A Daughter of the Samurai

by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, June Angela (Narrator)

The book consists of 32 chapters. It follows the immigration of Etsu-bō, author surrogate for Sugimoto, to the United States of America and compares the life of being a woman in Japan to in America.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Memoir, Asia, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published January 1, 1925

About the author

Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto (1874-1950) was a Japanese-American writer and educator. She began writing essays on Japan for local Cincinnati newspapers to practice her English, then for the magazine Asia, which were later published in book form as A Daughter of the Samurai, which became an international bestseller. Sugimoto went on to publish several other novels and eventually moved to New York where she taught Japanese language and history at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Jun Ogata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. A fantastic look into history.

Review update:
As a Japanese-American, this is perhaps one of the most important books in my life. It provides a much needed glimpse into older, traditional Japanese life, while still maintaining a surprisingly large degree of relatability. The author works hard not just to write a good autobiography, but also a great work of art. Her story of life in Japan and America is stunning, and I urge people to jump into this book to better understand Japanese thought and culture. Please, don't wait. Just read it. Please.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book and extremely readable for all that it was written so long ago. The author has a sensitive understanding of some of the complexities of identity- place and time as well as gender, class and nationality all working together in contradictory ways. She navigates Japanese and American cultures with sympathy and affection for both.

She in some ways seems unaware of her own privilege, for example in both countries she seems to take servants for granted (that was the time I realise), there is a gentle sort of feminist leaning in the book. At times we are tantalised with details that are not properly explained but mostly the book shines with a casual sort of intimacy, an unpretentious clarity and the ability to find the exceptional in family interactions.

It helps me both understand and to some degree criticise the whiteness of other novels which attempt to portray samurais. It was beautiful that although Etsu's father is a samurai, in the book we see him more as a loving father and husband than anything to do with war (except at the edges of the text). This is why I love women's memoirs and feel the need for women's perspectives on all places and times of history.

A lovely book full of cherry blossoms, paper screens and uncluttered elegance.

[Hiroko Kugisima · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book in Japanese　after death of grandmother and mother.
I remembered the old happy days and their discipline and behave.

I did not know the writer at that time.
I choose the topic about this book for my thesis.

Her book , A Daughter of the Samurai, was translated in many languages.

I am good at Japanese only

If you can read other language , please give me your message.

Thank you.

http://vddb.library.lt/fedora/get/LT-...

[Josefina Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tarih kültür inanç ve Japonya.Harika bir anlatım büyüleyici gizemli uzak doğu hayranı işeniz benim gibi çok beğeneceksiniz ve eğitici aynı zamanda bilmediğim bir çok şeyi öğrenmek oldukça ilginç geliyor ❤️

[Noreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started as an audiobook, finished as a paperback because I wanted to savor Etsu’s “ word pictures.” My grandfather immigrated to British Columbia, Canada after he was a medic during Japanese Russo War 1904-1905. Buhachi was not the oldest son, so he came looking for work as a lumberjack. He was raised about the time of Etsu’s brother in Tokyo.

It has always surprised me that he expected my mother to go to medical school, when she was born in 1922? According to Etsu, her father planned for her to be a minister’s wife (priestess) which meant she was tutored at home, in Confucian classics,Japanese etiquette and calligraphy. When her father died, her brother returned from America and decided she needed a more useful education in English. He arranged for her to board with a good family and attend a school taught by Japanese born teachers. After checking her progress he decided for her to transfer to a school taught by American female teachers.

Similarly my grandfather arranged for my mother to board with Dr Hall, a dentist family in Raymond Alberta so she could attend a high school.

Although her dad died of typhoid fever when she was a high school senior, she took a train during WWIl to Regina Grey Nuns Hospital In Saskatchewan for nursing school.

I asked her if she was ever afraid, and she said “I always felt my dad was watching over me, as long as I behaved, I would be alright.”

The same sentiments of Etsu after the death of her father, then her husband and then mother and her ancestors.

Thank you 🙏🏼 Etsu

[bookstories_travels🪐 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es inevitable que haya libros que, en cuanto uno conoce su existencia y lee de qué van, no pueda evitar pensar que parecen hechos para él o ella; de esos de los que uno está completamente seguro de que le van a encantar. Esa fue la sensación que tuve desde el primer minuto en que supe de “La Hija del Samurái” en marzo del año pasado. Lo descubrí al verlo como lectura del Marzo Asiático de una cuenta de Instagram que me encanta, y a la que este libro le entusiasmó. Entre eso y que me llamó mucho la atención su contexto histórico, no tuve ninguna duda: supe que iba a disfrutar mucho leyéndolo y que era un título que parecía hecho para mí. Y aunque prácticamente lo he tenido en mis estanterías desde abril de 2025, no ha sido hasta ahora que por fin he podido leerlo. Y sí, admito que lo he guardado pensando en el Marzo Asiático de este año, para que fuera mi plato fuerte del mes.

