Stranger in the Shogun's City: A Woman’s Life in Nineteenth-Century Japan
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- Create Date：2021-08-30 08:51:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Amy Stanley
- ISBN：1784708135
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Summary
A vivid， deeply researched work of history that explores the life of an unconventional woman in Edo – now known as Tokyo – and a portrait of a great city on the brink of momentous change
The daughter of a Buddhist priest， Tsuneno was born in 1804 in a rural Japanese village and was expected to live a life much like her mother’s。 But after three divorces – and with a temperament much too strong-willed for her family’s approval – she ran away to make a life for herself in one of the largest cities in the world: Edo， a bustling metropolis at its peak。
With Tsuneno as our guide， we experience the drama and excitement of Edo just before the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry's fleet， which would open Japan up to trade and diplomacy with the West for the first time。 During this pivotal moment in Japanese history， Tsuneno bounces from tenement to tenement， marries a masterless samurai and eventually ends up in the service of a famous city magistrate。 An extraordinary woman at an extraordinary time， Tsuneno’s life provides a window into nineteenth-century Japanese culture – and a rare view of a woman who sacrificed her family and her reputation to make a new life for herself， despite social conventions。
Immersive and gripping， Stranger in the Shogun’s City is a revelatory work of history， layered with rich detail and delivered in beautiful prose， about the life of a woman， a city and a culture。
The daughter of a Buddhist priest， Tsuneno was born in 1804 in a rural Japanese village and was expected to live a life much like her mother’s。 But after three divorces – and with a temperament much too strong-willed for her family’s approval – she ran away to make a life for herself in one of the largest cities in the world: Edo， a bustling metropolis at its peak。
With Tsuneno as our guide， we experience the drama and excitement of Edo just before the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry's fleet， which would open Japan up to trade and diplomacy with the West for the first time。 During this pivotal moment in Japanese history， Tsuneno bounces from tenement to tenement， marries a masterless samurai and eventually ends up in the service of a famous city magistrate。 An extraordinary woman at an extraordinary time， Tsuneno’s life provides a window into nineteenth-century Japanese culture – and a rare view of a woman who sacrificed her family and her reputation to make a new life for herself， despite social conventions。
Immersive and gripping， Stranger in the Shogun’s City is a revelatory work of history， layered with rich detail and delivered in beautiful prose， about the life of a woman， a city and a culture。
Reviews
Sunnyhanyi
，
I enjoyed this book！ It was really well-researched and vividly painted images of how Tokyo was like not so very long ago。 I also liked that the protagonist was an ordinary commoner and not a particularly important historical figure。
Gary Pelletier
，
Less of a novel than I expected and more of a descriptive historical narrative。 Well written， just not what I expected of wanted。
Ry
，
Nice read on the fairly mundane details of a normal woman's life。 You'd think that 250 pages of such a story would grow tiring， but Stanley has a real command of prose， and is a quality enough writer to make it compelling the whole way through。 Great read for those interested in the final years of Edo and Shogunate Japan。 Nice read on the fairly mundane details of a normal woman's life。 You'd think that 250 pages of such a story would grow tiring， but Stanley has a real command of prose， and is a quality enough writer to make it compelling the whole way through。 Great read for those interested in the final years of Edo and Shogunate Japan。 。。。more
ML Character
，
Stanley has a remarkable archive， and this book uses it wonderfully to tell an all-too-rarely discoverable biography。 And uses Tsuneno as her lodestar to fill in a general history of late-Tokugawa Japan at the same time。 Methodologically， it had me thinking about classic feminist and POC critiques of historiography that point out how insufficient "traditional" approaches to history are for those who were not captured by the archive。 Even Tsuneno， who comes to Stanley and us via the archive， is s Stanley has a remarkable archive， and this book uses it wonderfully to tell an all-too-rarely discoverable biography。 And uses Tsuneno as her lodestar to fill in a general history of late-Tokugawa Japan at the same time。 Methodologically， it had me thinking about classic feminist and POC critiques of historiography that point out how insufficient "traditional" approaches to history are for those who were not captured by the archive。 Even Tsuneno， who comes to Stanley and us via the archive， is so thinly served by it--- this makes the choice to do "mass market" history one that has methodological and theoretical implications。 。。。more
