The 47 Ronin: A True Story of Loyalty

Commentary The era of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan spanned 250 years from the early 1600s. It was a time of enforced isolation from the rest of the world with few visitors permitted and no Japanese allowed to leave. It was also a time of rigid social distinctions and iron-clad custom. Sometimes strong moral impulses clashed and produced epic stories such as that of the 47 ronin, which intrigues even today. The story begins in 1701 with a dispute between a rural daimyo (feudal lord) named Asano Naganori and a high-ranking official of the shogunate, Kira Kozuke-no-Suke Yoshinaka. Kira, angry because he had not been sufficiently bribed, offended Asano and called him a country peasant, which provoked the daimyo into attacking his superior with a knife. This was a serious matter as it occurred on the grounds of the ruler’s palace....