15 h 27 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 15 h 27 minPaperback · 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
This book suits readers who love tales of loyalty, vengeance and honor, folklore with ghosts and clever animals, and travel writing that shows a real society from the inside.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Stories preserve a fading world
- An insult spreads ruin through households
- Loyalty hides behind apparent disgrace
- A private grievance becomes public danger
- Rank places limits on love
- Peasants unite against unjust taxes
- The supernatural carries human moral concerns
- Many voices reveal a wider society
- Small acts reveal the cost of loyalty
Who’s who
- Oishi KuranosukeChief counselor of the ruined Lord Asano, he disguises himself as a drunkard to deceive his lord's enemy and lead forty-seven men to avenge him.
- Asano Takumi no KamiA lord of Ako who patiently endures insults at court until one last taunt pushes him to draw his dagger.
- Kira Kotsuke no SukeA greedy court official who mocks the lords he is meant to teach and then watches for revenge.
- Shirai GompachiA young, handsome swordsman who flees his province, rescues a girl from robbers and falls into crime for the sake of love.
- KomurasakiA merchant's daughter who sells herself to the Yoshiwara to support her parents and still hopes for the man who saved her.
- Chobei of BandzuinThe Father of the wardsmen of Edo, a calm and generous leader who stands up to arrogant nobles.
- SogoroA village chief who leads a hundred and thirty-six villages in a petition against crushing taxes.
- GenzaburoA noble Hatamoto of Edo who falls in love with O Koyo, the daughter of an Eta chief, and refuses to give her up.
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- Hardcover
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Tales of Old Japan
by Algernon Freeman-Mitford · 1871
Forty-seven masterless samurai pose as drunks and tradesmen for a year to avenge one dead lord.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Picture a winter night in Edo, with snow falling on a silent street. Forty-seven masterless warriors stand outside a sleeping house, while their leader has played the drunkard so that nobody will guess their plan.
Tales of Old Japan at a glance
- Reading time
- About 8 h 25 min6 h 40 min fast, 10 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 120,500 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1871by Algernon Freeman-Mitford
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Mitford sets out to preserve a vanishing Japan
Mitford starts by explaining why the book exists. For centuries Japan had been closed to outsiders, and officials blocked foreigners from studying its language, books and history. By 1871 the old order was dissolving, and he feared it would vanish unrecorded. So he translates the stories the Japanese told about themselves.
He adds only short notes where a reader needs help with a rank, a custom or a name. Lords and retainers, warriors and priests, humble craftsmen and the outcast Eta will each take a turn as the leading figure. Together they should give a fairly complete picture of Japanese society.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1871
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Freeman-Mitford, Algernon. Tales of Old Japan. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-old-japan.
Freeman-Mitford, A. (2026). Tales of old Japan. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-old-japan (Original work published 1871)
Freeman-Mitford, Algernon. Tales of Old Japan. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-old-japan.
@book{freemanmitford2026tales,
author = {Freeman-Mitford, Algernon},
title = {Tales of Old Japan},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-old-japan},
note = {First published 1871}
}
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What is Tales of Old Japan about?
It is a collection of stories, legends, sermons and eyewitness accounts from feudal Japan, translated by a British diplomat. It covers samurai vendettas, outlaws, peasants, ghosts, animal tales, children's stories and ceremonial customs.
Who were the Forty-seven Ronins?
They were retainers of Lord Asano who became masterless after his death. Led by Oishi Kuranosuke, they spent a year disguised and planning to avenge him, and their graves at Sengakuji temple in Edo are still honored.
Is Tales of Old Japan a true story?
Some tales, such as the Forty-seven Ronins and the Sakura petition, are based on remembered historical events, while others are legends or folk stories. Mitford wrote in 1871 and added notes on what he saw himself in Japan.
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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