Martha
，
It is wonderful that Stanley and the Japanese archivists unearthed the letters of Tsuneno and her family。 And to discover such a rich character as well！ Stanley does a good job of telling Tokyo’s history as Edo using Tsuneno’s tempestuous life。
Siobhan Harrop-McDiarmid
，
This is a great intro to 19th century Japanese social history （specifically 1804-1855）。 For those who enjoy learning history through a life story this book is beautifully researched and written。 I was totally captivated by the descriptions of life in Edo and in the northern Japanese province of Echigo （now Niigata）。 Through this book you can understand samurai as real people， and how international trade and diplomacy worked， what goods were available to eat， clothe yourself with and the traditio This is a great intro to 19th century Japanese social history （specifically 1804-1855）。 For those who enjoy learning history through a life story this book is beautifully researched and written。 I was totally captivated by the descriptions of life in Edo and in the northern Japanese province of Echigo （now Niigata）。 Through this book you can understand samurai as real people， and how international trade and diplomacy worked， what goods were available to eat， clothe yourself with and the tradition of kabuki theatre。 I highly recommend this book for anyone thinking about travelling to Japan， especially Tokyo。 。。。more
Katie
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I won a copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway。I found this book somewhat tedious to read， but it paints a vivid picture of what life was like in 19th century Japan for an ordinary woman。 More academic than I was expecting based on description。
Erin
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A fascinating dive into the history of Japan through the lens of a women。 Such a rare find to locate so much source material about a women during this period。 The author does a good job explaining the country and changes happening to put everything into context。
Coleen
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I won this PAPERBACK book in a Goodreads's giveaway。This is an amazing true account of a Japanese woman by an apparently hardworking and diligent author。 The word 'amazing' is not used lightly。 The author creates the factual story of Tsuneno， born in 1804 of Mother Haruma and Father Emon。 Her Father was a priest in the Temple Rinsenji and she had nine siblings。 Her detailed life is presented and documented by the author based on letters to and from Tsuneno and letters to and from others who knew I won this PAPERBACK book in a Goodreads's giveaway。This is an amazing true account of a Japanese woman by an apparently hardworking and diligent author。 The word 'amazing' is not used lightly。 The author creates the factual story of Tsuneno， born in 1804 of Mother Haruma and Father Emon。 Her Father was a priest in the Temple Rinsenji and she had nine siblings。 Her detailed life is presented and documented by the author based on letters to and from Tsuneno and letters to and from others who knew her and /or others who provided information regarding what was occurring in Japan and various areas of Japan before， during， and after her life， journals， diaries， etc。 The NOTES section is extensive and while I did not verify what was provided， I admit to being impressed。 Likewise impressive was the author's Bibliography and [maybe not quite so much] her Index。 Maps of Japan and even a detailed listing of Tsuneno's family are also included。The first extraordinary fact about Tsuneno- at least extraordinary to me- was her education which for the time and place definitely surprised me。 There would be so much less information about this woman if she were not so well schooled that she wrote details of her life throughout much of that life。 The second fact was the culture， starting with the Japanese marriage arrangements， through an intermediary。 I like the way this worked， even if for Tsuneno it did not work out well。 The next fact， again cultural， was the Japanese formality and ability to divorce - so civilized！ But I don't want to spoil what is a work of art， remembering that it is factually based！ 。。。more
Renato