La espera ha merecido totalmente la pena.

Nacida en la provincia de Nagaoka, en el seno de una familia samurái de alto rango, Etsu Inagaki era muy pequeña cuando estalló la Restauración Meiji, cambiando para siempre el sistema social japonés y poniendo en jaque mortal el estilo de vida de los samurais. Pese a eso, la niña será criada en el rígido y centenario sistema en el que lo han sido todas las mujeres de su clase durante siglos, mientras poco a poco ve en carne propia cómo los tiempos van cambiando. Es entonces, siendo una adolescente, cuando es prometida a un amigo de su hermano, el cual vive en los Estados Unidos de América. Esto obligará a Etsu a empezar a adentrarse en la cultura de Occidente. Desde su educación en una misión en Tokio hasta su estancia como recién casada en Norteamérica, Etsu deberá aprender a vivir en dos mundos diferentes, sabiéndose hija de uno y ciudadana del otro, aceptando lo bueno y lo malo de ambos.

Con un estilo sencillo y directo, pero no por ello menos pulcro y atmosférico, Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto escribió una serie de artículos donde narraba sus vivencias como descendiente de una familia samurái y el tipo de educación que recibió, además de su experiencia como extranjera nipona en los Estados Unidos. Posteriormente, estos textos se unificarían en el libro de memorias que nos ocupa. Una biografía que se siente como una suave brisa que atrapa amablemente al lector. “La Hija del Samurái” no es de esas lecturas vibrantes y efervescentes en las que no paran de pasar cosas. Todo es puro costumbrismo narrado con un ritmo plácido y una prosa encantadora; una narración basada puramente en los recuerdos e impresiones de su autora. Solo necesita eso para convertirse en una obra inolvidable y cautivadora. Como la danza de los pétalos de los cerezos al caer, el relato es un baile entre la añoranza y el presente, con sus luces y sus sombras, que sabe encandilar y arrastrar con la sencillez efectiva de su narrativa.

Empieza Yayoi Kawamura en 2008 el prólogo de la edición española de “Mitos y Leyendas de Japón” de Frederick Hadland Davis (editorial Satori, 2009) contándonos que “en la edad contemporánea, Occidente recibió la influencia de Japón y su cultura en tres periodos de tiempo y tres maneras distintas: japonismo, zenismo y neojaponismo. En un primer momento se creó en Europa, desde las últimas décadas del siglo XIX, una imagen de Japón captada o imaginada a través de los objetos que llegaban de aquel lejano país, mientras que el segundo, el zenismo, es un movimiento promovido desde mediados del siglo XX, principalmente por artistas y filósofos que experimentaron un conocimiento directo de Japón, en un intento de acercarse en profundidad a su cultura. Esta corriente cultural hoy en día tiene una vigencia importante en la sociedad occidental”. El libro que ocupa la reseña que estáis leyendo puede entenderse como criado y forjado entre ambos momentos. Desde su infancia como una niña samurái en el frío Nagaoka (que ve cómo todo en lo que se cimentaba su familia durante generaciones va poco a poco descomponiéndose mientras se cría en un mundo marcado por las reglas y las costumbres centenarias de su pueblo) hasta sus experiencias como madre y esposa japonesa en la vibrante y cosmopolita San Francisco de principios del siglo XX, Inagaki Sugimoto habla con delicadeza y sinceridad de un mundo exótico y misterioso para los occidentales, tan lejano que puede dar la impresión de parecer prohibido, y por ello incluso más atrayente y deseable. Y ella es totalmente consciente de ello.

