Chushingura – 47 Ronin

Our play Chushingura – 47 Ronin is based on a real incident that happened in Japan in 1703, and is one of Japan’s most well-known and enduring stories.
Young Lord Asano of the Akō clan was provoked to violence by a corrupt Lord Kira in Edo Castle where law and tradition demanded both parties in a violent conflict be severely punished. Instead, the Shogunate did nothing to Lord Kira and sentenced the young lord Asano to death by seppuku, his land and property were confiscated, and his samurai retainers disbanded, which was seen as grossly unfair. Forty-seven of the young lord’s loyal retainers made a secret pact and three years later took revenge, killing Lord Kira, for which they were all sentenced to death by seppuku. They died on the same day, February 4, 1703, and their graves at Sengaku Temple in Tokyo became a place of great veneration, and people flocked there to pray. The people considered them heroes for their loyalty, and courage.