is the title given to fictionalized accounts in Japanese literature, theater, and film that relate to the historical incident involving the forty-seven rà Ânin and their mission to avenge the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including the early , the story has been told in kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, television shows and other media. With ten different television productions in the years 1997âÂÂ2007 alone, Chà «shingura ranks among the most familiar of all historical stories in Japan.
The historical basis for the narrative began in 1701. The ruling shà Âgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi placed Asano Takumi-no-kami Naganori, the daimyà  of Akà Â, in charge of a reception of envoys from the Imperial Court in Kyoto. He also appointed the protocol official (kà Âke) Kira Kà Âzuke-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 was sentenced to commit seppuku, but Kira did not receive any punishment. The shogunate confiscated Asano's lands (the Akà  Domain) and dismissed the samurai who had served him, making them rà Ânin.
Nearly two years later, à Âishi Kuranosuke Yoshio, who had been a high-ranking samurai in the service of Asano, led a group of forty-six/forty-seven of the rà Ânin (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 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. à Âishi is the protagonist in most retellings of the fictionalized form of what became known as the Akà  incident, or, in its fictionalized form, the Treasury of Loyal Retainers (Chà «shingura).
In 1822, the earliest known account of the Akà  incident in the West was published in Isaac Titsingh's posthumous book Illustrations of Japan.
In the story of the 47 rà Ânin, the concept of chà «shin gishi is another interpretation taken by some. Chà «shin 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 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 rà Ânin were condemned as rà Ânin, which was not an honorable state, but in the end their resting places are now honored. In other words, it is as if those that regarded the rà Ânin as chà «shin gishi were questioning the decision of the Bakufu (the shogunate, the authorities who declared them rà Ânin), and perhaps even implying that the Bakufu had made a mistake. Those recognizing the rà Ânin as chà «shin 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 the great ministers served their rulers the moral way. Early Confucianism emphasized loyalty, the moral way and objection and legitimate execution of wrongdoers. Chà «shin gishi is interpreted as almost a blind loyalty to your master. In the Book of Rites, something similar to chà «shin gishi is mentioned which is called zhongchen yishi. Interpretations of the passage from the Book identified those who would sacrifice themselves in the name of duty should live on idealized. However, there were also those such as Ogyà « Sorai, that agreed on condemnation of the rà Ânin as criminals. Sorai, Satà  Naokata, and Dazai Shundai were some of those who believed that the rà Ânin 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 the legitimacy of the rà Ânins actions.
Confucianism and the deification of the rà Ânins 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 Hà Âkà  claims that the idolization of the rà Ânin 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 chà «shin gishi. Hokà  summarized that there might have been 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 Akà  vendetta did not adhere to this legalized system. Thus, they had to look to Confucian texts to justify their vendetta. Chà «shin gishi 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 rà Ânin.
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 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 chà «shin gishi.
The puppet play based on these events was entitled Kanadehon Chà «shingura and written by Takeda Izumo II (1691âÂÂ1756), Miyoshi Shà Âraku (c. 1696 â 1772) and Namiki Senryà « (1695 â c. 1751). It was first performed in August 1748 at the Takemoto-za theater in the Dà Âtonbori 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 rà Ânin matches the number of kana, and the play portrayed the rà Ânin as each prominently displaying one kana to identify him. The forty-seven rà Ânin were 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 is a popular time for performances of Chà «shingura. Because the break-in occurred in December (according to the old calendar), the story is often retold in that month.
The history of Chà «shingura on film began in 1907, when one act of a kabuki play was released. The first original production followed in 1908. Onoe Matsunosuke played à Âishi in this ground-breaking work. The story was adapted for film again in 1928. This version, Jitsuroku Chà «shingura, was made by film-maker Shà Âzà  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 à Âkà Âchi Denjirà  in the role of à Âishi. Since then, three generations of leading men have starred in 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. à Âkà Âchi reprised the role in 1934. Other actors who have portrayed à Âishi in film include Bandà  Tsumasaburà  (1938), and Kawarasaki Chà Âjà «rà  IV (1941). In 1939, Kajirà  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 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 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, 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 à Âishi by Chiezà  Kataoka appeared; he took the part again in 1959 and 1961. Matsumoto Kà Âshirà  VIII (later Hakuà Â), Ichikawa Utaemon, Ichikawa Ennosuke II, Kinnosuke Yorozuya, Ken Takakura and Masahiko Tsugawa are among the most noteworthy actors to portray à Âishi.
The story was told again in the 1962 Toho production by the acclaimed director Hiroshi Inagaki titled . The actor Matsumoto Kà Âshirà  starred as Chamberlain à Âishi Kuranosuke and Toshiro Mifune also appeared in the film. The actress Setsuko Hara retired following her appearance as Riku, wife of à Âishi.
Other film versions include the 1978 adventure drama directed by Kinji Fukasaku and called The Fall of Ako Castle, or the 1985 ' directed by Masuda Toshio and the 2010 Chà «shingura (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 is aided by a shape-shifting witch, and co-stars many prominent Japanese actors including Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, KÃ Â 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 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 Akà  Rà Âshi was followed by no fewer than 21 television productions of Chà «shingura. Toshirà  Mifune starred in the 1971 Daichà «shingura 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 Chà «shingura, starring Takeshi Kitano and Miho Nakayama, among others. Tà Âge no Gunzà Â, 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 the story starring Takuya Kimura as Horibe Yasubei (one of the Akà  rà Ânin) and Kà Âichi Satà  as à Âishi Kuranosuke, called Chà «shingura 1/47. In 2004, the nine-episode mini-series Chà «shingura directed by Saito Mitsumasa was broadcast. Kà Âtarà  Satomi, Matsumoto Kà Âshirà  IX, Beat Takeshi, Tatsuya Nakadai, Hiroki Matsukata, Kin'ya Kitaà Âji, Akira Emoto, Akira Nakao, Nakamura Kanzaburà  XVIII, Ken Matsudaira, and Shinichi Tsutsumi are among the many stars to play à Âishi. Hisaya Morishige, Naoto Takenaka, and others have portrayed Kira. Izumi Inamori starred as Aguri (Yà Âzeiin), the central character in the ten-hour 2007 special Chà «shingura Yà Âzeiin no Inbà Â.
The 1927 novel by Jirà  Osaragi was the basis for the 1964 Taiga drama Akà  Rà Âshi. Eiji Yoshikawa, Seiichi Funahashi, Futaro Yamada, Kà Âhei Tsuka, and Shà Âichirà  Ikemiya have also published novels on 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 Chà «shingura, 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 Akà  incident starts, and thus not interfering with it.
The ballet choreographer Maurice Béjart created 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 by Shigeaki Saegusa titled Chà «shingura 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) is a retelling of the Chà «shingura 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 titled 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 the original story, was written by Sean Michael Wilson and illustrated by Japanese artist Akiko Shimojima as ' (2013).
A limited comic book series based on the story titled 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, was released by Dark Horse Comics in 2013.
The Tokaido Road (1991) by Lucia St. Clair Robson is a 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.