La grandeza de “La Hija del Samurái” es la manera en que su autora acerca al lector occidental a las costumbres y al sentir nipón con una cercanía casi táctil. He leído bastantes libros sobre Japón desde mi adolescencia; es un país y una cultura que me atraen de manera indescriptible. Y creo que pocas lecturas me han hecho conectar tanto con la idiosincrasia de este pueblo y con la manera en que durante siglos se marcó su forma de vida, de la que aún hoy es heredera la sociedad japonesa. Leer esta obra es sumergirse en el día a día de una familia samurái de finales del siglo XIX y en la forma en que una niña era criada, con todas sus curiosidades, asperezas y momentos brillantes. Los primeros capítulos nos muestran la cotidianidad de la infancia de la pequeña Etsu con todo lo que puede resultar extraño a los lectores extranjeros. Veremos la manera en que se articulaban las relaciones familiares dentro de un clan, el rígido protocolo ancestral que movía su jornada, la forma en que un niño era educado sin concesiones para fortalecerle de cara a su vida adulta y asegurarse de que trajera el honor, y no la vergüenza, a sus antepasados; los códigos que los pequeños debían seguir con los mayores; las tradiciones y típicas fiestas que aún hoy conserva este pueblo con cariño y fervor; y todo un complejo aparataje de creencias pasadas de padres a hijos durante generaciones que marcan el carácter nipón por la manera en que aún perduran en el sentir de este país. Y es que la filosofía japonesa puede resultar chocante para el estudioso occidental por su complejidad y por tener un rumbo tan personal, plagado de matices que se nos pueden escapar. Esa es la virtud de Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto. Como japonesa que ha vivido en Norteamérica durante años, sabe cómo llevar al terreno del lector occidental todos estos conceptos, explicándolos de manera sencilla para hacerlos comprensibles. Gracias a eso, “La Hija del Samurái” acerca los dos mundos y hace cercano lo que resulta misterioso. Esa es la gran belleza de esta lectura que, aunque puede resultar un tanto densa al principio, nunca es aburrida ni árida.

Pero sinceramente, gran parte de la fascinación que pueda tener este volumen tiene mucho que ver con su autora. La prosa de Inagaki Sugimoto es tan suave como la danza de las hojas de los sauces al viento; con un sabor tan lleno de contrastes como el del té matcha; y con la folclórica complejidad religiosa que da la convivencia del budismo con el sintoísmo. No es un texto que se haga difícil de leer, ya que su pluma es muy asequible. Pero, como en una obra de arte Ukiyo-e, lo que cuenta es la sutileza y los detalles. Las pequeñas pinceladas y curiosidades que van componiendo su relato, la manera en que nos cuenta cómo se sintió en cada momento y cómo vivió las circunstancias por las que tuvo que pasar, hacen de esta una lectura inolvidable. Sobre todo, sazonada por la forma en que la propia personalidad de Etsu se filtra entre sus páginas. La pequeña que conocemos al inicio, criada entre nieves y tradiciones, nunca hubiera podido imaginar el destino que le deparaba la vida, ni que la suya sería una historia de renacimientos y despedidas, de mundos viejos y nuevos. Supo tomar lo mejor de cada uno para ella y para sus propias hijas, forjándose un destino único. Sus memorias no hubieran sido lo mismo si no nos hubiera dejado conocer su personalidad amable y emotiva; si no nos hubiera mostrado su forma de ver la realidad, producto de vivencias poco convencionales para una mujer de su tiempo. Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto fue valiente y muy positiva, buscó ser libre y fue capaz de usar una fina ironía y de trasladar al lector profundas emociones. Mucho de esto no viene solo macerado por su biografía o por la fascinación hacia la vibrante situación de las mujeres en Norteamérica, sino que su sentir también está empapado de su creencia en el cristianismo, religión que empezó a profesar durante su adolescencia en una misión de Tokio. El credo de Etsu es sencillo y abarcador, capaz de abrazar la esperanza sin perder el respeto hacia la cultura sintoísta y budista en la que se crió. Todo esto nos muestra a una mujer universal, admirable por su valentía y abierta de miras. “La Hija del Samurái” no es solo una recopilación de recuerdos, es también el testamento vital de una persona humana. Y precisamente por eso, su forma de narrar sigue encajando perfectamente con el lector moderno. Encajando y encantando.

Gracias a la forma de escribir de Etsu, el libro se vuelve algo más que ameno y educativo. Se convierte en una de esas historias que no necesitan de grandes giros de guion ni de grandilocuencia para ser conmovedora e inspiradora. Es el relato de cómo los tiempos van cambiando y el de una joven que supo hallar la libertad para ser ella misma entre dos culturas, haciéndolas convivir en su propio día a día. Con su testimonio, las acerca al lector.

Y para terminar esta reseña, solo puedo poneros un fragmento de “La Hija del Samurái” que no solo me parece muy apropiado, sino que creo que demuestra hasta qué punto me ha inspirado esta lectura. No soy la clase de lectora que ponga posit o subraye sus libros, no por nada en especial, sino porque nunca suelo acordarme. Que sí lo haya hecho con este libro demuestra mejor que nada lo mucho que me ha gustado. Sin duda es una lectura que para mí ya es inolvidable, de esas que se van a quedar conmigo para siempre.

