47 Ronin - Discover the tale of Chushingura, the 47 Ronin.

Discover the Tale of the 47 Ronin.

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47 Ronin Story

The story of the 47 Ronin, known as Chushingura ('tale of the loyal

retainers') in Japanese, is one of the most popular Samurai tales in
Japan. The fact that it is a true story, plays a major role in its long
lasting appeal.

The story of the 47 Ronin, also known as

'Chushingura', 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 in Edo Castle, 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 Kiras home, taking
everyone by surprise.

After killing Kira, they went to their Master's Grave, and turned themselves
in to 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 and samurai like

Musashi Miyamoto are regarded by the Japanese

people as 'Cultural Heroes' and they are honored in

traditional holidays and a in 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
business are close and the streets are decorated with
banners and colored lanterns.
Additionally, each year, at Sengakuji Temple in
Tokyo, thousands of tourists visits the resting place of the 47 Ronin and
pay homage to their dedication to Bushido.

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47 Ronin - Understanding Bushido

Understanding Bushido
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Understanding Bushido

One of the most important thing 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 into 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, but rather in valor such as
duty, pride, honor and compassion, putting the
needs of others in front of their own.
Samurai had a very intimate relation with death and were taught to
constantly think about it. This stoic, yet fully realistic mental attitude added
a new dimension to the Samurai's life, by 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 lose his honor
or was about to lose it, he could regain it by
performing seppuku (often called 'hara-kiri' in the
Western world) a form of ritual suicide. Whether

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47 Ronin - Understanding Bushido

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, the most technologically advanced society in the world,
Bushido no longer represents a military power, but a state of mind, and its
foundations still play a major part of Japanese culture and society. It can
easily be observe when you see the strong sense of loyalty workers have to
their employers, students to their teachers, apprentices to their masters and
to their country.
Hundreds of years after its appearance, Bushido is still the core of
Japanese social, political and corporate structure.

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47 Ronin - Tragedy in Edo Castle

Tragedy in Edo Castle.

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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 Ako and Kamei Sama,
to organised a reception for the envoys of the
Emperor in Edo, the ancient name of Tokyo.
Asano and Kamei were to be given instruction 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 receive gifts of a
monetary nature for his teaching, but Lord Asano's gift to him was the
simple token gift of dried bonito fish. Kira was a man greedy of money,
he was insulted and upset at the two Lords, and treated them poorly during
his teaching. The two man did not offer bribes to Kira, like many officials
do.

During their instruction, Asano and Kamei were constantly insulted 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
more. 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 official into government building, was
considered to be a grave offense. Any form of
violence was expressly forbidden inside Edo castle.
As a punishment for his severe offense, the Shogun Tsunayoshi ordered
Lord Asano to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). Asano forfeited his life
the very same day. As for Kira, he received sympathy as he continued his

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47 Ronin - Tragedy in Edo Castle

official duties.
At the time, law stated that when a Daimyo committed seppuku, the
Shogun family is dishonored, his castle confiscated and his Samurai
retainers disband, 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 (you can find here the names of all the 47 ronin
and a description of their weapons) 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 be
severely punished for doing so, swearing a secret blood oath to avenge their
master by killing Kira.

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47 Ronin - Preparing the revenge

Preparing the Revenge.

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Preparing the Revenge.

It was clear in Kira's mind that Asano's Samurai would try to get
revenge against him. In order to prevent such an event, his house had
been fortified, and his personal security was greatly augmented.

The 47 Ronin knew that before they could launch

the attack, they would have to put Kira guard
down. They decided to split up to avoid suspicion
and to start to plan their move on the well protected
Kira. They gathered in and around Edo, disguised
as monks, merchants and even drunkards to get
information on Kira in order to help them
penetrate into his mansion.
Only their mission matters; one of the Ronin even
married the house builder's daughter to get a hand
on the plans of Kira's mansion.
Others Ronin were secretly transporting to Edo weapons as well as armors
and equipment by boat during the night.
Oishi knew that by raiding on Kira's mansion, the 47 Ronin were going to
their death, not only they could die during the attack, but if they succeed,
the Shogun will probably want them dead. He went to his wife and
divorced her without telling her anything about his plan. He sent her away
to live with her parents, along with their two younger children. Oishi's
oldest boy, Chikara decided to stay an fight alongside his father. He just
sixteen years old.

