Beauty in Disarray

by Harumi Setouchi

Published March 1993
Noe Ito came of age during Japan's Taisho era (1912-26), a period of widespread unrest and radical change. Beauty in Disarray is Ito's thrilling story. Her life touches on emotions including alienation, rebellion, passion and persecution, all in twenty-eight short years. She was married three times and gave birth to seven children; she was at the centre of a scandal when another woman stabbed her lover because he had started living with Ito. Harumi Setouchi has created a remarkable portrait of an exceptional woman.