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109-664: The historical basis for the narrative began in 1701. The ruling shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi placed Asano Takumi-no-kami Naganori, the daimyō of Akō , in charge of a reception of envoys from the Imperial Court in Kyoto . He also appointed the protocol official ( kōke ) Kira Kōzuke-no-suke Yoshinaka to instruct Asano in the ceremonies. On the day of the reception, at Edo Castle , Asano drew his short sword and attempted to kill Kira. His reasons are not known, but many have suggested that an insult may have provoked him. For this act, he

218-501: A "coveted assignment" for ambitious actors. On 20 March 1703, the 46 rōnin were ordered to commit seppuku by the shōgun . Two weeks later, a kabuki play opened in Edo. It was entitled Akebono Soga no Youchi ("Night attack at dawn by the Soga [Brothers]"; see Soga Monogatari ), a standard topic of plays. It was shut down by the authorities, and is thought to have been a disguised version of

327-540: A ballet work called "The Kabuki" based on the Chushingura legend in 1986, and it has been performed more than 140 times in 14 nations worldwide by 2006. The story was turned into an opera, Chūshingura , by Shigeaki Saegusa in 1997. "Chushingura" is the name of an instrumental track by Jefferson Airplane from its Crown of Creation album. Jorge Luis Borges' 1935 short story "The Uncivil Teacher of Court Etiquette Kôtsuké no Suké" (in A Universal History of Iniquity )

436-537: A correlation between the law and the lessons put forth in Confucian classics. Actually during the seventeenth century there was a system of registered vendettas. This meant that people could avenge a murder of a relative, but only after their plans strictly adhered to legal guidelines. However, the Akō vendetta did not adhere to this legalized system. Thus, they had to look to Confucian texts to justify their vendetta. Chūshin gishi

545-441: A greater cause in such a way that they deserved veneration after death. Such people were often entombed or memorialized at shrines. However, there is a debate on whether they even should be worshiped and how controversial their tombs at Sengakuji are. Tucker raises a point in his article that the rōnin were condemned as rōnin , which was not an honorable state, but in the end their resting places are now honored. In other words, it

654-456: A growing threat to the stability of the shogunate. As Ōgosho ("Cloistered Shōgun "), he influenced the implementation of laws that banned the practice of Christianity. His successors followed suit, compounding upon Ieyasu's laws. The ban of Christianity is often linked with the creation of the Seclusion laws, or Sakoku , in the 1630s. The late Tokugawa shogunate ( Japanese : 幕末 Bakumatsu )

763-744: A minor retainer of En'ya, Kanpei, gives into temptation to leave his post with his lover, Wakasanosuke arrives. When Wakasanosuke encounters Moronao, Moronao's attitude is so welcoming and apologetic that Wakasanosuke confusedly abandons his murderous intentions - as Honzō planned. Unfortunately, when En'ya arrives, he comes bearing a note from his wife to Moronao; it is a poem from the Shin Kokin Wakashū which indicates her definitive rejection of Moronao's love. Angered, Moronao takes exception to En'ya's tardiness and begins mercilessly insulting & verbally abusing En'ya. Provoked beyond his limits, En'ya draws and slashes Moronao. He does not kill Moronao as he

872-496: A play by John Masefield ( The Faithful ) appeared in 1915. The Australian National University's Za Kabuki performed an English-language version of the play in 2001, directed by Mr. Shun Ikeda . After World War II , during the Occupation of Japan , performance of Chūshingura was banned "because it glorified militarism and was feudalistic in its insistence on such outmoded concepts as honor and loyalty"; later in 1960, members of

981-556: A result, the tax revenues collected by the samurai landowners increasingly declined over time. A 2017 study found that peasant rebellions and desertion lowered tax rates and inhibited state growth in the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, both the shogun and daimyos were hampered by financial difficulties, whereas more wealth flowed to the merchant class. Peasant uprisings and samurai discontent became increasingly prevalent. Some reforms were enacted to attend to these issues such as

1090-514: A rural population flow to urban areas. By the Genroku period (1688–1704) Japan saw a period of material prosperity and the blossoming of the arts, such as the early development of ukiyo-e by Moronobu . The reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune (1716–1745) saw poor harvests and a fall in tax revenue in the early 1720s, as a result he pushed for the Kyoho reforms to repair the finances of the bakufu as he believed

1199-431: A sword, not a gun. But it is too late for Kanpei. Impressed by his dying sincerity, they accept the donation and allow Kanpei to sign in blood the written oath of vengeance to become the 46th member. "It's quite true that I felt a certain amount of indignation — about as big as a flea's head split by a hatchet — and tried forming a league of 40 or 50 men, but what a crazy notion that was! ... Oh, when I hear

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1308-468: A warning to the others not to waver. But they decide to let him sober up first. While waiting, Yuranosuke receives a letter from Kaoyo to the effect that Moronao is leaving for the provinces and they will need to strike soon. Just then, Kudayū interrupts and accuses Yuranosuke of being wanton as a deceptive stratagem. But seeing Yuranosuke casually break a taboo and eat octopus on the anniversary of En'ya's death, and looking at how rusty his sword is, Kudayū

1417-514: Is a popular time for performances of Chūshingura . Because the break-in occurred in December (according to the old calendar), the story is often retold in that month. The history of Chūshingura on film began in 1907, when one act of a kabuki play was released. The first original production followed in 1908. Onoe Matsunosuke played Ōishi in this ground-breaking work. The story was adapted for film again in 1928. This version, Jitsuroku Chūshingura ,