"Pasaron los años, y Etsu-bo, la niña que había escuchado la historia de los barcos negros y los bárbaros rojos, fue a navegar en un barco negro que se movía sin velas hacia un nuevo hogar en una lejana tierra. Allí aprendió que los corazones son iguales en ambos lados del mundo, pero este es un secreto que se oculta a la gente de Oriente y también a la gente de Occidente. Este es otro capítulo del cuento de mi abuela; otro capítulo, pero no el último. Los bárbaros rojos y los hijos de los dioses aún no han conocido el corazón del otro; para ellos el secreto es aún desconocido, pero los barcos siguen navegando y navegando..."

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bu kitap, yazarın hatıralarına ilişkin evvelce yayınlanan gazete makalelerinin,kitap formatına getirilmiş halidir.

Çok etkileyici bir yaşam, etkileyici bir esere dönüşmüş. Doğumunun hemen ardından rahibe olarak yetiştirilmesine karar verilen , Japonya kültürü ve felsefesi ile büyütülen, üst düzey bir eğitim alan bir genç kızın, -kültüründe olmayan şekilde- yapayalnız gelin olduğu ve hakkında neredeyse hiç bir şey bilmediği, Amerika’ya ve kültürüne uyum sağlama ve anlamaya çalışma çabaları, etkileyici ve ilginç bir şekilde kurgulanarak aktarılmış.

Gazete makalelerinden derlenmiş olduğu için bölümler, konular anılar itibariyle ayrı ayrı yazılmış olsa da, başarılı bir şekilde bütün oluşturmuş, bir roman halini almış.

Kitabı okurken, minik bir prensesin hayatını okuyormuş duygusu oluştu. Etsubo’nun hayatının değişim yaşadığı köşe taşlarından bazılarını yürekten desteklerken, bazılarını içim acıyarak okudum. Kadim bir uygarlık olan ve büyük bir felsefeye sahip Japonların, çok saygı duyduğum felsefelerinin ve bazı geleneklerinin yaşatılmaya devam edilmesini gönülden isterdim.

Genç bir Japon kızın zihinsel evrimini izlemek, Japon kültürü ve felsefesi hakkında çok az bilgiye sahip olanlar için, çarpıcı verilerle şaşırtıcı ipuçları içeriyor. Bir çok Japon yazarın (Natsume Soseki/Sanşiro ve bir açıdan Londra Kulesi, Mori Ogai/Dansçı Kız, Kafu Nagai gibi), batıda aldığı eğitim esnasında ve sonrasında yaşadığı kültürel bocalama ve belki depresyonu, hem yaşam öykülerinde hem de eserlerinde okumuş, ama kültürel farklılığı bu derece açık olarak hissedememiştim. Bu kitap, bu anlamda beni çok etkiledi. Ayrıca bir çok geleneğin, yüzyıllar süren anmaların, söylencelerin ardında yatan hikayeleri okumak ve öğrenmek de ilginçti.

Bu arada çeviride ve Türkçe kurallarına uyumda problem olduğunu düşünüyorum. Bazı terimlerin ve kelimelerin Türkçeleştirilmesinde isim yerine tanımının veya kullanım şeklinin belirtilmesi, bazılarının Türkçeye -kullanım ve okuma alışkanlığı oluşmuş kelimelerin- farklı şekilde çevirisi, Türkçe özne yüklem uyumsuzluğu, okuma zorluğu yaratıyor. Bazı cümleleri anlamak için tahmin yürüttüm. Sanki biraz daha özen isteyen bir çalışma olmuş.

[ambyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most relatable moment in the entire book: showing young kids around your collection of Cool Objects, and then hastily changing the subject when they start to ask questions about one you really don't want to have to explain.

Granted, my collection of Cool Objects doesn't include a bucket for carrying severed heads, but still.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mumu' - per RFS
.
Fin dalle prime pagine di Come un fiore di ciliegio nel vento, sono stata immediatamente catturata dalla delicatezza e dalla profondità della narrazione di Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto. Questo romanzo, con la sua prosa poetica e il suo richiamo alle tradizioni giapponesi, mi ha trasportata in un mondo affascinante e ricco di dettagli evocativi.

La storia, ambientata nel Giappone di fine Ottocento, segue il percorso di una giovane donna che, come un fiore di ciliegio, deve affrontare le tempeste della vita con grazia e resilienza. Ho trovato particolarmente toccante il modo in cui l’autrice riesce a intrecciare la storia personale della protagonista con i cambiamenti sociali e culturali dell’epoca. Ogni personaggio è descritto con una sensibilità unica, rendendoli vivi e indimenticabili.

Il romanzo non è solo una storia di crescita e adattamento, ma anche un tributo alle tradizioni e ai valori giapponesi. Le descrizioni dei paesaggi, dei rituali e delle usanze sono così vivide che mi sembrava di poter quasi sentire il profumo dei fiori di ciliegio e il suono del vento tra i bambù. La bellezza della scrittura di Sugimoto risiede nella sua capacità di creare immagini potenti e suggestive con parole semplici e precise.

