15 h 27 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when loyalty to a lord matters more than love, family, or life itself?
Algernon Freeman-Mitford’s Tales of Old Japan gathers samurai stories, tales of lovers and outlaws, and encounters with ghosts and spirits. The collection opens with the Forty-seven Ronins. When their lord Asano strikes out in anger at court, his retainers face grave consequences. Oishi Kuranosuke must lead these masterless men, conceal their purpose, and wait for the right moment to act.
Beyond the warriors’ world, Gompachi and Komurasaki find love at odds with strict social rules. Sakura Sogoro stands up for oppressed farmers, while tales of returning ghosts give wrongs a life beyond death. Mitford draws on Japanese sources and adds notes on customs, bringing an outsider’s respect to stories where duty, desire, and fear press hard against ordinary lives.
What you’ll discover
- Loyalty under strain Follow Oishi Kuranosuke as he carries the burden of leadership and a hidden purpose.
- Love against the rules Meet Gompachi and Komurasaki, whose love pulls against the hard boundaries of their world.
- Ghosts among the living Enter tales where wronged spirits return and the dead remain close to everyday life.
- A voice for farmers Discover Sakura Sogoro, the village headman remembered by common people as their champion.
- Customs behind the stories Explore the bonds between lords and retainers through Mitford’s tales and notes on customs.
Who will love it
For readers who love samurai honor, ghost stories, folk tales and old-world customs, and who enjoy a storyteller guiding them through a vanished society with notes, anecdotes and asides.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An insult in the castle at Yedo
- Loyalty can wear the mask of disgrace
- A robber, a courtesan and a graveyard
- A sword, a quarrel and a feud of classes
- Chôbei and the brotherhood of the Otokodaté
- A pirate ship and a cobbler on a bridge
- A village headman and a petition to the Shogun
- Fairy tales, foxes, cats and badgers
- Sermons, theatre and the ceremony of hara-kiri
Who’s who
- Oishi KuranosukéChief counselor of the dead lord Asano, he hides his purpose behind drunkenness and leads forty-six loyal rônins toward vengeance.
- Kira Kôtsuké no SukéA greedy court official who humiliates the lords sent to learn ceremony from him, and who fears their revenge.
- Shirai GompachiA handsome sixteen-year-old samurai who flees his clan, rescues a girl from robbers, and is drawn into crime by love.
- KomurasakiA courtesan who sold herself to support her parents and who loves Gompachi with unwavering devotion.
- Chôbei of BandzuinThe generous chief of Yedo's Otokodaté, who shelters the helpless and answers the scorn of proud nobles with wit and nerve.
- Watanabé KazumaA sixteen-year-old page who vows to avenge his murdered father with the help of his brother-in-law Araki Matayémon.
- Funakoshi JiuyémonA skilled samurai in exile who survives a pirate ship and builds a new life as a tradesman in Osaka.
- SôgorôHeadman of Iwahashi village, who risks his life to bring the farmers' grievances before the Shogun.
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Tales of Old Japan
by Algernon Freeman-Mitford · 1871
Forty-seven masterless samurai use disguise to lull a hated enemy into feeling safe.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Why would a loyal samurai lie drunk in the gutter and send his wife away? Tales of Old Japan, gathered by Algernon Freeman-Mitford and published in 1871, answers with stories of vengeance, love, ghosts and foxes, all drawn from Japanese sources.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
An insult in the castle at Yedo
The book opens with the Forty-seven Rônins, a rônin being a samurai with no lord. In the early 1700s, two lords, Asano Takumi no Kami and Kamei Sama, must receive an envoy from the Mikado's court. A high official named Kira Kôtsuké no Suké is to teach them the ceremonies, but he is greedy and finds their gifts mean.
Kamei Sama resolves to kill him, yet his wise counselor rides through the night with a thousand ounces of silver and buys the official's good manners.
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Details
- First published
- 1871
- Language
- English
- Level
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What is Tales of Old Japan about?
It is a collection of Japanese tales, legends and notes gathered by a British diplomat. It covers samurai vengeance, love stories, ghosts, fairy tales, sermons and customs, giving a picture of feudal Japan as its own people told it.
Who are the Forty-seven Rônins?
They are the masterless retainers of Lord Asano Takumi no Kami, led by Oishi Kuranosuké. After their lord's death, they plot to avenge him on the official who provoked him.
Are the stories in Tales of Old Japan true?
Some stand on history, such as the Forty-seven Rônins and the petition of Sôgorô. Others are folk tales, legends or ghost stories told by friends of the author. He says he chose them to show real manners and beliefs.
The author
Algernon Freeman-Mitford
1837–1916 · British diplomat and writer
Algernon Freeman-Mitford (1837–1916) was a British diplomat and writer. He was born in London and worked in Japan from 1866 to 1870. His Tales of Old Japan was published in 1871. He later lived in England and became Baron Redesdale in 1902. He died in 1916.
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