preview

Lazy Taro

Satisfactory Essays

The story “Lazy Taro” is a success story reflecting Gekokujo which is the social condition of the middle age of Japan, especially the end of Muromachi era to Warring period. Gekokujo menas “overcoming the higher by the lower.” Several Japanese historical persons at this period started their lives in the lower class as a peasant, and became a powerful ruler, such as Hideyoshi Toyotomi. The story of Lazy Taro exactly exemplifies the success of Gekokujo. At the beginning of the story, Lazy Taro does not have anything, even though food. He looks like a beggar. However, he obtains food resource by chance for three years, gets a work in the capital, and marries a beautiful woman. Not only that, he is dubbed the Middle Captain of Shinano and granted

Get Access