In 1871, five Japanese girls were sent to live and study in the U.S., and become versed in Western culture. Their mission was to immerse themselves in Western customs and education, so they could one day return to their native, Meiji era Japan and share what they had learned.

The two oldest of the five girls, who were between 6 and 14 years old, struggled upon arrival and left the U.S. soon after. But the remaining three -- Sutematsu Yamakawa Oyama, Ume Tsuda and Shige Nagai Uriu, all from samurai families -- stuck it out,...