-ko Sama, little Etsu-bo Sama, Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, Etsu - bo Sama, Etsu - ko, Etsu - ko Sama, Little Etsu - ko, Little Etsu - bo **First appearance:** 0003-a-daughter-of-the-samurai ## Snapshot A samurai daughter raised on honor, moon-viewing, and poetry, she crosses an ocean to become a stranger in America — and a bridge between two worlds. ## Who they are Etsu grows up inside a vanished order where rank, ritual, and the family name shape every gesture, then finds herself transplanted to a Cincinnati household whose rules she must learn from scratch. Her deepest tension is loyalty: to her mother's death-robe discipline, to her brother's faith in her education, and to a new self forming in a foreign tongue. That double vision — homesick yet curious — is what makes her the reader's guide through the whole book. ## In the story ### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/dedication) The author who dedicates her memories to her two mothers. ### [Acknowledgment to Nancy Virginia Austen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/acknowledgment-to-nancy-virginia-austen) The author, referred to as 'a little Etsu-bo,' who is motivated to preserve samurai spirit. ### [A Daughter of the Samurai](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/a-daughter-of-the-samurai) Introduced as a young girl, Etsu-bo, learning the ways of her samurai family. ### [I: Winters in Echigo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/i-winters-in-echigo) The narrator recalls her childhood in Echigo, including playing in snow tunnels and peeping at a foreign visitor. ### [Curly Hair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/ii-curly-hair) Recalls childhood humiliation over curly hair and participates in the temple rebuilding procession. ### [Days of Kan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/iii-days-of-kan) As a young girl, she studies Confucian classics, learns domestic arts, and enjoys stories and games, all under the strict samurai discipline of her family. ### [The Old and the New](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/iv-the-old-and-the-new) Recalls her first taste of meat at age eight and her secret enjoyment of it, despite loyalty to Grandmother. ### [Falling Leaves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/v-falling-leaves) Recalls the last Castle Sinking Celebration and her loneliness after her father and Jiya leave for Tokyo. ### [A Sunny New Year](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/vi-a-sunny-new-year) Reflects on the loneliness after Father's death and finds comfort in temple visits; enjoys the New Year festivities and the walk with Ishi. ### [The Wedding That Never Was](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/vii-the-wedding-that-never-was) Observes her brother's return and struggles with mixed feelings about his changed demeanor. ### [Two Ventures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/viii-two-ventures) Describes Sister's wedding and Brother's return from America, reflecting on family traditions and fate. ### [The Story of a Marionette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/ix-the-story-of-a-marionette) As a child, she receives gifts from her unknown grandmother and later learns the tragic story of her grandmother's life. ### [X: The Day of the Bird](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/x-the-day-of-the-bird) Etsu-bo is the focus of the betrothal ceremony and the decision to go to America; she begins to mature as she is consulted in family matters for the first time. ### [XI: My First Journey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xi-my-first-journey) Etsu-bo makes her first journey to Tokyo, feeling both elation and regret as she leaves home. ### [Travel Education](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xii-travel-education) Reflects on family history and her own future during the journey; feels shame over kago sickness but learns from her brother's teasing. ### [XIII: Foreigners](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xiii-foreigners) Attends mission school in Tokyo, struggles with cultural transition and homesickness. ### [Lessons](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xiv-lessons) Reflects on her school days, her love for Western books, and her struggle with English. ### [How I Became a Christian](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xv-how-i-became-a-christian) Describes her spiritual development and conversion to Christianity, her childhood questions about fate and womanhood, and her rebellion against the subjugation of women. ### [Sailing Unknown Seas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xvi-sailing-unknown-seas) Returns to Nagaoka as an educated woman, prepares for her marriage and journey to America, and experiences culture shock upon arrival in San Francisco. ### [First Impressions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xvii-first-impressions) Reflects on her first year in America, navigating cultural differences and learning American customs. ### [Strange Customs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xviii-strange-customs) Reflects on cultural differences between Japan and America, trying to explain Japanese customs to Americans and vice versa. ### [XIX: Thinking](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xix-thinking) Reflects on Japanese emotional restraint, cultural differences in affection, and the degradation of Japanese art standards. ### [XX: Neighbours](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xx-neighbours) Engages in a debate with Miss Helen about the nature of Japanese and American women, and reflects on her changing views of tradition and progress. ### [New Experiences](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxi-new-experiences) Recites Japanese flower poems, plants morning-glory seeds, gives birth to Hanano, and reflects on cultural differences during Christmas and snowman-building. ### [Flower in a Strange Land](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxii-flower-in-a-strange-land) Reflects on her devotion to her baby and receives a lesson from her mother through Buddhist picture-books. ### [Chiyo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxiii-chiyo) Tells Hanano stories of Japan and sings lullabies to baby Chiyo; reflects on her husband's death and the necessity of returning to Japan. ### [XXIV: In Japan Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxiv-in-japan-again) Returns to Japan as a widow, struggles to assert authority over her children's education against traditional family norms. ### [Our Tokyo Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxv-our-tokyo-home) Settles into her new Tokyo home, tries to balance her American-influenced ideas with traditional expectations, and lovingly shows Chiyo around the house. ### [XXVI: Tragic Trifles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxvi-tragic-trifles) Works tirelessly to secure education for her daughters, tutors Hanano, and reflects on the emotional toll of cultural displacement. ### [XXVII: Honourable Grandmother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxvii-honourable-grandmother) Arranges the home to feel familiar for her mother, worries about blending old and new ways, and observes the growing bond between her mother and children. ### [Sister's Visit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxviii-sister-s-visit) Invites her sister to Tokyo to cheer Mother; reflects on how her time in America changed her associations with names like Mary. ### [A Lady of Old Japan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxix-a-lady-of-old-japan) Listens to Sister's story, reflects on Mother's life, and participates in the funeral rites, blending Buddhist and Christian prayers. ### [The White Cow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxx-the-white-cow) Petitions the family council to return to America with her children; reflects on the changes in Nagaoka and her own past. ### [Worthless Treasures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxxi-worthless-treasures) Leads the children through Sister's godown, reflecting on family treasures and memories. ### [The Black Ships](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/chapters/xxxii-the-black-ships) Reflects on her childhood memory of the black ships as she prepares to sail to America. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/characters/narrator - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_the_samurai_se/characters