1526-572: Is a retelling of the Chūshingura story, drawn from A. B. Mitford's Tales of Old Japan (London, 1912). A 1982 comic book limited series , written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Frank Miller , Wolverine Vol. 1, has the titular superhero observe a private stage production in the course of a mission. The cast turn out to be actually assassins ordered to kill Mariko Yashida and her husband, forcing Wolverine to intervene to stop them. A graphic novel/manga version, well researched and close to

1635-469: Is aided by a shape-shifting witch, and co-stars many prominent Japanese actors including Hiroyuki Sanada , Tadanobu Asano , Kō Shibasaki , Rinko Kikuchi , Jin Akanishi , and Togo Igawa . It was originally scheduled to be released on November 21, 2012, then moved to February 8, 2013, due to creative differences between Universal and director Carl Rinsch, requiring the inclusion of additional scenes and citing

1744-429: Is almost convinced — but he hides under the veranda to spy on the letter, to make sure. He is shortly stabbed to death by Yuranosuke. An act in the michiyuki style, a standard short act written poetically, describing the gloomy thought of Konami, daughter of Honzō and fiance of Rikiya, as she travels with her mother to Rikiya and Yuranosuke's house. They hope the marriage will be carried out, though all presume it

1853-499: Is as if those that regarded the rōnin as chūshin gishi were questioning the decision of the Bakufu (the shogunate, the authorities who declared them rōnin ), and perhaps even implying that the Bakufu had made a mistake. Those recognizing the rōnin as chūshin gishi were really focusing on the basics of samurai code where loyalty to your master is the ultimate and most sacred obligation. In Chinese philosophy, Confucius used to say that

1962-466: Is held back by Honzō (who hopes to lessen En'ya's punishment). Outside, Kanpei hears the commotion and rushes to the back gate, only to realize his failure as a samurai: he dallied and was not there when his master needed him. En'ya is placed under house arrest. The retainers and women discuss his fate, and En'ya's wife, Kaoyo, reveals Moronao's motives. The shōgun ' s envoys arrive with En'ya's sentence: seppuku, confiscation of En'ya's estate, and

2071-443: Is something that cannot be looked on lightly in regards to this story because it is the main idea in this story. Loyalty and duty to one's master as a retainer is everything in the story of the 47 rōnin . Being able to draw Confucianist values from this story is no coincidence, it is said that Asano was a Confucian. So it would only seem natural that his retainers would practice the same thing. Their ultimate sacrifice for their master

2180-605: Is something that is held in high regard in Confucianism because they are fulfilling their responsibility to the fullest extent. There is nothing more after that kind of sacrifice. At that point the warriors have given their everything to their master. That type of devotion is hard to contest as something other than being a chūshin gishi . The puppet play based on these events was entitled Kanadehon Chūshingura and written by Takeda Izumo (1691–1756), Miyoshi Shōraku (c. 1696 – 1772) and Namiki Senryū (1695 – c. 1751). It

2289-500: Is the governor of Kamakura , Lord Moronao (Kira), Wakasanosuke, and Lord En'ya (Asano). Moronao objects to preserving the helmet, even though Yoshisada was a noble descendant of the Genji , a mistake would be embarrassing, and there were many loyal retainers descended from the Genji anyway. En'ya and Wakasanosuke support the helmet's preservation. Tadayoshi summons En'ya's wife, for as a maiden in

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2398-558: The Attack on Pearl Harbor . The Japanese military and most audiences found the first part to be too serious, but the studio and Mizoguchi both regarded it as so important that Part Two was put into production, despite Part One's lukewarm reception. The film was celebrated by foreign scholars who saw it in Japan; it was not shown in the United States until the 1970s. During the occupation of Japan ,

2507-674: The Edo shogunate ( 江戸幕府 , Edo bakufu ) , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara , ending the civil wars of the Sengoku period following the collapse of the Ashikaga shogunate . Ieyasu became the shōgun , and the Tokugawa clan governed Japan from Edo Castle in

2616-469: The GHQ banned performances of the story, charging them with promoting feudal values. Under the influence of Faubion Bowers , the ban was lifted in 1947. In 1952, the first film portrayal of Ōishi by Chiezō Kataoka appeared; he took the part again in 1959 and 1961. Matsumoto Kōshirō VIII (later Hakuō), Ichikawa Utaemon , Ichikawa Ennosuke II , Kinnosuke Yorozuya , Ken Takakura and Masahiko Tsugawa are among

2725-454: The Genko uprising led by the nobleman Nitta Yoshisada , and has built a shrine to the kami of war Hachiman to commemorate his victory. Its chief trophy will be the helmet of the dead Yoshisada, but there is confusion as to which of the 47 helmets found by his body is really his. The shōgun ' s brother & deputy, Ashikaga Tadayoshi , convenes a conference to discuss the issue. Attending

2834-634: The Imperial Court in Kyoto to the Tokugawa family. While the Emperor officially had the prerogative of appointing the shōgun and received generous subsidies, he had virtually no say in state affairs. The shogunate issued the Laws for the Imperial and Court Officials ( kinchu narabini kuge shohatto 禁中並公家諸法度) to set out its relationship with the Imperial family and the kuge (imperial court officials), and specified that

2943-723: The Japanese Diet criticized performances of Chūshingura overseas by traveling kabuki companies over similar fears that it would give foreigners misleading ideas The chiefest theme of Chūshingura is the code of bushido & loyalty, as exemplified by its protagonist, the chief retainer of the dead lord, Yuranosuke. The retainers seek revenge for their lord even though they know no good will come of it, as Yuranosuke admits in Act 7: "I realized when I thought about it calmly that if we failed in our mission our heads would roll, and if we succeeded we'd have to commit seppuku afterwards. either way, it

