The Transformation Of Musui's Story Of The Samurai

Japan’s rich history of power, wealth, and influence had many remarkable eras. One of the more notable periods in Japanese history was that of the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868). The Tokugawa Period was talked about in Musui’s Story, an autobiographical book, written by Kokichi Katsu. (Katsu ix) Katsu wrote Musui’s Story for three main reasons: to share how he had transformed from a low-ranking samurai to a well-known hero, to show his sense of self, and to serve as a cautionary tale for his descendants. He showed his sense of self when he became his own person with spirits, shrewdness, and imagination. (xviii) His transformation was proven in his journey of risk taking, danger, family, and friendships that can be told the next generation as well

Katsu’s family lived in Edo, Japan. Even though Edo had been transformed into a big city known as present day Tokyo, it had started out small. In 1457 Edo was a small little-known fishing village, that later grew into the largest metropolis in the world. The city, followed under Tokugawa shogunate, was the de facto capital and center of political power. It was built around Edo castle, formerly known as Chiyoda castle, which had been the chief headquarters for Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1590. (History.com, “Edo”) The people of Edo followed a strict caste system, greatly impacted by the Chinese Confucian values. The Feudal Japanese Society, people of Edo, was divided into four different castes: the Nobles, the Samurai, the Peasants, and the Chonin. The nobles included: the emperor; the figurehead of society, the shogun; the most powerful military lord, and the daimyos; lords who controlled their own region of Japan. The samurai were the professional warriors who were bound by a code of loyalty and honor to a daimyo. The peasants, included of farmers and fishermen, was the largest social group of whom were all legally bound to by the person who owned their land. Chonin, last on the

For example, Katsu’s downfall and The Great Depression are events that deal with debt, but in different circumstances. In the book almost every commoner or samurai, especially Katsu himself, had fallen into debt from their own personal reasons. That debt led to their lives fully pertaining to begging and separation from one’s family. Katsu was first experienced to no money when he ran away the first time. He met two tradesmen and went along with them. That was Katsu’s first mistake as he soon realized after he had woken up from his sleep, all of his belongings were gone including his kimono, pair of swords, and the stomach bag containing his money. (Katsu 23-24) With no money, Katsu started his journey begging for rice, copper pennies, and almes, while finding shelter in pine groves, on riverbanks, and in roadside shrines. (25) Another example of Katsu facing debt was due his selfish reasons when he used money for visits to the pleasure quarters, high living, street-corner generosity, and the cost of keeping up a good front. (xvii) These example of Katsu in debt are relatively compared to the debt people faced during The Great Depression. The Great Depression was the deepest and long-last economic downturn of the Western industrialized world that started when the stock market crashed in October 1929. That stock market crash led to consumers spending and investments