Based on the recollections of her mother, other relatives, and family records, Yamakawa describes everyday life in a samurai household in the last years of the Tokugawa period (1857-1872) in Japan. The translation consists of two parts. The core is a complete translation of Women of the Mito Domain (1943), which describes dress, grooming, food, dwellings, amusement, marriage and divorce. The second part includes chapters from Notes on Late-Tokugawa Mito (1974), which covers topics such as the economics of Bushi life, stipends, concubines, abortion, infanticide, and the fate of a runaway daughter. Yamakawa (1890-1980) was a prominent socialist and feminist who published widely in these fields. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)