HISTORICAL CONTEXT
This event took place during the Edo period (1603-1867) where the political power was still divided, the Shogun being a strong authority figure. The country was divided into "small kingdoms" each under the control of its own daimyo. The latter answering directly to the Shogun. Each of them were required to have a residence in Edo and to visit the capital every year .
That era was relatively peaceful in comparison to the previous ones and was centred around the capital, Edo, which was really unique compared to the rest of Japan. Customs were really important in the capital, especially at the Shogun's court.
MAIN HISTORICAL EVENTS
The revenge of the forty-seven rōnin (四十七士, Yon-jū-Nana-shi, forty-seven samurai), also known as the Akō incident (赤穂事件, Akō jiken) or Akō vendetta, is an 18th-century historical event in Japan in which a band of rōnin (leaderless samurai) avenged the death of their master.
1) AT THE SHOGUN COURT: A DAIMYO FACES UNFAMILIAR CUSTOMS AND TENSION
Asano Naganori, while being in Edo for a week, was far away from his lands. Oishi, the chief retainer, was in charge of Ako during the time his master was away. Asano Naganori was raised following the traditional values and intended to respect them. While being in Edo, he had to face a dilemma. The feudal lord of Ako despised corruption and futilities both of whom were deeply present in Edo. The protocol official and advisor to the shogun himself, Kira, was a corrupted man. The various daimyos coming to court needed his help navigating through the protocols, therefore the only way was to comply to Kira’s needs. However the lord of Ako refused to comply to this use and fall into the corruption use. Furthermore Kira wasn’t a noble man and even more, embodied every futility present in Edo to the eyes of Asano.
2) TENSION EXPLODED: LORD ASANO ATTACKS KIRA, THE MASTER OF CEREMONIES
During the week Asano was at the court in Edo, tension grew at its peak between the two deeply different men. The day of the arrival of the envoys of the emperor at the shogun’s house Asano was driven to assault Kira Kozukenosuke with his sword at the solemn Edo Castle when he could no longer tolerate how Kira treated him with no respect for the way of the samurai. Unfortunately the rule of the solemn Edo Castle was very clear. No one was allowed to draw their swords inside the castle no matter the reason.
3) THE SHOGUN PUNISHES ASANO TO COMMIT SEPPUKU AND HIS CLAN LOST THEIR LANDS
Consequently, the shogunate punished Asano with an order to kill himself by seppuku (hara-kiri) on the very same day. Lord Asano’s samurai couldn’t do anything to prevent their master from dying. Lord Asano having been punished by the shogunate his lands were to be seized and his wife to leave the lands.
4) A DECISION IS TO BE MADE: 47 RONIN WANT A REVENGE FOR THEIR LORD’S HONOR
The first decision to be made by Oishi and the retainers were about the castle. Three options seemed to offer themselves to them. They could refuse to surrender the castle and the lands and fight the forces of the shogun. They could all commit seppuku in front of the castle when the forces arrive in order to protest against the decision of the shogun. The last possibility was to surrender the castle and the lands, leave and lay low until they could all regroup and take the revenge into their own hands. After discussing it together, they decided to surrender the castle and meet after to plot their revenge as they didn’t accept the judgment. It was made clear that those engaging into this project would surely be condemned to death. The number of retainers involved fluctuated until it attained the number of 47 out of the original 270 samurai of Asano. 47 of them were united under the chief retainer, Oishi Kuranosuke Yoshitaka, with a mission to avenge the death of their master.
5) LIVING FALSE LIVES FOR A PURPOSE: ONE YEAR OF WAITING AND PLANNING FOR THE REVENGE
For almost a whole year, each of them lived completely different lives. The chief retainer Oishi even started a life of heavy drinking to hide his true intentions, risking his honour of warrior. After many months of laying low, avoiding Kira’s spies and they were ready and were waiting for the perfect occasion.
6) THE ATTACK: KIRA’S FINAL MOMENTS
On December 14, 1702, they make their plan becomes reality and raided Kira’s residence in the Honjo area of Edo. A surprise attack during the night allowed them to take care of Kira’s personal samurai troops without too much trouble. When they finally found Kira they offered him the opportunity of ending his life with honor as their master did, by committing seppuku. The man unable to take his life was finally decapitated by the retainers to make up the humiliation suffered by their lord.
7) ONE HEAD IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONOR RESTORED: RETAINERS REPORT TO ASANO’S GRAVE
They reported their accomplishment to Asano’s grave in Sengaku-ji temple by presenting Kira’s head, marching about ten kilometers across the city, causing a great stir on the way. The story of the revenge spread quickly, and many people on their path praised them and offered them refreshments. They then offered prayers at the temple, and gave the abbot of the temple all the money they had left.
8) THE SHOGUN’S VERDICT: 46 HONORABLE DEATHS BY SEPPUKU AND THE BEGINNING OF A LEGEND
They then turned themselves in to the Shogun. On the evening of December 15, four other lords (Hosokawa, Matsudaira, Mori and Mizuno) were entrusted with the custody of the loyal retainers. After weeks of difficult deliberation, the shogunate sentenced them to seppuku on February 4, 1703, saving their dignity as samurai: they were spared outright execution by beheading. They were immediately buried beside the grave of their master separated into four blocks according to the residence where they had been kept in. Many people were touched by this story of loyalty and started worshipping the grave of the honorable samurai and their master in Sengaku-ji temple.
TODAY'S REMAININGS
The 47 ronin still inspired a lot of admiration amongst japanese people and the temple where theirs graves are located is still an important place of worship.