3052-485: The Kansei reform (1787–1793) by Matsudaira Sadanobu . He bolstered the bakufu's rice stockpiles and mandated daimyos to follow suit. He cut down urban spending, allocated reserves for potential famines, and urged city-dwelling peasants to return to rural areas. By 1800, Japan included five cities with over 100,000 residents, and three among the world's twenty cities that had more than 300,000 inhabitants. Edo likely claimed

3161-524: The gundai ( 郡代 ), the daikan ( 代官 ) and the kura bugyō ( 蔵奉行 ), as well as hearing cases involving samurai. The gundai managed Tokugawa domains with incomes greater than 10,000 koku while the daikan managed areas with incomes between 5,000 and 10,000 koku. The shogun directly held lands in various parts of Japan. These were known as shihaisho (支配所); since the Meiji period, the term tenryō ( 天領 , literally "Emperor's land") has become synonymous, because

3270-479: The han and the court in Edo. During their absences from Edo, it was also required that they leave their family as hostages until their return. The hostages and the huge expenditure sankin-kōtai imposed on each han helped to ensure loyalty to the shōgun . By the 1690s, the vast majority of daimyos would be born in Edo, and most would consider it their homes. Some daimyos had little interest in their domains and needed to be begged to return "home". In return for

3379-442: The jisha , kanjō , and machi-bugyō , which respectively oversaw temples and shrines , accounting, and the cities. The jisha-bugyō had the highest status of the three. They oversaw the administration of Buddhist temples ( ji ) and Shinto shrines ( sha ), many of which held fiefs. Also, they heard lawsuits from several land holdings outside the eight Kantō provinces. The appointments normally went to daimyōs ; Ōoka Tadasuke

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3488-408: The rōjū to a more distant part of the castle. Some of the most famous soba yōnin were Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu and Tanuma Okitsugu . The ōmetsuke and metsuke were officials who reported to the rōjū and wakadoshiyori . The five ōmetsuke were in charge of monitoring the affairs of the daimyōs , kuge and imperial court. They were in charge of discovering any threat of rebellion. Early in

3597-453: The samisens playing like that, I just can't resist."—Yuranosuke Kudayū, now a spy for Moronao, arrives at a teahouse in the pleasure quarter of Gion  — Yuranosuke's favorite haunt (in reality Ichiriki Chaya , which changed its name to the disguised name in this play). He intends to learn whether Yuranosuke is indeed dissipated. 3 rōnin are also there on a similar mission: when Yuranosuke disavows revenge, they plan to kill him as

3706-427: The sankin-kōtai system ensured that daimyōs or their family were always in Edo, observed by the shogun. The shogunate had the power to discard, annex, and transform domains, although they were rarely and carefully exercised after the early years of the shogunate, to prevent daimyōs from banding together. The sankin-kōtai system of alternative residence required each daimyō to reside in alternate years between

3815-410: The shōgun . Under the wakadoshiyori were the metsuke . Some shōguns appointed a soba yōnin . This person acted as a liaison between the shōgun and the rōjū . The soba yōnin increased in importance during the time of the fifth shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi , when a wakadoshiyori, Inaba Masayasu , assassinated Hotta Masatoshi , the tairō . Fearing for his personal safety, Tsunayoshi moved

3924-422: The treaty ports of Nagasaki and Kanagawa (Yokohama). Source: Over the course of the Edo period, influential relatives of the shogun included: Kanadehon Ch%C5%ABshingura The Treasury of Loyal Retainers ( 仮名手本忠臣蔵 , Kana dehon Chūshingura ) is an 11-act bunraku puppet play composed in 1748. It is one of the most popular Japanese plays, ranked with Zeami 's Matsukaze , although

4033-638: The ōmetsuke evolved into one of passing orders from the shogunate to the daimyōs , and of administering to ceremonies within Edo Castle. They also took on additional responsibilities such as supervising religious affairs and controlling firearms. The metsuke , reporting to the wakadoshiyori , oversaw the affairs of the vassals of the shōgun . They were the police force for the thousands of hatamoto and gokenin who were concentrated in Edo. Individual han had their own metsuke who similarly policed their samurai. The san- bugyō (三奉行 "three administrators") were

4142-463: The "restoration" ( 王政復古 , Ōsei fukko ) of imperial rule. Some loyal retainers of the shogun continued to fight during the Boshin war that followed but were eventually defeated in the notable Battle of Toba–Fushimi . The bakuhan system ( bakuhan taisei 幕藩体制 ) was the feudal political system in the Edo period of Japan. Baku is an abbreviation of bakufu , meaning " military government "—that is,

4251-416: The 1971 Daichūshingura on NET , and Kinnosuke Yorozuya crossed over from film to play the same role in 1979, also on NET. In 1990, TBS aired a production of Chūshingura, starring Takeshi Kitano and Miho Nakayama , among others. Tōge no Gunzō , the third NHK Taiga drama on the subject, starred Ken Ogata , and renowned director Juzo Itami appeared as Kira. In 2001, Fuji TV made a four-hour special of

4360-456: The 1978 adventure drama directed by Kinji Fukasaku and called The Fall of Ako Castle , or the 1985 Chūshingura: Vendetta of Obligation directed by Masuda Toshio and the 2010 Chūshingura (Sono Otoko Oishi Kuranosuke) directed by Saizo Kosei with Tamura Masakazu . The Hollywood film 47 Ronin by Universal is a fantasy epic with Keanu Reeves as an Anglo-Japanese who joins the samurai in their quest for vengeance against Lord Kira who

