A Daughter of the Samurai · Chapter
XI: My First Journey explained
Etsu-bo describes her first journey from Nagaoka to Tokyo with her brother, including the farewell picnic with friends, the eight-day journey through mountain roads, and her reflections on leaving home.
What happens
Etsu-bo describes her first journey from Nagaoka to Tokyo with her brother, including the farewell picnic with friends, the eight-day journey through mountain roads, and her reflections on leaving home. Along the way, she encounters different customs, hears the legend of Obatsuyama (the mountain of abandoning the aged), and begins to question her upbringing and the abandonment of her priestess education.
Themes in this chapter
Cultural Transition and Identity
Etsu-bo's journey from Nagaoka to Tokyo symbolizes her transition from a sheltered provincial life to a broader world, and she begins to question her identity and the path chosen for her.
Family and Ancestral Duty
The legend of Obatsuyama highlights the tension between duty to family and societal mandates, echoing Etsu-bo's own reflections on her family's decisions regarding her education.
Education and Enlightenment
Etsu-bo's journey is motivated by her schooling in Tokyo, and she reflects on the shift from her priestess training to a more practical education arranged by her father.
Characters to notice
- Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto
Etsu-bo makes her first journey to Tokyo, feeling both elation and regret as she leaves home.
- Brother
Brother accompanies Etsu-bo on the journey, joking about serious matters and prompting her to think about her abandoned priestess education.
- Ishi
Ishi carefully tucks Etsu-bo into her jinrikisha at the start of the journey.
- Honourable Grandmother
Etsu-bo bids goodbye to Honourable Grandmother before departing.
- Mother
Etsu-bo bids goodbye to Mother before departing.
Key passages
“With a heart half of elation, half of regret, I bade goodbye to Honourable Grandmother and Mother and with misty eyes was carefully tucked into my jinrikisha by Ishi.”
Etsu-bo felt both excitement and sadness as she said farewell to her grandmother and mother, and was helped into her jinrikisha by Ishi.
Captures the mixed emotions of leaving home for the first time.
“I was shocked that Brother should sing a common servant’s song, and doubly shocked that he should joke so lightly about serious things; so my face was still grave as we rolled along in our jinrikishas.”
Etsu-bo was scandalized that her brother would sing a vulgar song and make jokes about serious matters, so she remained solemn.
Highlights the contrast between Etsu-bo's strict upbringing and her brother's more relaxed attitude.
“I had spoken the truth when I said I did not know. I had always accepted my education with no thought of results. But Brother’s laugh had startled me, and, rolling along that mountain road, I did a good deal of thinking.”
Etsu-bo realized she had never questioned her education, but her brother's laugh made her reflect deeply on her path.
Shows Etsu-bo's growing self-awareness and critical thinking.
“The daimyo listened, then meditated in silence. Finally he lifted his head. 'Shinano needs more than the strength of youth,' he said gravely. 'Ah, that I should have forgotten the well-known saying, "With the crown of snow, there cometh wisdom!"'”
The ruler realized that the wisdom of the elderly was valuable and abolished the cruel law against the aged.
The moral of the Obatsuyama legend emphasizes the value of age and experience.
