Samurai Daughter

About This Novel

In 1891, the Meiji Government's Development Envoy selected five female students to study in the United States with the Iwakura Mission. Their mission is to learn Western culture and rules, and after completing their studies, return to Japan to help cultivate a new generation of enlightened Japanese who will lead the country. In the end, only 3 of the 5 girls stayed in the United States to study. Yamakawa Shematsu, Tsuda Umeko and Nagai Shigeko all grew up in traditional samurai families. As Japan's first batch of government-sponsored overseas students, they immediately became celebrities once they arrived in the United States. While studying abroad, they stayed with American families. Under the influence of Western culture and education, they almost completely integrated into the local society and became typical American female students. Ten years later, they returned home after completing their studies, only to find that they had become strangers in their hometown. Under the fusion and collision of heterogeneous cultures, the girls strengthened their beliefs and moved forward, determined to contribute to Japan's education reform. In this revolution in female education: Yamakawa Shematsu promoted Japanese diplomacy and helped found the Japanese Red Cross; Tsuda Umeko founded Tsuda Juku University, a well-known Japanese institution; Nagai Shigeko also became a well-known educator at the time. This book is written through a large amount of archival materials and letters. Through the fascinating weaving of history and biography, the author shows the changes in the status and destiny of women during the Meiji Restoration, as well as the profound changes in Japanese society, politics, culture, and education.

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