4469-585: The Akō incident in the West was published in Isaac Titsingh 's posthumous book, Illustrations of Japan . In the story of the 47 rōnin , the concept of chūshin gishi is another interpretation taken by some. Chūshin gishi is usually translated as "loyal and dutiful samurai". However, as John Allen Tucker points out that definition glosses over the religious meaning behind the term. Scholars during that time used that word to describe people who had given their lives for

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4578-407: The Edo period, daimyōs such as Yagyū Munefuyu held the office. Soon, however, it fell to hatamoto with rankings of 5,000 koku or more. To give them authority in their dealings with daimyōs , they were often ranked at 10,000 koku and given the title of kami (an ancient title, typically signifying the governor of a province ) such as Bizen-no-kami . As time progressed, the function of

4687-417: The Edo period. They were ranked by size, which was measured as the number of koku of rice that the domain produced each year. One koku was the amount of rice necessary to feed one adult male for one year. The minimum number for a daimyō was ten thousand koku ; the largest, apart from the shōgun , was more than a million koku . The main policies of the shogunate on the daimyos included: Although

4796-488: The Emperor should dedicate to scholarship and poetry. The shogunate also appointed a liaison, the Kyoto Shoshidai ( Shogun's Representative in Kyoto ), to deal with the Emperor, court and nobility. Towards the end of the shogunate, however, after centuries of the Emperor having very little say in state affairs and being secluded in his Kyoto palace , and in the wake of the reigning shōgun , Tokugawa Iemochi , marrying

4905-451: The Japanese military commissioned director Kenji Mizoguchi to make The 47 Ronin . They wanted a ferocious morale booster based upon the familiar rekishi geki ("historical drama") of "The Loyal 47 Ronin". Instead, Mizoguchi chose for his source Mayama Chushingura , a cerebral play dealing with the story. The 47 Ronin was a commercial failure, having been released in Japan one week before

5014-577: The Sunpu government's cabinet was consisted of trusted vassals of Ieyasu which was not included in Hidetada's cabinet. including William Adams (samurai) and Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn , which Ieyasu entrusted with foreign affairs and diplomacy. The earliest structure of Edo Shogunate organization has Buke Shitsuyaku as the highest rank. the earliest members of this office were Ii Naomasa , Sakakibara Yasumasa , and Honda Tadakatsu . The personal vassals of

5123-455: The Tokugawa clan in the Battle of Sekigahara had their estate reduced substantially. They were often placed in mountainous or far away areas, or placed between most trusted daimyos. Early in the Edo period, the shogunate viewed the tozama as the least likely to be loyal; over time, strategic marriages and the entrenchment of the system made the tozama less likely to rebel. In the end, however, it

5232-414: The Tokugawa shoguns were classified into two groups: By the early 18th century, out of around 22,000 personal vassals, most would have received stipends rather than domains. The rōjū ( 老中 ) were normally the most senior members of the shogunate. Normally, four or five men held the office, and one was on duty for a month at a time on a rotating basis. They supervised the ōmetsuke (who checked on

5341-408: The body and counted the money than he is accidentally shot by Kanpei, hunting a boar. Kanpei does not see clearly the body in the dark, but takes the money as a gift from heaven and hurries home with his donation to find the other rōnin . At Kanpei's home, his wife and mother-in-law await the return of the old man; their money will enable Kanpei to become a samurai again. But he has yet to return when

5450-595: The capital as hostages. In 1616, there was a failed attempt of the invasion of Taiwan by a Shogunate subject named Murayama Tōan . A long period of peace occurred between the Siege of Osaka in 1615 and the Keian Uprising in 1651. This period saw the bakufu prioritise civil administration, while civil society witnessed a surge in trade and industrial activities. Trade under the reign of Ieyasu saw much new wealth created by mining and goods manufacturing, which resulted in

5559-484: The centralization, peace among the daimyos was maintained; unlike in the Sengoku period , daimyos no longer worried about conflicts with one another. In addition, hereditary succession was guaranteed as internal usurpations within domains were not recognized by the shogunate. The Tokugawa clan further ensured loyalty by maintaining a dogmatic insistence on loyalty to the shōgun . Daimyos were classified into three main categories: The tozama daimyos who fought against

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5668-520: The country was still nominally organized as imperial provinces . Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization, which led to the rise of the merchant class and Ukiyo culture. The Tokugawa shogunate declined during the Bakumatsu period from 1853 and was overthrown by supporters of the Imperial Court in the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The Empire of Japan

5777-408: The country, particularly smaller regions, daimyō, and samurai were more or less identical, since daimyō might be trained as samurai, and samurai might act as local rulers. The largely inflexible nature of this social stratification system unleashed disruptive forces over time. Taxes on the peasantry were set at fixed amounts that did not account for inflation or other changes in monetary value. As

5886-531: The daimyos), machi - bugyō (commissioners of administrative and judicial functions in major cities, especially Edo), ongoku bugyō  [ ja ] (遠国奉行, the commissioners of other major cities and shogunate domains) and other officials, oversaw relations with the Imperial Court in Kyoto , kuge (members of the nobility), daimyō, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines , and attended to matters like divisions of fiefs . Other bugyō (commissioners) in charge of finances, monasteries and shrines also reported to

5995-417: The eastern city of Edo ( Tokyo ) along with the daimyō lords of the samurai class. The Tokugawa shogunate organized Japanese society under the strict Tokugawa class system and banned most foreigners under the isolationist policies of Sakoku to promote political stability. The Tokugawa shoguns governed Japan in a feudal system, with each daimyō administering a han (feudal domain), although

