48 pages • 1 hour read
Erik Christian HaugaardThe Samurai's Tale
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1984A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 9-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary: “Iida Castle”
When Taro gives the letter to Akiyama, Akiyama explains that he feels bad that Yoshinobu died young in his rush for power and that Takeda had to kill his own son. He notes that “disloyalty is like a sickness,” and says Taro’s experience with the ronin shows that traitors are still around (64). Akiyama notes that Taro has grown, and he promotes him to a position as a messenger. Taro is thrilled and wonders if Akiyama might think of adopting him since the samurai has no sons of his own. Proud of his new position, he quickly runs into trouble with one of the other messengers when he refuses a bribe from a poor farmer. Another messenger, Yoshitoki, explains that messengers are expected to dress well but are seemingly never paid. Akiyama is happy to let them accept bribes in order to save money. The two quickly become friends, and Taro tells Yoshitoki his life story. Taro says, “Even now the name Yoshitoki carries the soft warmth of the Spring breeze to me” (69).
Chapter 10 Summary: “Yoshitoki”
Two weeks after Taro’s arrival at Iida Castle, a message arrives from Takeda. Akiyama prepares to lead his soldiers into battle. Taro is disappointed when he learns that the youngest messengers, including himself, will stay at the castle. Now 15, he yearns to earn glory on the battlefield, but while he knows people die in war, he doesn’t quite grasp that he could be one of them. Yoshitoki reminds him that they will have a lot of freedom with most of the samurai away. For months, Taro and Yoshitoki hunt and explore the countryside. Taro recalls that “while we strutted the earth like immortals, the warmth of friendship between Yoshitoki and me was so intense that the memory of it can even now warm the body of a frail old man” (72). The two are given the mission to carry a message to another castle. Several days into their trip, two Buddhist monks ask to join their party for protection, and Taro and Yoshitoki reluctantly accept. They begin to suspect the monks are bandits, and their suspicion is borne out when the men block their way on a mountain road and try to rob them of their horses at knifepoint. Yoshitoki uses his sword to slice into the rump of one of the bandits’ horses, and the young messengers ride away to safety. Happy to be alive, they laugh about their adventure and ride to the top of a mountain pass, where they are invited to stay in the home of an old man in a dirty kimono.
Chapter 11 Summary: “In the House of a Ghost”
The old man offers them tea, and as they make small talk, he surprises them by saying Taro’s parents died when he was young and Yoshitoki was orphaned recently—both true statements, which they had not revealed to the man. Believing the old man has a gift for prophecy, they question him about the future. He says that neither Lord Takeda nor his rival Lord Oda Nobunaga will rule Japan, though Takeda will die undefeated. He says Taro and Yoshitoki will become samurai, and Taro will live to be old but leave no heirs. They leave the next morning. After delivering their message, they stop at the hut on the return trip but find it abandoned. Wondering if the man was a magical animal or a demon, they ask about him at a nearby home, and they are told he died long ago. They decide he was a ghost.
Chapter 12 Summary: “A Name, A Name!”
Akiyama returns to the castle with his remaining soldiers. Still dreaming of glory and naive about the realities of war, Taro sees the surviving soldiers as heroes and barely thinks at all about the dead. When Akiyama leaves on another campaign, Yoshitoki joins the warriors, and Taro feels disgraced to be left home. Taro reflects that many boys younger than him have been given new names to indicate that they are considered men, and he yearns to go through this rite of passage. When the army returns, Yoshitoki reveals that he killed several men and sometimes wishes he could go back to being a child. Yoshitoki tells Taro that Akiyama asked about him after a battle, and Taro is thrilled that the commander remembered him. Akiyama then gives Taro the name Murakami Harutomo. Murakami was Taro’s family name. Harutomo is a combination of Haruchika, Akiyama’s nickname, and Nobutomo, the lord’s last name. In honor of his new name, Akiyama gives Harutomo a sword won on the battlefield. Taro is ecstatic.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Rumors of War”
Rumors swirl about Takeda’s march to the capital and an upcoming war. People suspect that the war will lead to Takeda becoming ruler of Japan or being destroyed along with his family. His main rival is Lord Oda, who is known as being cruel and merciless. The next summer, when Harutomo is 18, preparations for war begin. Akiyama is meticulous in his preparations, especially about food stores. Harutomo wants to accompany Akiyama to war, but he doesn’t have a helmet or armor.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Master of Rice”
While his army waits for orders from Takeda, Akiyama appoints Harutomo to command the baggage train, which is responsible for provisions such as food and spare weapons. Harutomo works well with the commander, Wada Kansuke, who is known for being difficult to please. Akiyama says that the people who support the warriors are as important as the warriors themselves. Working with the supply train is also a position of great trust because some people try to bribe supply officers for extra rice. Harutomo is disappointed that he will not be allowed to fight, but Yoshitoki says he has been given an important job, maybe in part because Akiyama wants to protect him. Though he was initially disappointed by his new position, Harutomo starts to feel superior to the warriors who sometimes treat him with disdain. As troops prepare to fight against Lord Oda’s army, Yoshitoki tells Harutomo that he thinks all those who die in battle are defeated, even if they are on the winning side.
Chapters 9-14 Analysis
In this section of the novel, Harutomo continues to yearn for glory and status, but his perspective matures with the help of mentors such as Yoshitoki and Wada Kansuke. These passages develop the theme of The Role of Mentorship in Personal Growth. Taro shows a willingness to learn and build his skills, and he moves up in society even as he struggles to grasp the cruel realities behind his society’s ideals.
When the 15-year-old Taro is disappointed by not being sent to war, his friend Yoshitoki helps him enjoy the freedom they have with the army gone from the castle. Together, they enjoy youthful adventures in the countryside and survive an encounter with bandits. These episodes are formative for Taro, but he still sees battle as a chance for excitement and glory rather than a matter of life and death. Yoshitoki consistently reminds his friend of the tragic realities of war. For example, when Taro complains that “fate has cheated me of an opportunity to show my worth on the battlefield” (70), Yoshitoki tells him that he could die if he goes to war. Taro knows this intellectually but still feels the naive sense of invincibility of youth. Later, when Yoshitoki struggles with having killed men in battle, Taro can’t relate to his friend’s inner turmoil. Instead, he is jealous of Yoshitoki’s status.
The symbolism of names returns when Taro desperately wants a new name that will classify him as a man in his society. He is in his late teens when Akiyama gives him the name Harutomo. Receiving the name is a key step in the Rites of Passage in a Warrior Culture. It also reflects that Akiyama is a father figure to him. This name deepens the bond of loyalty and friendship between them that will continue for the rest of their lives. At the same time, it is a reminder of the time’s warrior culture. Harutomo is proud to be connected to Akiyama even though he was part of the army that murdered his mother and young brothers.
Kansuke and Yokatoshi become important examples for Harutomo as he begins to take his position seriously, zealously guarding the army’s food stores, standing up for his men, and showing loyalty. Kansuke also acts as another father figure for Harutomo, thus connecting to the theme of The Role of Mentorship in Personal Growth. After receiving his new name and being recognized as an adult, Harutomo is at first disappointed to be assigned to the supply train rather than a fighting force. Yoshitoki helps him understand the importance of his position, responsible for helping to feed the army and trusted not to illegally sell their supplies. In a sign that he hasn’t fully matured, Harutomo quickly swings from frustration about his assignment to arrogance, feeling superior to common samurai fighters. With his typically wise perspective, Yoshitoki also reminds Harutomo that, despite the ideology of their time, there’s little glory in dying in battle.