Fearing a plot growing against him, Lord Kira sent spies to watch the
Ronin, particularly their leader, Oishi. It was essential that their plans was
not discovered.
Knowing that Kira sent spies after him, Oishi went to Kyoto and began
frequenting brothels and taverns earning reputation as a drunken gambler.
This way, Oishi Kuranosuke was trying to deceive Kira's spies, but on
the inside, he was consumed by the idea of revenge.
Agents of Kira reported that the Asano's retainers, now away from the
warriors life, became merchants and drunkards. With time, Kira started to
believe that Asano's Ronin did not have the courage to avenge their
master and that he was safe from them. The masquerade worked just as
planned, Kira let down his guard.
At a secret meeting, Oishi and the other Ronin decided that the time had
come to raid against Kira mansion and avenge their Master's death. The
moment to strike is perfect.

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47 Ronin - The Ronin's Attack

The Ronin's Attack.

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The Ronin's Attack.

A year and a half after the death of Asano, the 47 Ronin meet in Edo at
one of their secret location, renewed their oaths and got ready to attack
on Kira's mansion.

On the night of December 14th 1702, snow was

falling in Edo. Oishi inspected each man and
questioned them all about their orders. They all put
on their weapons and armors. Over it, they wore the
uniforms of the fire brigade so that they could
freely move through the streets of Edo.
On their way to Kira's mansion, Oishi sent
messages to the neighbourhood, explaining that they
were not thiefs, but the 47 Ronin, came to avenge
the death of their Lord. The neighbors all hated
Kira and did nothing to stop the Ronins from
attacking.
Armed with swords, lances and bows, they split up into two groups to attack
the house at the same time. Oishi Kuranokuse led one group by the front
gate while Oishi Chikara, his son, led the second group to the back gate.
As planned, a drum would sound the beginning of the attack, and a whistle
would signal that Kira was found.

A few archers quietly positioned themselves on the roof to prevent those in

the house from sending for help. When everybody was in place, Oishi
sounded the war drum, marking the begining of the attack. The Ronin
tears down the front and read gates with war hammers and penetrated the
mansion while Kira was having a tea party.
The 47 Ronin spread throughout Kira's mansion,
fighting against more than 120 of Kira's men, who,
even taken completely by surprise, put up a fierce
resistance. Most of them were killed during the raid,
many were wounded, and some ran away from the
fight, including Kira's son.
For some time they hunted for Kira, searching the
house, finding nothing but women and children.
Oishi checked Kira's bed, and notice that it was
still warm: Kira must not be far. They discovered
under the bed a secret passageway leading to the
garden. Some men took the passageway and finally
found a man hiding in a storage hut. The sound of the whistle echoed in the
night: Kira has been found.

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47 Ronin - The death of Kira

The Death of Kira.

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The Death of Kira

In the garden was held a small building for storing firewood and
charcoal. While searching the building, the Ronin were attacked by a
man hiding in a corner.

After being easily disarmed and questioned, the aggressor refused to state
his name and rank. The searchers knew it was Kira so they blew the
whistle. The Ronin gathered around the man and Oishi Kuranosuke
certified that it was indeed Kira, seeing the scar from Asano's attack.
In consideration of Kira's high rank, Oishi kneeled
down before him and respectfully addressed him,
telling him they were retainers of Asano, come to
avenge him as true Samurai should.
He also told Kira that he will allow him die with
honor as a true Samurai, by committing
Seppuku, as Lord Asano had done almost two
years ago. Oishi offered Kira the same dagger
Asano used to kill himself. Kira fell on his knees,
crying, trembling, begging for his life, offering
money to Oishi and the Ronin so that they let him
live.
After realizing that Kira do not have the courage nor the honor to commit
Seppuku, Oishi killed him by cutting off his head with Asano's dagger.

