Tale of the 47 Ronin – A True Story
The story of the 47 Ronin, known as Chushingura ("tale of the loyal retainers") in Japanese, is one of the most famous Samurai tales in Japan. The fact that it's a true story plays a significant role in its long-lasting appeal.
In this article, I will cover the following:
- Introduction
- Understanding Bushido
- Tragedy in Edo Castle
- Preparing the Revenge
- The Attack
- The Death of Kira
- The Sentence
- The Legend Lives On
- Resources
The story of the 47 Ronin is fascinating, and it's actually one of my favorite Japanese tales. If you want to immerse yourself in this epic story, I would suggest you two movies: Kon Ichikawa's 47 Ronin (my favorite) and Kunio Watanabe's 1958 version . You'll become a fan too!
Introduction
The story of the 47 Ronin, comes from the name of a Kabuki play created 50 years after the actual "Ako incident".
Described by Japanese historians as a "National Legend", the revenge of the 47 Ronin took place in Japan and is the ultimate expression of the samurai code of honor, Bushido.
The story began on April 21st, 1701, when lord Asano Naganori, the Daimyo of the Ako Domain was forced to commit ritual suicide for attacking Kira Yoshinaka, a rude and arrogant Master of Ceremony under the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The loyal 47 Ronin took over a year to planned their raid on Kira's mansion. On a snowy December night, they strike on Kira's home, taking everyone by surprise.
After killing Kira, they went to their Master's Grave and turned themselves into the authorities. For committing such a vendetta, the 47 Ronin were requested by the Shogun to commit seppuku, ritual self-disembowelment.
During the Meiji era, the rapid modernization of Japan forces people to return to their cultural roots and values, giving tremendous popularity of the 47 Ronin's tale.
Today in Japan, the 47 Ronin are regarded by the Japanese people as "Cultural Heroes". They are honored in traditional holidays and countless Kabuki plays, movies, novels, and manga.
Every year, the Gishisai Festival takes place on December 14th in Ako city in Hyogo prefecture, in memory of the 47 Ronin. On that day, schools and businesses are closed, and the streets are decorated with banners and colored lanterns.
Additionally, each year, at Sengakuji Temple in Tokyo, thousands of tourists visit the resting place of the 47 Ronin and pay homage to their dedication to Bushido.
Understanding Bushido
One of the essential things for westerners to fully appreciate the story of the 47 Ronin, is to understand the psychological, philosophical, and spiritual foundations of the warrior class in ancient Japan: Bushido.
In Feudal Japan, Samurai devoted their lives to Bushido, a strict, unwritten code of living, teaching moral principles and values like loyalty, courage, honor, and self-discipline.
Bushido found its origins in Zen Buddhism and Shinto and became the heart and soul of the Samurai in old Japan. Bushido asked the Samurai to be honest, reliable, and to live a frugal life with no interest in material possessions and money. Instead, they value duty, pride, honor, compassion, and putting the needs of others in front of their own are favored.
Samurai had a very intimate relationship with death and were taught to think about it continually. This stoic mental attitude added a deeper dimension to the Samurai's life, allowing them to fully appreciate life and the things they enjoy and love the most.
According to the Bushido Shoshinshu written in the 17th century by Taira Shigesuke, a Samurai and military strategist of Edo period:
"As long as you keep death in mind at all times, you will fulfill the ways of loyalty and familial duty. You will also avoid myriad evils and calamities, you will be physically sound and healthy, and you will live a long life. What is more, your character will improve, and your virtue will grow. If people comfort their minds with the assumption that they will live a long time, something might happen, because they think they will have forever to do their work and look after their parents-they may fail to perform for their employers and also treat their parents thoughtlessly.But if you realize that the life that is here today is not certain on the morrow, then when you take your orders from your employer, and when you look in on your parents, you will have the sense that this may be the last time, so you cannot fail to become truly attentive to your employer and your parents. This is why I say you also fulfill the paths of loyalty and familial duty when you keep death in mind."
According to Bushido, if a Samurai loses his honor, he could regain it by performing seppuku (mistakenly called 'hara-kiri') a form of ritual suicide.
Whether chosen by the Samurai itself or ordered as an honorable form of capital punishment, seppuku was preferred to a dishonorable death at the hands of an enemy. It was also a demonstration of the Samurai loyalty, courage, and honor. After the death of a Lord, loyal Samurai might show their affection and grief for their Master by performing seppuku.
Throughout history, Samurai committed seppuku as a radical act of protestation against injustice or to get their Lord to reconsider an unwise or unworthy action.
Today in Japan, Bushido no longer represents military power, but its foundation still has a significant influence on Japanese culture and society.
That can easily be observed when you see the strong sense of loyalty workers have toward their employers, students toward their teachers, and apprentices toward their Master.
Hundreds of years after its appearance, Bushido is still the core of Japanese social, political, and corporate structure.
Tragedy in Edo Castle
The tale of the 47 Ronin is a true story that began on April 21st, 1701, when lord Asano Naganori attacked Kira Yoshinaka, the senior Bakufu protocol official, in Edo Castle.
In 1701, Tokugawa Tsunayososhi, the ruling Shogun of Japan, ordered two Daimyo (lords), Asano Naganori, Lord of Akō and Kamei Sama, to organize a reception for the envoys of the Emperor in Edo, the ancient name of Tokyo.
Asano and Kamei were to be instructed in the necessary court etiquette by Kira Yoshinaka, a rude, arrogant and powerful master of ceremony in the hierarchy of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi's shogunate.
Lord Kira was accustomed to receiving gifts of a substantial monetary nature for his teaching. Lord Asano's contribution to Lord Kira was different, more personal. He sincerely offered high-quality dried bonito fish, a specialty from his hometown. He did not offer bribes to Kira as many officials do.
Kira was a greedy man a was insulted "by that dull gift" and treated the two men poorly during his teaching. During their instruction, Asano and Kamei were insulted continuously by Kira. At one point, Kamei-Sama became so enraged that he came close to kill Kira to avenge the insults. However, the Lord's counselors suggested, in order to avoid disaster, to give Kira a large bribe. Soon after, Lord Kira started to treat Kamei Sama very nicely.
Kira continued to treat Lord Asano harshly, and humiliated him in public calling him a "country boy with no manners". Asano lost his temper and could restrain himself no longer. He drew his wakizashi (forbidden inside Edo Castle) and attacked Kira but only wounded him slightly in the face before being stopped by guards.
Kira's wound was superficial, but attacking a Shogun's Official into Government building, was considered to be a grave offense. Any form of violence was expressly forbidden inside the Edo castle.
As a punishment for his severe offense, the Shogun Tsunayoshi ordered Lord Asano to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). Asano forfeited his life on the very same day. As for Kira, he received sympathy as he continued his official duties.
At the time, the law stated that when a Daimyo committed seppuku, the Shogun's family is dishonored, his castle confiscated and his Samurai retainers disbanded, thus becoming Ronin or masterless Samurai.
As he heard the terrible news, Oishi Kuranosuke, Asano's principal counselor, moved his Lord's family away, before surrendering Ako castle to the Officials of the Tokugawa Government.
Oishi secretly formed a group to avenge their Master's death. Out of 371 samurais, only loyal 47 men refused to allow lord Asano's death to go unavenged, even though vendetta is strictly forbidden by law.
They decided to go on with their plan, even though they knew they would face capital punishment for doing so, swearing a secret blood oath to avenge their Master by killing Kira.
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