6104-456: The grave of Asano at Sengaku-ji . They then turned themselves in to the authorities, and were sentenced to commit seppuku , which they all did on the same day that year. Ōishi is the protagonist in most retellings of the fictionalized form of what became known as the Akō incident, or, in its fictionalized form, the Treasury of Loyal Retainers ( Chūshingura ). In 1822, the earliest known account of

6213-530: The great ministers served their rulers the moral way. Early Confucianism emphasized loyalty, the moral way and objection and legitimate execution of wrongdoers. Chūshin gishi is interpreted as almost a blind loyalty to your master. In the Book of Rites , something similar to chūshin gishi is mentioned which is called zhongchen yishi. Interpretations of the passage from the Book identified those who would sacrifice themselves in

6322-404: The highway a fellow rōnin . The conversation reveals that Yuranosuke and the others did not immediately assault Moronao's extremely well guarded mansion, but dispersed peacefully, and that Yuranosuke & his son have fallen into decadent seeking of pleasure. Kanpei mentions rumors he has heard that 40 or so of the rōnin are conspiring to kill Moronao. The other rōnin categorically denies this:

6431-406: The imperial palace, she saw the helmet presented to Yoshisada. She verifies the correct choice. As the conference ends, Moronao, who has been tutoring En'ya's wife in classical waka poetry, presses upon her a love letter. She rejects it entirely, and Moronao is embittered with hatred for En'ya. En'ya sends his retainers a message that he and Moronao have been charged with the welcoming of Tadayoshi

6540-618: The legitimacy of the rōnins ' actions. Confucianism and the deification of the rōnins collision is something that is very important to the way to understanding Bakufu law. Confucian classics and the Bakufu law may have seemed to complement each other to allow revenge. Hayashi Hōkō claims that the idolization of the rōnin may have been allowed because their actions matched with the Chinese loyalists. Also suggesting that only by killing themselves would they be able to claim their title as chūshin gishi . Hokō summarized that there might have been

6649-470: The loyal retainers of Asano; the title likened them to a warehouse full of treasure. To avoid censorship, the authors placed the action in the time of the Taiheiki (a few centuries earlier), changing the names of the principals. The play is performed every year in both the bunraku and kabuki versions, though more often than not it is only a few selected acts which are performed and not the entire work. December

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6758-567: The main vector of trade exchanges, followed by the addition of Dutch, English, and sometimes Spanish ships. From 1603 onward, Japan started to participate actively in foreign trade. In 1615, an embassy and trade mission under Hasekura Tsunenaga was sent across the Pacific to Nueva España (New Spain) on the Japanese-built galleon San Juan Bautista . Until 1635, the Shogun issued numerous permits for

6867-433: The many stars to play Ōishi. Hisaya Morishige , Naoto Takenaka , and others have portrayed Kira. Izumi Inamori starred as Aguri (Yōzeiin), the central character in the ten-hour 2007 special Chūshingura Yōzeiin no Inbō. The 1927 novel by Jirō Osaragi was the basis for the 1964 Taiga drama Akō Rōshi . Eiji Yoshikawa , Seiichi Funahashi, Futaro Yamada , Kōhei Tsuka , and Shōichirō Ikemiya have also published novels on

6976-437: The meetings and solicitations are for the charitable purpose of raising funds for a fitting memorial for En'ya's grave. Kanpei resolves to acquire money to donate towards the memorial. Later, an old man comes along the road with the large sum of 50 ryō in his wallet, earned by selling his daughter — Kanpei's wife — to a brothel. He is accosted and then killed by Sadakurō the highwayman. No sooner has Sadakurō hidden

7085-407: The military aristocracy was losing its power against the rich merchants and landowners. Society in the Tokugawa period , unlike in previous shogunates, was supposedly based on the strict class hierarchy originally established by Toyotomi Hideyoshi . The daimyō (lords) were at the top, followed by the warrior-caste of samurai, with the farmers, artisans, and traders ranking below. In some parts of

7194-431: The most noteworthy actors to portray Ōishi. The story was told again in the 1962 Toho production by the acclaimed director Hiroshi Inagaki titled Chūshingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki . The actor Matsumoto Kōshirō starred as Chamberlain Ōishi Kuranosuke and Toshiro Mifune also appeared in the film. The actress Setsuko Hara retired following her appearance as Riku, wife of Ōishi. Other film versions include

7303-478: The most powerful han , the hereditary fief of the House of Tokugawa, which also included many gold and silver mines. Towards the end of the shogunate, the Tokugawa clan held around 7 million koku of land (天領 tenryō), including 2.6–2.7 million koku held by direct vassals, out of 30 million in the country. The other 23 million koku were held by other daimyos. The number of han (roughly 270) fluctuated throughout

7412-417: The name of duty should live on idealized. However, there were also those such as Ogyū Sorai, that agreed on condemnation of the rōnin as criminals. Sorai, Satō Naokata, and Dazai Shundai were some of those who believed that the rōnin were merely criminals and murderers with no sense of righteousness, since they did violate the law by killing Kira Yoshinaka. So definitely there was controversy revolving around

7521-411: The need for work on the 3D visual effects. It was later postponed to December 25, 2013, to account for the reshoots and post-production. Consistently negative film reviews of this film rendition considered it to have almost nothing in common with the original play. The 1964 NHK Taiga drama Akō Rōshi was followed by no fewer than 21 television productions of Chūshingura. Toshirō Mifune starred in