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Very interesting historical book about Japan in the 1800's。 Amy Stanley did a wonderful job describing an ordinary person's life in an extraordinary time in history。 I am a big fan of Shogun by James Clavell （non-fiction） and Memoirs of a Geisha （a more similar story to Stranger in the Shogun's City）， and this book is equally as interesting。 Mrs。 Stanley found writings and public records of Tsuneno and those around her， and researched the protagonist who was born into a rural temple family。 Rest Very interesting historical book about Japan in the 1800's。 Amy Stanley did a wonderful job describing an ordinary person's life in an extraordinary time in history。 I am a big fan of Shogun by James Clavell （non-fiction） and Memoirs of a Geisha （a more similar story to Stranger in the Shogun's City）， and this book is equally as interesting。 Mrs。 Stanley found writings and public records of Tsuneno and those around her， and researched the protagonist who was born into a rural temple family。 Restless and rebellious， Tsuneno spent two decades of her life in the city of Edo （Tokyo）。 I like the way immigrants in Edo were written about as the author captures the essence of what it is to be an immigrant in search of opportunity。 There are interesting political maneuvers throughout the book where government policy seems similar to that of today in some parts of the world。 Historical events were paralleled throughout the book and it gives great perspective of world events from 1820-1870， which is when Japan opened up， there were Opium Wars in China， and America had a civil war。 This book was a lot of work for a writer but let's hope there is more to follow。 。。。more
Marie Fouhey
，
This is the story of a Japanese woman who lived from 1800 to 1853 and who ran away to the capital city Edo without the approval of her family。 She had been married 3 times before leaving， the first time at age 12 and then divorced 3 times。 Apparently husbands at that time could declare in writing that they were divorcing， and the couple were then divorced。 After divorce the woman returned home to her family who then found a new husband for her。 The woman， Tsuneno， never really came alive for me。 This is the story of a Japanese woman who lived from 1800 to 1853 and who ran away to the capital city Edo without the approval of her family。 She had been married 3 times before leaving， the first time at age 12 and then divorced 3 times。 Apparently husbands at that time could declare in writing that they were divorcing， and the couple were then divorced。 After divorce the woman returned home to her family who then found a new husband for her。 The woman， Tsuneno， never really came alive for me。 What did come alive was Edo， with its various districts， and the social structures of this time。 Apparently there were various classes of shoguns who lived on historically apportioned distributions of rice。 There was no adjustment if the price of rice dropped， and many of the lower classes even of shoguns were unable to support themselves。 Clothes were pricey and many of the poor couldn't afford them。 I knew very little about Japan and found this book well worth reading。 。。。more
Andres Eguiguren
，
3。5 starsThis was a passion project for historian Stanley， who spent a decade or so piecing together through family letters and records the story of Tsuneno， a priest's daughter born in a northern Japanese village in the early 19th Century who made her way to Edo （now Tokyo） after three divorces。 While I appreciated the from the bottoms up historical approach - think Sheila Fitzpatrick for the Soviet Union - it ultimately felt like too much attention for a woman who had to live within the constr 3。5 starsThis was a passion project for historian Stanley， who spent a decade or so piecing together through family letters and records the story of Tsuneno， a priest's daughter born in a northern Japanese village in the early 19th Century who made her way to Edo （now Tokyo） after three divorces。 While I appreciated the from the bottoms up historical approach - think Sheila Fitzpatrick for the Soviet Union - it ultimately felt like too much attention for a woman who had to live within the constraints of her time in what was very much a male-dominated society。 Stanley obviously admires her tenacity and determination， but at times it does feel like the 21st Century perspective stretches the narrative to breaking point。 。。。more
Jen Cohen
，
Interesting history from a women's perspectiveThis book was written from the perspective of a common everyday women's view， while the details of history are provided as a back drop。 Interesting history from a women's perspectiveThis book was written from the perspective of a common everyday women's view， while the details of history are provided as a back drop。 。。。more
Lisa
