The Samurai's Garden is often included in required reading lists for high school students,[2] and is considered to be a prime example of using effective figurative language.

There, he meets and develops friendships with three adults, Matsu, Kenzo, and Sachi, and a young girl, Keiko, who is his own age.

When Sachi was younger and "one of the most beautiful girls in Tarumi", she was engaged to Kenzo, a handsome boy who had promise for a great, successful future.

The unwinding stories of his new friends, war, and family eventually bring him to the beginnings of wisdom, love, honor, and loss.

At the core, The Samurai's Garden is a novel emphasizing the intrinsic themes of loyalty and honor found in Japanese culture.

The complex relationship between Tsukiyama's characters, and the physical adversities and conflicts they face, ultimately hold the significance for the title of the novel.