Un aspetto che ho apprezzato particolarmente è la rappresentazione della forza femminile. La protagonista non è solo un simbolo di delicatezza e bellezza, ma anche di determinazione e coraggio. La sua capacità di affrontare le avversità e di trovare la sua strada in un mondo in continua evoluzione mi ha ispirato profondamente. La sua storia è un potente promemoria che, indipendentemente dalle circostanze, è possibile trovare forza e speranza dentro di sé.

Inoltre, la capacità di Sugimoto di connettere il lettore con la cultura giapponese è straordinaria. Le tradizioni, le festività e le pratiche quotidiane sono presentate con tale autenticità che mi sono sentita immersa in un mondo lontano e affascinante. Questo romanzo è un vero e proprio viaggio culturale che arricchisce l’anima e la mente.

Come un fiore di ciliegio nel vento è un libro che non solo si legge, ma si vive. Mi ha toccato profondamente, facendomi riflettere sulla forza interiore e sulla bellezza che si può trovare anche nei momenti più difficili. È una lettura che consiglio vivamente a chiunque ami immergersi in storie ricche di emozioni e significato.

In conclusione, Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto ha creato un capolavoro che rimarrà nel mio cuore per molto tempo. La sua narrazione delicata e potente al contempo mi ha regalato un’esperienza di lettura indimenticabile, come un fiore di ciliegio che continua a sbocciare nel mio animo, nonostante il passare del tempo.

[Libri_Di_Neve · Rating 5 out of 5]

È uscita per Giunti questa opera a mio avviso meravigliosa. Definirlo memoir è riduttivo, tante sono le emozioni di bellezza, stupore, sdegno e tristezza che vengono suscitate durante tutta la lettura del libro, durante la narrazione della storia personale di Etsu.
Risultano strette le condizioni sociali imposte sia dalla cultura giapponese di fine '800, sia in quanto femmina e figlia di uno degli ultimi samurai d'alto rango. Etsu porta su di sé la storia centenaria dei suoi antenati, dei riti e delle tradizioni scritte e non scritte del Giappone feudale, con grande focus sulla condizione della donna.

Costretta ad abbandonare il suo paese a 14 anni per sposare Matsuo, comincia il suo viaggio per l' America, dove si scontra con una cultura, un modo di fare e soprattutto di essere totalmente opposto rispetto quello in cui è stata cresciuta.

🌸
Il modo di narrare dell'autrice è meraviglioso e altamente descrittivo. Prendete il vostro tempo per assimilare le numerose storie locali e leggende giapponesi che vengono richiamate durante i suoi ricordi. Alcune scene sono forti per la loro assoluta "normale crudeltà" che molto stona con la nostra cultura odierna occidentale.
È un libro da leggere per capire le differenze culturali di cent'anni fa, da accettare con umili intenzioni e da fare proprio, per capire che quello che abbiamo qui, oggi, è frutto di sacrificio e lotte dei nostri predecessori, a cui dovremmo forse riconoscere qualcosa in più rispetto a qualche giornata l'anno.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

INTERESTING AND ILLUMINATING.

”The Restoration of 1868 was not a sudden event. There had been political agitation for years, in which the world of Japan was divided into two factions—those who believed that the imperial power should include both sacred and secular duties, and those who believed the shogun, as military ruler, should take all national burdens from the shoulders of the sacred Emperor.”—page 88

Etsu Sugimoto’s memoir, A DAUGHTER OF THE SAMURAI, first published in 1925, offers an up close and personal look at daily life in Meiji Era Japan—especially of those born into the former Samurai class. It was a bit confusing and annoying, early on, trying to grasp the timeline. I had to Google Mrs. Sugimoto, and read some of her background, to try to figure out just what years (approx. 1880-1910) were involved.

The later chapters, when family stories were being related to the author’s two, young, American-born-and-raised daughters, after they had moved to Japan with their mom, were the most revealing, delightful, and engaging.

Recommendataion: This is an excellent companion-read to Janice Nimura’s delightful and comprehensive, 2015, offering: Daughters of the Samurai.

”So I drifted on from week to week, occasionally having to remind myself that, even in America, the ‘eyelids of a samurai know not moisture’…”—page 168

Kindle edition, 331 pages.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the flow of the story. The details are gentle and thoughtful, making it an easy, effortless read. It’s beautifully written, full of that pure Japanese essence, with a pinch of American influence that really works.