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Cinema in wordsWhile this text was a requirement for a class， I found myself thoroughly enjoying it。 Histories are often stale， but this one is a beautifully written， moving story where the characters include the sweeping and varied environments in 19th century Japan。
Michael-Ann Cerniglia
，
This is an amazing story， as well as historic scholarship。 It is truly non-fiction， as It is based solely on primary source documents， but reads like fiction。 I felt like I was transported to 19th century Edo， Japan and learned so much about the time period， samurai， and the role of women。 Highly recommend。
Don Lynch
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Deep， cerebral and a japanophile's dream。 Left wanting more Deep， cerebral and a japanophile's dream。 Left wanting more 。。。more
Bookwoman67
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A mix of history and biography that illustrates life in a distant but intriguing time and place。
Nancy
，
Exceptional。 Imagine if every historian wrote history and won literally prizes in the process， as Amy Stanley， a professor of history at Northwestern University， has done with this book。 I really appreciate that Professor Stanley doesn't fictionalize this extradorinaiy account of a woman living in early modern Japan， at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and traditional samurai culture， whose restless spirit （her family would have called it contrariness， even unnaturalness） led her to make her ow Exceptional。 Imagine if every historian wrote history and won literally prizes in the process， as Amy Stanley， a professor of history at Northwestern University， has done with this book。 I really appreciate that Professor Stanley doesn't fictionalize this extradorinaiy account of a woman living in early modern Japan， at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and traditional samurai culture， whose restless spirit （her family would have called it contrariness， even unnaturalness） led her to make her own decisions about where and how she would live。 No made-up scenes， no made-up dialogue: rather， based on an extensive family correspondence and other documents from the period and brought to life by the wonderful gift of the author and by Tsuneno's beautifully contentious， curious， seeking character。 。。。more
Sharolyn Stauffer
，
Outstanding nonfiction story telling and research。 A fascinating window into a woman's life in Edo。 She died right when Matthew Perry was porting。 Highly recommend。 Outstanding nonfiction story telling and research。 A fascinating window into a woman's life in Edo。 She died right when Matthew Perry was porting。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Tanya
，
Excellent book: through one woman’s letters and recordings of her life， we get a glimpse into a Japan long gone。
John Mccullough
，
This is the biography of an insignificant early 19th Century Japanese woman。 It is also a picture of what life was like in Japan at the time， especially from the viewpoint of a woman。 Pieced together from family documents and a thorough knowledge of Japan at this time， it is as much anthropology as history。Tsuneno， the central figure， is an inveterate letter-writer， and is born into a priestly family in a small town in what is now Niigata Prefecture far from Edo – modern Tokyo。 She is a bit of a This is the biography of an insignificant early 19th Century Japanese woman。 It is also a picture of what life was like in Japan at the time， especially from the viewpoint of a woman。 Pieced together from family documents and a thorough knowledge of Japan at this time， it is as much anthropology as history。Tsuneno， the central figure， is an inveterate letter-writer， and is born into a priestly family in a small town in what is now Niigata Prefecture far from Edo – modern Tokyo。 She is a bit of a pisser by Medieval Japanese standards and knows what she wants。 And will sacrifice her life to get what she wants – bright lanterns， big city。 Edo。Stanley， a scholar of Japanese history and a genuine Japanophile （real word？）， skillfully weaves a description of the last years of a closed Shogunate Japan into Tsuneno’s life story。 Tsuneno dies just before Commodore Perry’s audacious act of forcing Japan to open more ports so US ships can refuel their new steamships with coal， this making trade with the Far East possible with these modern ships。 Would she have approved of the changes to her beloved city？Some reviewers were annoyed that Stanley chose the life of a “nobody” as a “non-story” and viewed the book as a general waste of time。 I think it was brilliant of her to do so。 Tsuneno’s life touched every level of Japanese life， from the lowest to almost the highest， from the rural to the urban。 Reading this book the reader learns so much of Japanese history， at least in the early 19th century， just at the beginning of the birth of modern， international Japan， the baseline， if you will， where modern Japan begins。 And then there were all those letters， so beloved by historians， that chronicled Tsuneno’s life and that of her family and friends that gave Stanley the information needed to write a proper biography。 Others agree it is a great book and almost won a Pulitzer Prize for biography。I only read the book because it was a selection for a non-fiction book club I joined some time ago。 It was a great pick！Last， the book includes very complete referencing: Notes， bibliography， index， just like a proper biography should！！ Well done， Professor Stanley。 。。。more
