The 47 Ronin

Asano Naganori

The lord of Akō had to commit seppuku in 1701 after attacking Kira.

💡 Did you know? Asano was only in his mid-thirties at the time.

Kira Yoshinaka

He was master of ceremonies and was supposed to instruct Asano in court etiquette.

💡 Did you know? At the time of the attack Kira was already over sixty.

Ōishi Kuranosuke

He was the chief retainer of the Asano house and planned the attack for almost two years.

💡 Did you know? His son Ōishi Chikara was the youngest of the 47.

Edo

The attack took place in a corridor of the shogun’s castle, where drawing a weapon was strictly forbidden.

💡 Did you know? The Imperial Palace in Tokyo stands on the castle grounds today.

1701

It happened in spring, while envoys of the emperor were being received in Edo.

💡 Did you know? The ronin’s revenge came only almost two years later.

Seppuku

His domain was also confiscated, so his retainers lost both their lord and their income.

💡 Did you know? Kira, by contrast, went unpunished, which many found unjust.

Akō

The domain lay in Harima Province in western Japan; after Asano’s death his retainers handed over Akō Castle without a fight.

💡 Did you know? Akō still remembers the ronin with a large festival.

Kyoto

He lived in the Yamashina district and was seen in the teahouses of Gion to deceive Kira’s spies.

💡 Did you know? During this time he even separated from his wife so that she would not be drawn into the revenge.

Hosokawa

The men were divided among four lords’ residences in Edo; Ōishi went to the Hosokawa with sixteen companions.

💡 Did you know? The Hosokawa treated their prisoners with great respect.

Uesugi

His son Uesugi Tsunanori ruled Yonezawa, so the ronin expected reinforcements for Kira.

💡 Did you know? After the attack they withdrew together to Sengaku-ji, ready for anything.

46

The verdict allowed them an honourable death by seppuku instead of execution.

💡 Did you know? The name “47 Ronin” counts the one man who was spared.

Terasaka Kichiemon

Why he was missing is unclear; it is often said Ōishi sent him to Akō with the news.

💡 Did you know? He died only decades later, at a great age.

Sengaku-ji

The temple is in present-day Tokyo; the men carried Kira’s head there to Asano’s grave.

💡 Did you know? Every December a festival there commemorates the revenge.

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi

He sentenced Asano to seppuku and left Kira unpunished.

💡 Did you know? His strict laws protecting animals earned him the nickname “dog shogun”.

Kanadehon Chūshingura

To avoid censorship, the play moved the action to the 14th century and changed the names.

💡 Did you know? In Japan the whole story is still simply called “Chūshingura”.

Keanu Reeves

The film “47 Ronin” freely mixed the story with fantasy, witches and monsters.

💡 Did you know? Reeves played an outsider of mixed descent, a character who does not exist in the original tale.