7630-521: The next day. Wakasanosuke, aware of Moronao's rejection, tells his fellow retainer Honzō of his plan to assassinate Moronao before Moronao can attack or provoke their master En'ya. Honzō applauds the plan, suggests that Wakasanosuke take a nap first, and immediately departs to find Moronao first to bribe him. Honzō finds Moronao at Tadayoshi's palace, and delivers his handsome bribe in the guise of thanks for etiquette instruction. Moronao accepts it and invites Honzō to an audience. After an interlude in which

7739-406: The office, and alternated by month. Three Edo machi bugyō have become famous through jidaigeki (period films): Ōoka Tadasuke and Tōyama Kagemoto (Kinshirō) as heroes, and Torii Yōzō ( ja:鳥居耀蔵 ) as a villain. The san-bugyō together sat on a council called the hyōjōsho (評定所). In this capacity, they were responsible for administering the tenryō (the shogun's estates), supervising

7848-453: The offices close to the shōgun , such as soba yōnin  [ ja ] (側用人), Kyoto Shoshidai , and Osaka jōdai . Irregularly, the shōguns appointed a rōjū to the position of tairō (great elder). The office was limited to members of the Ii , Sakai , Doi , and Hotta clans , but Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was given the status of tairō as well. Among the most famous was Ii Naosuke , who

7957-420: The original story, has been written by Sean Michael Wilson and illustrated by Japanese artist Akiko Shimojima: The 47 Ronin: A Graphic Novel (2013). A limited comic book series based on the story entitled 47 Ronin , written by Dark Horse Comics publisher Mike Richardson , illustrated by Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai and with Lone Wolf and Cub writer Kazuo Koike as an editorial consultant,

8066-435: The peasants on his land - thus further emphasizing the unconditional nature of Yuranosuke and the other rōnin 's loyalty. "The same holds true of a country at peace: the loyalty and courage of its fine soldiers remain hidden, but the stars, though invisible by day, at night reveal themselves, scattered over the firmament. Here we shall describe such an instance ..."—Narrator The shōgun Ashikaga Takauji has put down

8175-431: The pimp comes to claim Kanpei's wife. While the pimp argues with them and describes his transaction with the old man, Kanpei arrives with the tell-tale wallet. He is accused of murdering his father-in-law, and because it was dark, even Kanpei believes it. While Kanpei gives his account of events, he commits seppuku. His fellow rōnin arrive, and tell how they inspected the body of the old man more carefully - he had died of

8284-523: The pro-imperialist Ishin Shishi ( nationalist patriots ) and the shogunate forces; aside from the dominant two groups, other factions attempted to use the chaos of the Bakumatsu era to seize personal power. An alliance of daimyos and the emperor, succeeded in overthrowing the shogunate, which came to an official end in 1868 with the resignation of the 15th Tokugawa shogun , Tokugawa Yoshinobu , leading to

8393-526: The puppet play did in Osaka and Kyoto, and soon was being performed by three companies in Edo. It is "only intermittently faithful" and frequently cuts entire acts. The saved time is available for a lengthier 11th act, with a sequence featuring a duel on a bridge; as well, the kabuki theater could use a revolving stage to switch between scenes of the siege in Act 9. The short sequence with the highwayman Sadakurō has been developed into an elaborate mime , rendering it

8502-409: The recent events. Perhaps because of the touchiness of authorities, kabuki companies did not attempt any further plays on the subject. In 1706, the great playwright Chikamatsu wrote a three-act puppet play entitled Goban Taiheiki ("A chronicle of great peace played on a chessboard"), placing the action in the era of Taiheiki (the 14th century); the third act appeared in another puppet play, and

8611-404: The reduction of his men to rōnin . En'ya's chief retainer, Yuranosuke, rushes in just as En'ya is pulling the dagger across his stomach; En'ya charges him with seeking vengeance. Yuranosuke orders the men to not commit seppuku nor barricade the mansion and die fighting the shogunate, but likewise to seek vengeance. Kanpei, long after the expulsion, has become a hunter. One rainy day, he meets on

8720-559: The role. Younger actors play Asano, and the role of Aguri, wife (and later widow) of Asano, is reserved for the most beautiful actresses. Kira, who was over sixty at his death, requires an older actor. Ōkōchi reprised the role in 1934. Other actors who have portrayed Ōishi in film include Bandō Tsumasaburō (1938), and Kawarasaki Chōjūrō IV (1941). In 1939, Kajirō Yamamoto filmed Chushingura in two parts with his then assistant director Akira Kurosawa . The two parts were titled Chushingura (Go) (1939) and Chushingura (Zen) (1939). In 1941

8829-491: The rōjū. The roju conferred on especially important matters. In the administrative reforms of 1867 ( Keiō Reforms ), the office was eliminated in favor of a bureaucratic system with ministers for the interior, finance, foreign relations, army, and navy. In principle, the requirements for appointment to the office of rōjū were to be a fudai daimyō and to have a fief assessed at 50 000 koku or more. However, there were exceptions to both criteria. Many appointees came from

8938-406: The shifts characters undergo during the 11 acts: "Sagisaka Bannai, for example, is a comical character in the third act, but by the seventh act there is hardly a trace left of his comicality, and at the end of the play the triumph of the loyal retainers is climaxed by killing Bannai, as if he, rather than Moronao, were the chief villain. Again, Kakogawa Honzō fawningly offers bribes to Moronao in

