A Daughter of the Samurai

A Daughter of the Samurai (1925) is an autobiographical memoir by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto that recounts her childhood and early life as the daughter of a Japanese samurai during the late 19th century. The book portrays traditional Japanese customs, values, and social structures, especially the discipline, honor, and gender expectations of samurai culture. It also describes Etsu’s arranged marriage, her move to the United States, and her gradual adaptation to Western life. Through her personal story, Sugimoto offers Western readers an intimate view of a disappearing feudal Japan and the tensions between tradition and modernity.