Amanda Pinson
，
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book - I'd received it as a gift after taking a course in college about the Japanese shogunates。 I can say confidently that it exceeded my expectations。 Stanley has obviously poured a tremendous amount of work into researching and recreating history in her reconstruction of the life of a rural priest's daughter， Tsuneno。 I can see why Stanley chose to center this historical figure， who from a cursory glance may seem insignificant， but I think that was I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book - I'd received it as a gift after taking a course in college about the Japanese shogunates。 I can say confidently that it exceeded my expectations。 Stanley has obviously poured a tremendous amount of work into researching and recreating history in her reconstruction of the life of a rural priest's daughter， Tsuneno。 I can see why Stanley chose to center this historical figure， who from a cursory glance may seem insignificant， but I think that was part of her point in retelling Tsuneno's story - that cities are built by the common people who won't receive recognition in textbooks。 Tsuneno particularly embodies a dissatisfaction with conforming to what's expected， the bravery to follow her own path， and the strength to risk everything - her financial security， her home， her family - to pursue an exciting， dangerous， mistake-filled life， but one that she could freely call her own。 Stanley brings this character to life， and effectively orients the reader within Japan - Echigo Province and Edo - with detailed， accurate， and vibrant storytelling that has given me a small taste of Tsuneno's life and an older Japan at the cusp of opening up to foreign relations。 。。。more
Ted Daniels
，
If you are interested in the lives and times of ordinary people in Japan during the first half of the 19th century， you may enjoy this book。 The author reconstructs the history of a woman and her family using correspondence and records saved by the family。 The problem is， they are just not that interesting。 I kept waiting for some big revelation or event， but nothing of note happens。 Disappointing。
Jennifer Schulp
，
The research that went into this book was incredible， and it is a testament to the author’s writing abilities that she was able to turn a potentially dry and detailed subject into such a compelling narrative。 My only major complaint is that the last section of the book seemed out of place， and was perhaps trying too hard to situate this interesting story in the history。 Too much on Commodore Perry and the details of the changes to Edo in that time period。
R
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With a little imagination， you are there。I didn’t want the story to end。 I especially enjoy stories of the common man/woman in history。 A lifetime ago， I vaguely remember reading a book about every day life in the southern Sung dynasty。 I think this was more interesting because much of it was personal to Tsuneno。 My thanks to the author。
Julie
，
A book that provides world contemporary context to a character's life broadens the reader's world， which I liked at the end of Stranger the Shogun's City （otherwise the last section would have seemed disjointed to me）。 I appreciated the account of a 19th century tenement in Edo （Tokyo） -- smaller than half of my little screen porch， the dynamic lives of clothing and bedding and the government strictures during hard economic times -- we're all in this together， so no hair stylists for anyone。 It' A book that provides world contemporary context to a character's life broadens the reader's world， which I liked at the end of Stranger the Shogun's City （otherwise the last section would have seemed disjointed to me）。 I appreciated the account of a 19th century tenement in Edo （Tokyo） -- smaller than half of my little screen porch， the dynamic lives of clothing and bedding and the government strictures during hard economic times -- we're all in this together， so no hair stylists for anyone。 It's incredible that the author could flesh in so much of the heroine's 19th century life and the socio/political structure around her。 I found myself stepping back and interjecting comments the character might have made （asides）， some at odds with the narrative。 Lastly， this book scores high on my rest scale since I always fell asleep with no difficulty at all after reading。 Unlike Laura， I will keep reading less-than-exhilarating （to me） prose -- if it hits that last criterion。What Amy says in these reviews about this， her book， is all true。 。。。more
