A Daughter of the Samurai · Chapter
Curly Hair explained
Etsu-bo recalls her childhood struggles with her naturally curly hair, which was considered ugly and animal-like in Japan.
What happens
Etsu-bo recalls her childhood struggles with her naturally curly hair, which was considered ugly and animal-like in Japan. She endures painful treatments to straighten it and faces humiliation at her seventh-year celebration when an aunt criticizes her appearance. Her nurse Ishi makes a loving sacrifice by cutting off her own straight hair and offering it at a temple, praying for Etsu's hair to become straight. The chapter also describes the community's fervent participation in rebuilding the great Hongwanji temple in Kyoto, including women donating their hair to be braided into ropes for construction. Etsu joins the procession, holding the pulling cord of the sacred Buddha's cart, experiencing a moment of profound reverence.
Themes in this chapter
Tradition vs. Modernity
Etsu's curly hair, a natural trait, clashes with traditional Japanese beauty standards, foreshadowing her later move to America where it is accepted.
Love, Sacrifice, and Duty
Ishi's selfless act of cutting off her hair and praying at the temple demonstrates deep love and sacrifice for Etsu's well-being.
Loss and Memory
Etsu's vivid memory of childhood humiliation and Ishi's sacrifice remains painful yet cherished, shaping her identity.
Characters to notice
- Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto
Recalls childhood humiliation over curly hair and participates in the temple rebuilding procession.
- Ishi
Kind nurse who cuts off her own hair and offers it at the temple, praying for Etsu's hair to become straight.
- Mother
Scolds Etsu for complaining about her curly hair, reminding her that a samurai's daughter should not resemble a beast.
- Hanano
Etsu's sister; her straight hair is offered alongside Etsu's curly strand for the temple rope.
Key passages
“Etsu-ko, do you not know that curly hair is like animal’s hair? A samurai’s daughter should not be willing to resemble a beast.”
Mother scolds Etsu, equating curly hair with animalistic traits and reminding her of her duty as a samurai's daughter.
Highlights the cultural disdain for curly hair and the strict expectations of samurai honor.
“She had gone to the temple as soon as the dinner was over, and cutting off her splendid straight hair, had placed it before the shrine, praying the gods to transfer her hair to me.”
Ishi sacrificed her own straight hair by offering it at the temple, praying for Etsu's hair to become straight.
Demonstrates Ishi's loving sacrifice and the religious practices of the time.
“Never in my life, perhaps, shall I experience an hour more exalted than when we passed through these narrow streets behind the solemn, chanting priests, my hand clasped about the pulling cord of the great swaying, creaking cart, and my heart filled with awe and reverence.”
Etsu recalls the profound spiritual exaltation she felt while walking in the temple procession, holding the rope of the Buddha's cart.
Captures the deep religious experience and communal devotion of the event.