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Daughters of the Samurai

a Journey From East to West and Back
Aug 03, 2015savtadina rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This true story of the three young women is fascinating. After the author found and read Alice Bacon's A Japanese Interior in the New York Society Library, she was fascinated by the story of three Japanese girls who were sent to the US in 1871 by the Japanese government to "learn Western ways" and return to help nurture a new generation of enlightened men to lead Japan and help train young women to follow their path. The youngest was six and the other two about 11 and 12. The story is amazing: how they met the young Empress before they left, how they traveled by ship to California and then by train, etc. across the US, eventually settling in CT for their education, living mostly with ministers and their families. The two oldest eventually attended Vassar, one getting a BA. Much of the information for this biography of the three was gathered by letters written back and forth and by descendants of two of the young woman and of several Americans who had become good friends. At times the writing is a bit dry, and I did skip/scan such parts. I was definitely interested in the adaption of the girls to their new environment, how they did in school, and the strong feelings of especially the two older ones of their debt to Japan and the need to be primarily Japanese. I also was extremely interested on their re-integration into Japanese society. Parts were quite poignant.