[Sharof Hamroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great memoir

[AltLovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Perhaps it would be better not to look back with such pride to a glorious past; but instead, to look forward to a glorious future. One means quiet satisfaction; the other, ambitious work."

Etsu grew up the daughter of a samurai at a point in time when samurai are no longer needed. Regardless, she grew up learning those ideals, and took them with her into adulthood and America. She had a remarkably pragmatic and insightful way of looking at the world around her, and it was really interesting to me to read her thoughts on her American way of life when compared with her Japanese upbringing.

She was educated (beyond what women in that period were), kind, and generous with those around her. I learned many things about Japanese history and folklore through the stories she'd tell her family and friends, and I loved her insight into things I wouldn't have considered. For instance, she told a story about how an American friend of hers had pretty rosary beads displayed next to an intricately carved Japanese backscratcher. The woman had no idea it was something so mundane, she saw it as an object of beauty and not a tool. Etsu likened its oddity to someone displaying the Holy Bible next to a toothbrush. I appreciated that honesty, and Etsu and the friend laughed about it together.

The really only strike I can give this book is that its rather mundane. There's no struggles or trials to overcome here, just a nice Japanese woman living a nice life and having good things happen to her as a result. Depending on what you're reading for, it might come off slow and boring to some.

[Romain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fille de Samourai est l’autobiographie d’Etsu Sugimoto, de son enfance dans la province d’Echigo à son départ pour les Etats Unis où elle y épousera un japonais expatrié.
Élevée dans une famille de samouraïs, elle décrit les traditions et les valeurs ancestrales auxquelles elle est confrontée ainsi que les défis qu'elle va devoir surmonter en tant que femme dans une société japonaise traditionnelle en pleine mutation. En dépeignant sa vie au quotidienne, l'auteure nous permet de nous introduire dans l’intimité d’une famille où l'honneur et la discipline sont des caractéristiques primordiales ainsi que sa capacité à naviguer entre les attentes de sa lignée et ses propres désirs. Une œuvre sincère et touchante qui nous donne un aperçu fascinant et plein de détails sur la culture japonaise traditionnelle, en décrivant les codes de conduite et les idéaux féminins sous l’ère Meiji, tout en offrant un récit personnel qui associe respect des coutumes et émancipation.

[Maria Ryzhova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think it is book for everyone. There is not a lot happening, no social agenda the author wants to push, no drama she reflects on heavily: death of husband is written with one sentence, death of her mother - with four. Though there is a whole chapter dedicated to a celebration of gods in old Japan. You will not learn a lot useful facts about Japan- it changed dramatically since hundred years ago. It is indeed too sweet and toothless. Someone wrote here, that at some point you get tired of “everything is charming, and my heart was heavy with gratitude”. True.
But I liked it anyway, cause it was bringing to my life a calm meditative time whenever I was picking it up.
And also - it is not too bad of an attitude to be grateful.

[Carolina Norman · Rating 2 out of 5]

10% fascinating, 90% descriptions of objects

[Eleonora Mora · Rating 1 out of 5]

Purtroppo questo libro non mi è proprio piaciuto. Ho trovato la narrazione davvero lenta e per niente coinvolgente. Mi ha annoiata ecco. Il romanzo narra la storia della figlia di un samurai nata e cresciuta in Giappone e poi trasferita in America per le necessità lavorative del marito. Si trova così a confrontarsi con una cultura e uno stile di vita completamente diverso dal suo e inizialmente fatica a integrarsi.
Avevo alte aspettative, sono rimasta un po’ delusa ecco…
Probabilmente non fa per me

[Tatiana Le Feuvre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Женщина-самурай держит лицо, никогда не плачет и затекшей ногой не пошевелит.
Эцуко вырасла в традициях феодальной Японии, её выдали замуж в Америку. Похоронив мужа, она снова в Японии, но теперь всё в её жизни решает семья мужа.
Книга её интересна тем, что она «переводит» одну культуру на язык другой и обратно, так как владеет обеими культурными кодами.
В книге много Японских легенд и обычаев, создающих объемные декорации одной жизни.
Книга интересна этнографически-исторической составляющей, а так же всеми мыслями о том, что такое Долг.

===

Представления о долге в разных концах света разные, но японцы никогда не уклоняются от его призыва. Многие девочки и мальчики, даже не вступившие в пору отрочества, многие мужчины и женщины в расцвете сил, многие пожилые в одиночку уезжали в далёкие провинции и среди чужаков становились своими — телом, умом и духом. Но даже среди красоты, если где-то вдали остался неотданный долг, ничто, пока жизнь идёт, не способно помешать сердцу тянуться, уму — строить планы, душе — молиться о том, чтобы исполнить, пусть частично, этот утраченный долг. В этом таится душа Японии.