9047-566: The shogun issued certain laws, such as the buke shohatto on the daimyōs and the rest of the samurai class, each han administered its autonomous system of laws and taxation . The shōgun did not interfere in a han 's governance unless major incompetence (such as large rebellions) was shown, nor were central taxes issued. Instead, each han provided feudal duties, such as maintaining roads and official courier stations, building canals and harbors, providing troops, and relieving famines. Daimyōs were strategically placed to check each other, and

9156-639: The shogun's lands were returned to the emperor. In addition to the territory that Ieyasu held prior to the Battle of Sekigahara, this included lands he gained in that battle and lands gained as a result of the Summer and Winter Sieges of Osaka . Major cities as Nagasaki and Osaka, and mines , including the Sado gold mine , also fell into this category. The gaikoku bugyō were administrators appointed between 1858 and 1868. They were charged with overseeing trade and diplomatic relations with foreign countries, and were based in

9265-468: The shogunate in Edo and the daimyōs with domains throughout Japan. The shōgun and lords were all daimyōs : feudal lords with their own bureaucracies, policies, and territories. Provinces had a degree of sovereignty and were allowed an independent administration of the han in exchange for loyalty to the shōgun , who was responsible for foreign relations, national security, coinage, weights, measures, and transportation. The shōgun also administered

9374-562: The shogunate, yielding a huge profit. Foreign trade was also permitted to the Satsuma and the Tsushima domains . Rice was the main trading product of Japan during this time. Isolationism was the foreign policy of Japan and trade was strictly controlled. Merchants were outsiders to the social hierarchy of Japan and were thought to be greedy. The visits of the Nanban ships from Portugal were at first

9483-415: The shogunate. The han were the domains headed by daimyō . Beginning from Ieyasu's appointment as shogun in 1603, but especially after the Tokugawa victory in Osaka in 1615, various policies were implemented to assert the shogunate's control, which severely curtailed the daimyos' independence. The number of daimyos varied but stabilized at around 270. The bakuhan system split feudal power between

9592-489: The sister of Emperor Kōmei (r. 1846–1867), in 1862, the Imperial Court in Kyoto began to enjoy increased political influence. The Emperor would occasionally be consulted on various policies and the shogun even made a visit to Kyoto to visit the Emperor. Government administration would be formally returned from the shogun to the Emperor during the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Foreign affairs and trade were monopolized by

9701-667: The so-called " red seal ships " destined for the Asian trade. After 1635 and the introduction of seclusion laws ( sakoku ), inbound ships were only allowed from China , Korea , and the Netherlands . The primary source of the shogunate's income was the tax (around 40%) levied on harvests in the Tokugawa clan's personal domains (tenryō). No taxes were levied on domains of daimyos, who instead provided military duty, public works and corvee . The shogunate obtained loans from merchants, which were sometimes seen as forced donations, although commerce

9810-466: The story starring Takuya Kimura as Horibe Yasubei (one of the Akō rōnin ) and Kōichi Satō as Ōishi Kuranosuke, called Chūshingura 1/47 . In 2004, the nine-episode mini-series Chūshingura directed by Saito Mitsumasa was broadcast. Kōtarō Satomi , Matsumoto Kōshirō IX , Beat Takeshi , Tatsuya Nakadai , Hiroki Matsukata , Kin'ya Kitaōji , Akira Emoto , Akira Nakao , Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII , Ken Matsudaira , and Shinichi Tsutsumi are among

9919-547: The subject. Maruya Saiichi , Motohiko Izawa , and Kazuo Kumada have written criticisms of it. An episode of the tokusatsu show Juken Sentai Gekiranger features its own spin on the Chūshingura, with the main heroes being sent back in time and Kira having been possessed by a Rin Jyu Ken user, whom they defeat before the Akō incident starts, and thus not interfering with it. The ballet choreographer Maurice Béjart created

10028-422: The third act by no means appears the same man as the heroic Honzō of the ninth act... The same holds true of Rikiya; the blushing young man of the second act is so unlike the resolute hero of the ninth act as to require two actors." A Chinese translation appeared by 1794, and translations into English, French, and German by 1880 - making it 'probably the first work of Japanese literature to be translated' - and

10137-501: The title of the world's most populous city, housing over one million people. Followers of Catholic christians first began appearing in Japan during the 16th century. Oda Nobunaga embraced Christianity and the Western technology that was imported with it, such as the musket. He also saw it as a tool he could use to suppress Buddhist forces. Though Christianity was allowed to grow until the 1610s, Tokugawa Ieyasu soon began to see it as

10246-534: The vivid action of Chūshingura differs dramatically from Matsukaze . During this portion of the Edo period , the major dramatists preferred not to write for the kabuki theater since the kabuki actors frequently departed from the texts to invent parts and aggrandize their own roles; however, Chūshingura was so successful that it was almost immediately adapted for the kabuki theater as well. The general story has been depicted in many mediums such as ukiyo-e prints. The kabuki adaptation appeared shortly after

10355-494: Was an exception, though he later became a daimyō . The kanjō-bugyō were next in status. The four holders of this office reported to the rōjū . They were responsible for the finances of the shogunate. The machi-bugyō were the chief city administrators of Edo and other cities. Their roles included mayor, chief of the police (and, later, also of the fire department), and judge in criminal and civil matters not involving samurai. Two (briefly, three) men, normally hatamoto, held

10464-660: Was an instant success, and was quickly imitated countless times, with variants coming out annually between 1706 and 1748. Early materials listed the authors in order as: Likely Izumo conceived the overall plot and write acts 1, 4, 6, & 9; Shōraku likely wrote 2, 10, and 11. The fiction author Jippensha Ikku , in his analysis & anecdotal history Chūshingura Okame Hyōban (1803), implies that authorship was: Keene suggests that Acts 6 & 7 be assigned to Izumo, and Act 3 to Senryū. These identifications are tentative, and not based on stylometry or similar approaches. The multiple authorship may be responsible for some of

