In the story “In the Grove,” written by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, there are several pieces of evidence of the murder of Kanazawa no Takehiro presented by different characters. Despite their seeming credibility, the testimony given by Tajomaru is more likely to be accurate than the stories of other people. This conclusion is based on the fact that he did not have any hidden motives and already confessed to committing the crime. The man understood that his actions would be followed by capital punishment and, therefore, did not have any reasons to conceal the essential circumstances of the matter. Moreover, he explained why he decided to murder Takehiro since he could not overcome his lust for the samurai’s wife. In this way, his reflections can be considered the most accurate portrayal of the events.
In addition, the numerous details of the crime provided by Tajomaru contribute to this stance. Thus, he not only comprehensively explains his motivation in this situation but also describes the people involved in the story, their clothes, and possessions, while he took some of their belongings when leaving the place. These facts add to the likelihood of the man’s desire to tell the truth rather than mislead the investigators on this occasion. His progression of thought is also clear and depicts the events in sequential order. Tajomaru also inserts useful commentaries in his narrative stating what the couple was doing and saying. Even though his testimony contradicts the information provided by the woman and her husband, it is still more credible than these sources. Therefore, the inclusion of various details alongside the consideration of possible motives allows viewing the evidence received from Tajomaru as the actual description of the murder.