According to the
Bushido Shoshinshu (the Code of the Samurai), a samurai was supposed to commit
oibara seppuku (suicide/hara kiri) upon the loss of his master. One who chose to not honor the code was "on his own"... a ronin.
Among the most famous ronin are Miyamoto Musashi, the famed swordsman, and the Forty-seven Ronin.
The revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin.... The tale is true, and has been described by one noted Japanese scholar as the country's "national legend."...
In 1701 two daimyo, Asano Takumi-no-Kami Naganori, the young daimyo of the Akō Domain (a small fiefdom in western
Honshū), and Lord Kamei of the Tsuwano Domain, were ordered to arrange a fitting reception for the envoys of the Emperor in Edo, during their sankin kōtai service to the Shogun.
Asano and Kamei were to be given instruction in the necessary court etiquette by Kira
Kozuke-no-Suke Yoshinaka, a powerful Edo official in the hierarchy of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi's shogunate. He became upset at them, allegedly because of either the small presents they offered him (in the time-honored compensation for such an instructor), or because they would not offer bribes as he wanted. Kira treated them poorly, insulted them or failed to prepare them for fulfilling specific
bakufu duties, offense was taken.
While Asano bore all this stoically, Kamei became enraged, and prepared to kill Kira to avenge the insults. However, the quick thinking counsellors of Kamei averted disaster for their lord and clan (for all would have been punished if Kamei killed Kira) by quietly giving Kira a large bribe; Kira thereupon began to treat Kamei nicely, which calmed Kamei's anger...
However, Kira continued to treat Asano harshly, because he was upset that the latter had not emulated his companion; Kira taunted and humiliated him in public. Finally, Kira insulted Asano, calling him a country boor with no manners, and Asano could restrain himself no longer. At the
Matsu no Ōrōka, the main grand corridor which interconnects different parts of the shogun's residence, he lost his temper and attacked Kira with a dagger, but only wounded him in the face with his first strike; his second missed and hit a pillar.
Kira's wound was hardly serious, but the attack on a shogunate official within the boundaries of the Shogun's residence was considered a grave offense.The
daimyo of
Akō had removed his dagger from its scabbard within Edo Castle, and for that offense, he was ordered to kill himself by committing
seppuku.Asano's goods and lands were to be confiscated after his death, his family was to be ruined, and his retainers were to be made ronin....
Of Asano's over three hundred men, forty-seven and especially their leader Ōishi—refused to allow their lord to go unavenged. They banded together, swearing a secret oath to avenge their master by killing Kira, even though they knew they would be severely punished for doing so.
However, Kira was well guarded, and his residence had been fortified.To quell the suspicions of Kira and other shogunate authorities, they dispersed and became tradesmen or monks.Ōishi himself took up residence in Kyoto, and began to frequent brothels and taverns, as if nothing were further from his mind than revenge. Kira still feared a trap, and sent spies to watch the former retainers of
Asano.
Oishi began to act oddly and very unlike the composed samurai. He frequented geisha houses, drank nightly, and acted very obscenely in public. Later Oishi's men bought a geisha, in hopes he would calm down. This was all a ruse to rid Oishi of his spies.
Kira's agents reported all this to Kira, who became convinced that he was safe from the retainers of
Asano, who must all be bad samurai indeed, without the courage to avenge their master, after a year and a half. With the thought of them being harmless and lack of funds from his "retirement"; he then reluctantly let down his guard.
They Attack Two years later, when Ōishi was convinced that Kira was thoroughly off his guard,and everything was ready, he fled from Kyoto, avoiding the spies who were watching him, and the entire band gathered at a secret meeting-place in
Edo, and renewed their oaths.
Thursday, December 14, 1702),early in the morning in a driving wind during a heavy fall of snow, Ōishi and the
ronin attacked Kira Yoshinaka's mansion in
Edo.They split up into two groups and attacked, armed with swords and bows. One group, led by Ōishi, was to attack the front gate; the other, led by his son, Ōishi Chikara, was to attack the house via the back gate.Once Kira was dead, they planned to cut off his head, and lay it as an offering on their master's tomb. They would then turn themselves in, and wait for their expected sentence of death. All this had been confirmed at a final dinner, where Ōishi had asked them to be careful, and spare women, children, and other helpless people. The code of
bushido does not require mercy to noncombatants, although it doesn't forbid it.
Ōishi had four men scale the fence and enter the porter's lodge, capturing and tying up the guard there.He then sent messengers to all the neighbouring houses, to explain that they were not robbers, but retainers out to avenge the death of their master, and that no harm would come to anyone else: they were all perfectly safe. The neighbours, who all hated Kira, were relieved and did nothing to hinder the raiders.
After posting archers (some on the roof), to prevent those in the house (who had not yet woken up) from sending for help, Ōishi sounded the drum to start the attack. Ten of Kira's retainers held off the party attacking the house from the front, but Ōishi Chikara's party broke into the back of the house.[21]
Kira, in terror, took refuge in a closet in the veranda, along with his wife and female servants. The rest of his retainers attempted to come into the house to his rescue. After overcoming the defenders at the front of the house, the two parties of father and son joined up, and fought with the retainers who came in. The latter, perceiving that they were losing, tried to send for help, but their messengers were killed by the archers posted to prevent that.
Eventually, after a fierce struggle, the last of Kira's retainers was subdued.Of Kira, however, there was no sign. They searched the house, but all they found were crying women and children. They began to despair, but Ōishi checked Kira's bed, and it was still warm, so he knew he could not be far.
The Death of KiraA renewed search disclosed an entrance to a secret courtyard hidden behind a large scroll; the courtyard held a small building for storing charcoal and firewood, where two more hidden armed retainers were overcome and killed. A search of the building disclosed a man hiding; he attacked the searcher with a dagger, but the man was easily disarmed.The ronin gathered, and Ōishi, with a lantern, saw that it was indeed Kira—as a final proof, his head bore the scar from Asano's attack.
At that, Ōishi went on his knees, and in consideration of Kira's high rank, respectfully addressed him, telling him they were retainers of Asano, come to avenge him as true samurai should, and inviting Kira to die as a true samurai should, by killing himself. Ōishi indicated he personally would act as a second, and offered him the same dagger that Asano had used to kill himself.
However, no matter how much they entreated him, Kira crouched, speechless and trembling. At last, seeing it was useless to ask, Ōishi ordered the ronin to pin him down, and killed him by cutting off his head with the dagger.They then extinguished all the lamps and fires in the house (lest any cause the house to catch fire, and start a general fire that would harm the neighbours), and left, taking the head.
As day was now breaking, they quickly carried Kira's head to their lord's grave in Sengaku-ji, causing a great stir on the way. The story quickly went around as to what had happened, and everyone on their path praised them, and offered them refreshment.
On arriving at the temple, they washed and cleaned Kira's head in a well, and laid it, and the fateful dagger, before Asano's tomb.They then offered prayers at the temple, and gave the abbot of the temple all the money they had left, asking him to bury them decently, and offer prayers for them. They then turned themselves in....
As expected, the ronin were sentenced to death; but the Shogun had finally resolved the quandary by ordering them to honorably commit seppuku, instead of having them executed as criminals. It is known that each of the assailants ended his life in a ritualistic fashion.
Each of the forty-six ronin did kill himself on Sunday, February 4, 1703.
