In A Grove

Though he acts without apparent morals, as a bandit Tajomaru displays an awareness of class difference. He mocks the commissioner about his misuse of power, money, and words, questions the commissioner’s right to kill a man of lower rank (such as the bandit himself), and describes the samurai as being easy to manipulate with greed—a shameful weakness in a man who should be a living example of the strict samurai code of conduct, bushido. Tajomaru’s bluster and bravado make sense, as he likely views his Reputation and Legacy as his most valuable possessions; depicting himself as a terror to the establishment even in the face of his own execution remains his first priority.

While far from a Robin Hood archetype, Tajomaru does betray a softer side. Although he confesses to the rape of Masago and the murder of Takehiko, Tajomaru does allow a subtle note of regret for killing the samurai, admitting that not everything about his attack went according to plan: “[I]f you can take the woman without killing the man, all the better” (13). Whether true or not, he also weaves a marriage proposal to Masago into his confession. This could betray a need for social contact in what is otherwise a story of an unrepentant ruffian, but it is also a convenient inclusion; because many medieval societies viewed rape as something like a property crime—the theft of a woman’s virtue rather than a violation of the woman herself—marriage could constitute recompense.