10573-476: Was assassinated in 1860 outside the Sakuradamon Gate of Edo Castle ( Sakuradamon incident ). Three to five men titled the wakadoshiyori (若年寄) were next in status below the rōjū. An outgrowth of the early six-man rokuninshū (六人衆, 1633–1649), the office took its name and final form in 1662. Their primary responsibility was management of the affairs of the hatamoto and gokenin , the direct vassals of

10682-399: Was broken off when Rikiya and Yuranosuke became rōnin . Konami arrives at Yuranosuke's house, and her mother asks Yuranosuke's wife to permit the marriage's consummation. She is rebuffed because of Honzō's bribery of Moronao and restraining En'ya from killing him. The mother and daughter resolve to commit seppuku, impressing Yuranosuke's wife, who consents if Honzō's head is brought to her as

10791-414: Was certain death. It was like taking expensive medicine, then hanging yourself afterwards because you couldn't pay for the cure." Yuranosuke in this speech is cloaking his true intentions, as he must constantly through the play, rendering him a challenging role. It has been argued that in reality, En'ya was undeserving of loyalty as he was arrogant & hot-tempered and Moronao was a good man who helped

10900-408: Was committed to retaining the daimyos and the han (domains) as components under his new shogunate. Daimyos who sided with Ieyasu were rewarded, and some of Ieyasu's former vassals were made daimyos and were located strategically throughout the country. The sankin-kotai policy, in an effort to constrain rebellions by the daimyos, mandated the housing of wives and children of the daimyos in

11009-846: Was established under the Meiji government , and Tokugawa loyalists continued to fight in the Boshin War until the defeat of the Republic of Ezo at the Battle of Hakodate in June 1869. Following the Sengoku period ("Warring States period"), the central government had been largely re-established by Oda Nobunaga during the Azuchi–Momoyama period . After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, central authority fell to Tokugawa Ieyasu. While many daimyos who fought against him were extinguished or had their holdings reduced, Ieyasu

11118-695: Was first performed in August 1748 at the Takemoto-za theater in the Dōtonbori entertainment district in Osaka , and an almost identical kabuki adaptation appeared later that year. The title means " Kana practice book Treasury of the loyal retainers". The "kana practice book" aspect refers to the coincidence that the number of rōnin matches the number of kana , and the play portrayed the rōnin as each prominently displaying one kana to identify him. The forty-seven rōnin were

11227-404: Was made by film-maker Shōzō Makino to commemorate his 50th birthday. Parts of the original film were destroyed when fire broke out during the production. However, these sequences have been restored with new technology. A Nikkatsu film retold the events to audiences in 1930. It featured the famous Ōkōchi Denjirō in the role of Ōishi. Since then, three generations of leading men have starred in

11336-538: Was often not taxed. Special levies were also imposed for infrastructure-building. During the earliest years of the Tokugawa shogunate institution, when Tokugawa Hidetada coronated as the second shogun and Ieyasu retired, they formed a dual governments, where Hidetada controlled the official court with the government central located in Edo city, Ieyasu, who now became the Ōgosho (retired shogun), also control his own informal shadow government which called "Sunpu government" with its center at Sunpu Castle . The membership of

11445-479: Was ostensibly about the historical samurai Kō no Moronao ; Moronao was actually a cipher for the offending master of court etiquette, Kira Yoshinaka , who was nearly slain by Asano Naganori . The use of Moronao's name for Kira and many of the other renamings would be copied in the later Chūshingura . Three years later in the Kyoto - Osaka region where censorship was reportedly lighter, Chūshingura premiered. It

11554-526: Was released by Dark Horse Comics in 2013. The Tokaido Road (1991) by Lucia St. Clair Robson is an historical adventure novel linked to the story by a fictional daughter of the murdered lord, searching for her father's loyal men so she can take part in the revenge. Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate ( / ˌ t ɒ k uː ˈ ɡ ɑː w ə / TOK -oo- GAH -wə ; Japanese : 徳川幕府 , romanized :  Tokugawa bakufu , IPA: [tokɯgawa, tokɯŋawa baꜜkɯ̥ɸɯ] ), also known as

11663-570: Was sentenced to commit seppuku , but Kira did not receive any punishment. The shogunate confiscated Asano's lands (the Akō Domain ) and dismissed the samurai who had served him, making them rōnin . Nearly two years later, Ōishi Kuranosuke Yoshio , who had been a high-ranking samurai in the service of Asano, led a group of forty-six/forty-seven of the rōnin (some discount the membership of one for various reasons). They broke into Kira's mansion in Edo , captured and killed Kira, and laid his head at

11772-460: Was still the great tozama of Satsuma , Chōshū and Tosa , and to a lesser extent Saga , that brought down the shogunate. These four states are called the Four Western Clans, or Satchotohi for short. Regardless of the political title of the Emperor, the shōguns of the Tokugawa family controlled Japan. The shogunate secured a nominal grant of administration ( 体制 , taisei ) by

11881-481: Was the period between 1853 and 1867, during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy called sakoku and modernized from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government . The 1850s saw growing resentment by the tozama daimyōs and anti-Western sentiment following the arrival of a U.S. Navy fleet under the command of Matthew C. Perry (which led to the forced opening of Japan). The major ideological and political factions during this period were divided into

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