Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
39
The Masterless Samurai
Every Japanese schoolchild knows the story of the 47 ronin (masterless samu-
rai), a story also immortalized in a popular Kabuki play. In 1701, a feudal lord
(daimyo) named Kira was ordered by the Tokugawa shogun to instruct another
daimyo, Asano, in the etiquette of court ritual in preparation for a visit from an
Imperial entourage from Kyoto. The two quarreled, and the quick-tempered
Asano, angered at the insults hurled by the older daimyo, drew his sword.
Because the drawing of a sword in Edo Castle was strictly forbidden, Asano was
ordered to commit ritual suicide, his family was disinherited and turned out of
their home, his estate and castle were confiscated by the shogun, and his
retainers (samurai) became masterless. Kira, on the other hand, was found
innocent and went unpunished.
In those days, masterless samurai were men without a future. Their loyalty in
question, they were unlikely to find daimyo willing to retain them, so many
turned to a life of crime, hiring themselves out as mercenaries or becoming
highway robbers. The 47 ronin, however, decided to avenge their master's
death by killing Kira. Knowing that Kira was on the lookout for revenge, they
bided their time until one snowy December night in 1702, when they attacked
Kira's mansion, cut off his head, and paraded it through the streets of Edo on
the way to their master's grave at Sengakuji Temple. Although the public was
sympathetic toward the ronin for the steadfast loyalty they had shown their
dead master, the shogun ordered all of them to commit ritual suicide through
disembowelment.
In Tokyo today, all that remains of Kira's mansion, located near the Kokugi-
kan sumo stadium at 3-13-9 Ryogoku, is a white-and-black wall crowned by
a weeping willow and a small inner courtyard. The 47 ronin and their master,
on the other hand, are memorialized by tombs at Sengakuji Temple, 2-11-1
Takanawa ( & 03/3441-5560; subway: Sengakuji, exit A2, a 2-min. walk), and
by a small museum (daily 9am-4pm; closed Mar 31 and Sept 30) containing
some clothing, armor, and personal items belonging to the ronin but is most
interesting for its three short videos about the ronin and their era (usually
shown in Japanese, you can request to see them in English if there are no
other visitors; otherwise you can skip the museum). Across from the museum,
up a flight of stairs, are carved wooden statues of the ronin (included in the
museum admission), while their tombstones are located past the museum on
the hill. Admission to the temple and tombs is free; admission to the museum
is ¥500 for adults, ¥400 for students, and ¥250 for children. Every December
14, 47 men dressed as ronin walk 3 hours from Kira's mansion to deliver a
replica of Kira's head to Sengakuji Temple.
3
Highway that used to link Kyoto and
Tokyo comes alive again with a faithful
reproduction of a feudal lord's proces-
sion in the old days, as he traveled
between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and
his domain accompanied by his retain-
ers. November 3.
 
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