A Daughter of the Samurai · Chapter
XXVII: Honourable Grandmother explained
The chapter describes the arrival of Etsu's mother (Honourable Grandmother) to live with them, and the adjustments required to blend old Japanese traditions with modern influences, especially regarding the children's upbringing, education,
What happens
The chapter describes the arrival of Etsu's mother (Honourable Grandmother) to live with them, and the adjustments required to blend old Japanese traditions with modern influences, especially regarding the children's upbringing, education, and religious practices. It highlights the gradual bonding between grandmother and granddaughters, and the respectful coexistence of Buddhist and Christian faiths.
Themes in this chapter
Tradition vs. Modernity
Etsu struggles to reconcile her mother's old-fashioned expectations with her children's modern school training, from gymnastics to conversational habits at meals.
Family and Ancestral Duty
The grandmother's devotion to her husband's memory and her duty to follow his path, even in the afterlife, underscores the theme of ancestral loyalty.
Love, Sacrifice, and Duty
Etsu's efforts to make her mother feel at home, and the grandmother's patient acceptance of new ways, reflect love and duty across generations.
Characters to notice
- Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto
Arranges the home to feel familiar for her mother, worries about blending old and new ways, and observes the growing bond between her mother and children.
- Mother
Arrives as Honourable Grandmother; she is gentle, traditional, and deeply Buddhist, but open to accompanying Chiyo to church. She prepares her nail clippings for burial and speaks of her impending death.
- Hanano
Energetic and modern, initially puzzles her grandmother with her outspoken ways, but gradually becomes more gentle and close to her.
- Chiyo
Affectionate and curious, she quickly bonds with her grandmother, accompanies her to temple and church, and asks direct questions about death and faith.
- Taki
Stays behind to prepare the welcome meal and shrine; insists on using charcoal instead of gas for the bath to suit the grandmother's traditional beliefs.
- Sudzu
Helps clean the house and is sent to fetch a carpenter to change the bath heater.
Key passages
“How alike are the two sides of the world! Both have many gods of little worth, but with one wise, loving, understanding Power over all, the time must surely come when we shall all understand.”
Etsu reflects that despite different religious traditions, there is a single wise and loving power that will eventually unite everyone in understanding.
Shows Etsu's syncretic view of Buddhism and Christianity.
“It may be that he said true things, Chiyo, but I must not go to a better place than where my honourable husband is. Even if he is in the dreadful Hell of Cold, it is my duty to be with him.”
The grandmother explains to Chiyo that she feels bound to join her husband in the afterlife, even if it means suffering, rather than seek a better place without him.
Illustrates the theme of ancestral duty and marital loyalty overriding personal salvation.
“The holy shrine, little Chiyo, is only a box when it is empty, and my body is only a borrowed shrine in which I live. But it is proper courtesy”
The grandmother compares her body to a shrine that houses her spirit, and saving nail clippings is a courtesy to that temporary vessel.
Explains the traditional practice of preserving body parts for burial.