Manuel
，
On the face of it， this book would tick all of my reading preferences。 As a resident of Tokyo， alongside an interest in history and strong women， this should have been a sure win。 I struggled with this。 I really wanted to like this， I forced myself to trudge through the pages in the hope of it suddenly clicking。 A literary epiphany that failed to materialize。 The meandering， extensive parts about Edo， were rather interesting。 It’s a joy to read what regular people， far removed from arenas of pow On the face of it， this book would tick all of my reading preferences。 As a resident of Tokyo， alongside an interest in history and strong women， this should have been a sure win。 I struggled with this。 I really wanted to like this， I forced myself to trudge through the pages in the hope of it suddenly clicking。 A literary epiphany that failed to materialize。 The meandering， extensive parts about Edo， were rather interesting。 It’s a joy to read what regular people， far removed from arenas of power， had to go through， especially women。 The voice of this women， who fled provisional Japan， is not so interesting。 And that’s a shame， as I feel it could have been interesting， had that person be of some interest。 Instead it appears most of her letters where rather dry， transactional letters。 The letters and her voice came occasionally， while much of it was lost in the background history of both edo and the wide world。 It had such potential。 I wished for it to be better。 In the end it was a slog。 。。。more
Sharyn
，
As a student of Japanese language and culture， but sadly in the past， I haven't been to Japan in 30 years。 This bo3ok， looking at history through the eyes of an ordinary woman （ kudos to the author for finding this treasure trove of letter） we are able to see the ending of the Shogunate and the opening of Japan。 The minutiae of everyday life was absolutely fascinating。 As a side note， bringing in what the western nations did to the Asian nations can be seen today as a travesty of sovereignty， an As a student of Japanese language and culture， but sadly in the past， I haven't been to Japan in 30 years。 This bo3ok， looking at history through the eyes of an ordinary woman （ kudos to the author for finding this treasure trove of letter） we are able to see the ending of the Shogunate and the opening of Japan。 The minutiae of everyday life was absolutely fascinating。 As a side note， bringing in what the western nations did to the Asian nations can be seen today as a travesty of sovereignty， and still makes me angry。 If you like seeing history through the lens of people。 This 8s the book for you。 。。。more
Susan
，
First， what a wonderful testament to research and translation。 Professor Stanley's prose paints a vivid view of the late Shogunate period。 Stanley creates dialogue and imagines motivation for a head-strong woman， Tsuneno， born a rural village and choosing her own life in the Shogun's capital， Edo， now Tokyo。 I applaud the premise， breathing life into a period and world so unknown to readers of English。 So， why only two stars？ In an attempt to flesh out what little is known， Stanley diverges and First， what a wonderful testament to research and translation。 Professor Stanley's prose paints a vivid view of the late Shogunate period。 Stanley creates dialogue and imagines motivation for a head-strong woman， Tsuneno， born a rural village and choosing her own life in the Shogun's capital， Edo， now Tokyo。 I applaud the premise， breathing life into a period and world so unknown to readers of English。 So， why only two stars？ In an attempt to flesh out what little is known， Stanley diverges and relies on tenuously connected characters and sources to keep the story of Tsuneno alive。 The story skims along and I longed to know more。 Whole years and marriages （no spoiler here） are blank。 The notes in the back are helpful， but I want more quoted from the existing letters， some depth of understanding。 OK， for one example， I get many American readers （this is published by Scribner） don't know about Admiral Perry and the Black Sails; however， their position in the narrative of Tsuneno's life is not helpful。 And this book calls out for better and more maps。 Thanks for the two in the front， but they are not sufficient。 I was reading with my phone to look up details not included。 。。。more
Katharine
，