Kira's head was wrapped in a white cloth and places in a bucket. Despite
the fact that a few Ronin were wounded, they marched to Sengaku-ji
Temple in Edo where Lord Asano was buried.
On arriving at the temple, the Ronin washed and
cleaned Kira's decapitated head in a well and put it
before Asano's tomb. They offered prayers at the
temple in hommage to their Lord and, knowing
what was comming for them, gave all the remaning
money of the Asano Clan to the head monk of the
temple, asking him to bury them decently and offer
prayers for them after their death.
Fully prepared to die for their action, Oishi sent a
messenge to the Tokugawa Government Building
in Edo, informing the officials of what had been
done and telling them that they would be waiting at
Sengaku-ji Temple, for the Shogun orders.
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47 Ronin - The Sentence

The Sentence.
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The Sentence.

The very same night of the attack, by turning themselves in the temple,
the Ronin knew that they were at the mercy of the shogun, Tsunayoshi
Tokugawa and that their faith will result in certain death.

The Ronin were detained, and treated with courtesy

and respect, due to their Samurai status. The
Tokugawa Shogun and his entourage were
profoundly impressed by the Samurai Spirit
demonstrated by the 47 Ronin.
The shogunate was troubled, deliberating for
almost 2 months. By killing Kira and avenging the
death of Asano, the Ronin followed the Way of
Bushido, but they also acted against the authority
and laws of the Shogun himself, who prohibited
personal vendetta.
On February 4, 1703, the 47 Ronin were divided into four groups and
handed over to four different daimyo, who were ordered to supervise and
witness their deaths.
As they were expecting it, the 47 Ronin were sentenced to die honorably by
committing seppuku, and not as vulgar criminals.

Oishi Kuranosuke and the valiant 47 Ronin bravely committed

seppuku as they were commanded by the Shogun. They were buried side
by side next to their master, Lord Asano Naganori at Sengaku-ji Temple
in Edo.
Today in Sengaku-ji Temple, you can still see well preserved kimonos,
arms, armors and drums that were used by the 47 Ronin during the attack
against Kira's mansion. You can also see their gravestones and the famous
Kubi-Arai well (head washing well) they used to clean up Kira's head on
the night of the attack.
For the Japanese people, the tombs of the 47 Ronin became a place of
great veneration and prayer, and have been visited by hundreds of
thousands of admirers that come to burn incense at their tomb, venerating
them as symbols of loyalty and true Samurai Spirit.
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47 Ronin - The Legends Lives on

The Legend Lives On.

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The Legend Lives On.

Even today, more that 300 years after the actual events, Chushingura the story of the 47 Ronin is one of the most popular Japanese story. It's a
story that every Japanese people knows about, regardless of their age or
education level.

Told over and over again, and passing from

generations to generations for centuries, the story of
the 47 Ronin illustrates the heart and soul of the
Japanese society.
In its long and tumultuous history, Japan had many
epic stories of love, tragedy and vengeance, but the
story of the 47 Ronin stands out as the favorite
one.
Their story is the purest expression of Bushido and
represents the essence of the Samurai Spirit,
demonstrating duty, loyalty, and the powerful bond
that existed between a retainer and his master. These values that embodies
the Samurai ideals or Samurai Spirit, strikes close to the heart of the
Japanese people.
The Tale of the 47 Ronin of Ako will never be forgotten, and like some
Japanese people say: ...to know the story of the 47 Ronin is to know
Japan."

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47 Ronin - Image Gallery

47 Ronin's Image Gallery.

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47 RONIN - CHUSHINGURA
Spirit of the Samurai

Introduction

Here are some of the best Chushingura illustration made by Kuniyoshi

Utagawa was one of the last Grand Masters of Ukiyo-e. You will also
found pictures of the 47 Ronin's Grave is Sengakuji, Tokyo.

Understanding Bushido
Tragedy in Edo Castle

Kuniyoshi Utagawa Woodblock Print Collection (1797 - 1861).

Preparing the Revenge

The Ronin's Attack
The Death of Kira
The Sentence
The Legend Lives On
Image Gallery
Suggested Products
Version Franaise

Ronin's Grave - Sengakuji Temple, Tokyo.

A very special thanks to Joe Adkins from jadkins.com for allowing me to use his Chushingura
pictures.

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47 Ronin - Image Gallery

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Japanese culture: Zen meditation - Hiragana - Musashi Miyamoto - Martial Arts - Kendo
Copyright www.47Ronins.com Partial or total reproduction is strictly forbidden.
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