В поклоне участвует не только тело: это движение души. Мы по-разному кланяемся отцу, младшей сестре, подруге, слуге, ребёнку. Глубокий и полный достоинства поклон моей матери, ласковые слова прощания были проникнуты любовью. Я живо это ощутила, и все, кто при этом присутствовали, тоже поняли всю глубину потаённого движения её души.

[Zina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Так захватило в начале и так было скучно на четверти книги, что думала бросить, но не бросила и дочитала со смирением, надеюсь, вполне достойным японским корням автора)

Дочитать помог тот факт, что я отнеслась к ней как к нонфикшн книге, образчику иной культуры, почти утраченной уже и в самой Японии. Притчи, одежда, манеры - автор скудно описывает, скорее перечисляя (в послесловии переводчик объясняет, что это особенность английского текста), но в итоге эта описательность и создает эффект созерцания момента и соприкосновения с японской культурой, так чуждой западному человеку.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There should really be a sub-genre called the "time-travelogue" for books that transport the reader to the past and long ago ways of life. Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto's wise and poignant memoir "A Daughter of the Samurai" takes the reader back in more ways than one. Born shortly before Japan's Civil War that abolished the feudal, Samurai traditions and gave rise to the Meiji Restoration, Sugimoto experienced a life of constant transitions, and her tale is one of how to navigate change with grace and curiosity. Raised to be a priestess in rural northwestern Japan, she received both a boy's education and a girl's lessons in refinement. As she was arranged in marriage to a Japanese man living in America, her family realized that she needed a Western education and sent her to missionary school in Tokyo. Here she experienced her first culture shock of Japan's embrace of modernity and Western culture. In 1898, she left her family behind and traveled to Cincinnati to meet the man who would be her husband and be thrust into the American ways of life. There they raised two daughters. After his death, she took her children back to Japan, but this time seeing it with American eyes and having to navigate her old culture and traditions with her daughters whose heritage now spanned two countries. It is an illuminating and fascinating story. When I was growing up, I would always ask my Granny to tell me stories "from her brain" about growing up on a Nebraskan homestead. Reading Sugimoto's account fed that same need for me; it's a window into how life once was.

There is much about this book that is remarkable, but what really stands out is her desire to understand people. This did not come naturally to her at first. Coming from the slower pace of life bound by tradition and conservative values of rural Japan, she was taken aback by Tokyo's fast-pace and its people's open and free natures. Shy and reserved at first, she watched carefully and finally recognized the benefits their ways. She also learned that women there had voices and she learned to use her own. Once in America, which was Tokyo on steroids, she saw much more that confused and confounded her. Instead of clutching to her ways, she sought out similarities between America and Japan, often poking gentle fun at both. Instead of being fearful of losing her old ways, she realizes how her Samurai upbringing gave her the strength to bear the changes in her life and how understanding both cultures shows her the drawbacks and benefits of each. She is a keen, compassionate, and sympathetic observer and a model for how to move about in the world and how to maintain a sense of self while upholding traditions.

This is a deeply moving and inspiring work. I highly recommend.

[Irina]

This was a peculiar memoir in the sense that the author went into minutiae of so many things yet left out so much of what you’d expect to find in a book about someone’s life! For example, I learnt all about the clothes, the furniture and even the teacups in the household of a samurai, but had to look up elsewhere about what happened to Etsu’s husband. She just tells us that he was “gone” one day in a short paragraph, before moving on to the next chapter of her life.

Etsu is a daughter of the samurai clan of Inagaki. She grows up in a highly structured household, in the house where generations of her ancestors had lived. Her elder brother who was supposed to be the head of the family had been banished from home and moved to America. Several years later Etsu joins him there but for a lot less painful (although who can tell!) reason - she is married to a Japanese man, a friend of the family.

This is a bit of a slow reading. Etsu must have been either a big fan of myths and poetry, or found it to be an easier subject to share with the reader. As a result, we don’t really get to know people around her. Most everyone is either nice and noble, or is mentioned only briefly. Her life in America in the 1940-1950s interested me enormously, but I felt like there was always a distance between her and the reader. A sort of a screen she kept so as to not share anything that might jeopardize her decorum.

She does delve into the history of her country and talks about the origin of many customs that are fascinating, such as the blackening of teeth or the Festival of Dolls. It was also fun to read about the daily clashes between the American and the Japanese cultures Etsu experiences when she is in the states. So it’s definitely worth reading. I think with the help of a good editor this memoir would really become something exceptional.

[Laura Nuzzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autobiografia di Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, figlia di un samurai ed infatti il titolo originale in inglese è ;
A daughter of the samurai. Non capisco perché la versione italiana non rispetti semplicemente la traduzione del titolo.
Il libro si apre con un ringraziamento a Nancy Virginia Austen che con ‘’ la sua piacevolissima amicizia, la sua grinta e le sue conoscenze pratiche mi hanno incoraggiato a credere che una piccola Etsu con il cuore pieno d’amore per il vecchio Giappone sarebbe riuscita a raccogliere i petali caduti dello spirito samurai e a intrecciarli in una ghirlanda profumata per i lettori di oggi’’. È con queste parole che l’autrice ringrazia l’amica che l’ha sollecitata a scrivere e pubblicare nel 1925 il racconto parziale della sua vita, iniziata nel 1873 in Giappone (terminata nel 1950 in Giappone). Nasce quando da pochi anni è iniziata in Giappone la trasformazione da paese feudale a paese aperto all ‘occidentalizzazione. Dalla sua scrittura traspare il profondo amore per la sua terra di origine ma anche l’amore per la nuova terra, gli Stati Uniti, che l’hanno accolta così benevolmente.
Libro molto interessante per capire la cultura e le tradizioni giapponesi. Interessante per la descrizione delle differenze tra la sua educazione giapponese e il modo di vita che trova negli Stati Uniti. il tutto descritto in forma quasi poetica. Di questo stile di scrittura si ha già un assaggio nelle parole scritte nel ringraziamento rivolto all’amica americana.

P S forse la scelta di quel titolo nell’edizione italiana è nata direttamente dall’ispirazione che arriva dalla scrittura poetica.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very special memoir. If it has just been a chronicle of life in the mountains of Meiji Era Nagaoka followed by impressions of fin-de-siècle Cincinnati, it would certainly be worth a read, but author Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto delves more deeply than that. While she does keep many of her deepest feelings guarded, what she does make readily apparent is a deep love for her homeland and a fascination with her time abroad. There is a mix of criticism and yearning, a nostalgia for familiar comforts and a thirst for new adventures that leads to a longing for both that will be understandable to those who have multicultural experiences.

I'd like to read more of the author's work and also follow the family story through the multiple memoirs written by her daughter, Chiyono Sugimoto Kiyooka.

[Nao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devo dire che, nonostante le premesse, il titolo e la copertina (che rientrano tra il mio genere preferito) questo libro mi è piaciuto a metà. Tutta la prima parte in cui Etsu Sugimoto vive in Giappone fino al matrimonio mi ha davvero entusiasmata e interessata e anche con tutte le numerose nozioni storiche, non mi ha annoiat. Ma la seconda parte, quella in cui si trasferisce in America, non so perché ma mi ha annoiata a morte. Non so cosa sia successo perché è come se il racconto perdesse di mordente. Un vero peccato, perché si tratta di un autobiografia molto interessante, che per metà non sono riuscita ad apprezzare a pieno. Ma potrebbe anche essere un mio problema, ecco perché a prescindere è una lettura che consiglio.

[Kymmy Catness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book for the taste of life in another era, of a different class of people, in another country. Very well written and, for the most part, clear. I was sometimes confused as to who the author referred to towards the end when talking to her daughters about her ancestors. Still, I can't wait to share this with my nieces.

[José Almeida · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, endearing story that captures the mistique of remote areas of Japan and the turmoil of the end of feudalism. The tale of Sugimoto-san is the tale of Japan as it approaches the end of an era and is confronted with the western world as it enters the XXth century.

[Franka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda interesting at first but the author is just so darned nice it gets pretty boring. Everyone is nice and good and every place is charming and every problem is ultimately solved amicably. A wonderful like for live but not so interesting to read about.

[David Odum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this one out of curiosity as to whether any of the "tropes" we associate with pre-industrial Japan were accurate. A surprising number of them are, at least as experienced by the daughter of a powerful samurai and daimyo. Learning about the world where honor received was treasured, and honor and respect was given so consistently, has given me some things to think about as to how I can honor the relationships in my life, and teach my children to do so, as well.

Speaking of my children, this is one of the few of my history books I've been able to get them to listen to.

Some of the best parts dealt with the culture clash she experienced in America, and even these she dealt with in an often poetic way.

I was going to give it 3 stars, but I changed it to 4 upon realizing that it solidified my understanding of Japan perhaps more than anything else has.

[Mara ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una storia famigliare che mi ha affascinata molto. Mi è piaciuto molto come vengono raccontati entrambi i mondi: Giappone e America dall'autrice, un vero e proprio viaggio culturale. Incredibili le descrizioni del mondo dei samurai. Questo libro rimarrà nel mio cuore per molto tempo. Splendido.