The 47 Rōnin: the true story behind the famous Japanese tale of revenge

In the west, it is perhaps most recently associated – with plenty of dramatic and fantastical embellishments – with the 2013 film, The 47 Rōnin, starring Keanu Reeves. But that is only one telling of the rich and complicated story that now has a history of its own.

What is the story of the 47 Rōnin, and how did they become masterless?

In 1701, one of the lords of feudal Japan, Asano of the domain of Akō (full name, Asano Naganori), attacked a high official of the ruling shogunate, named Kira – or Kira Yoshinaka – in a fit of anger at being disrespected.

For reasons not fully known, Kira and Asano’s relationship soured almost immediately upon their meeting. It might have been because Asano, not knowing the proper etiquette, failed to lavish Kira with suitable gifts like the other daimyo at Edo; or because Kira was a vainglorious man who looked down on what he deemed a boorish, rural lord.

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Tensions spilled over on 21 April, when Asano attacked Kira with a blade in the audience hall of Edo Castle, inflicting a minor wound to Kira’s head. It was forbidden to unsheathe a weapon in the palace, let alone draw blood, so that same day the shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, ordered Asano’s punishment: seppuku.

This ritual form of self-disembowelment required him to stab himself in the abdomen and draw the sword across his belly and then upward. A slow and painful death, seppuku was a way of keeping one’s honour over the shame of execution.

This left his lands to be confiscated and his samurai without a master, making them rōnin. Yet a band of these warriors – 47 of them – did not accept the downfall of their lord, taking an oath of vengeance against Kira and embarking on a years-long quest to kill him.

In a daring and well-planned assault, these 47 Rōnin besieged Kira’s mansion in January 1703 and fulfilled their oath. They then surrendered to the shogun and accepted their fate, following Asano into death by committing seppuku.

What was Japan like at the time of the 47 Rōnin?

Japan was in the Edo, or Tokugawa, period (1603–1868). Following decades of near-constant civil war, this was a time of stability and order imposed by the shogunate, a hereditary military dictatorship. The emperor had nothing more than a ceremonial role, while the shoguns of the Tokugawa dynasty held all the power from their seat at Edo (modern-day Tokyo).

Under the shogun were feudal lords, daimyo, and under them was the warrior class. Samurai served the daimyos, according to a moral code, called bushidō, but to lose their master and become rōnin was regarded as a disgrace and humiliation.

Who were the 47 Rōnin?

After Asano’s death, many of his samurai looked to abide by the code of bushidō and commit seppuku, following their master into death. Those who did not would be condemned to life as a rōnin.

A small band, however, believed that honour, loyalty and justice dictated that they must complete Asano’s task and kill Kira; as long as their master’s enemy lived, they would be in disgrace.

These 47 men were led by Asano’s head chamberlain, Ōishi Yoshio.

How did the 47 Rōnin take revenge?

The 47 Rōnin took revenge on their deceased master by vowing to kill Kira. But this required planning, and Ōishi and the 46 other rōnin did not launch an immediate attack on Kira’s mansion, which was heavily guarded.

Instead, they chose to wait for the right moment to strike once Kira had been convinced that they no longer posed a threat.

To hoodwink his spies, they dispersed across the land and took menial jobs. Ōishi threw himself into the life of a vagrant, drinking and frequenting brothels. He even left his wife: anything to give the impression that he now lived a life of dishonour. All the while, the rōnin gathered information on Kira’s mansion in preparation of their assault.

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It would not be until late 1702, more than a year and a half after Asano’s death, that they were ready. On a snowy night, (traditionally dated to 14 December but thought to have been 30 January 1703), the beating of a drum signalled the beginning of the 47 Rōnin’s attack.

Storming the mansion on two fronts, with archers positioned on the roofs, they took Kira’s samurai by surprise, killing or wounding as many as 40 without losing any of the 47 Rōnin. They eventually discovered Kira, who had hidden, and when he refused to do the honourable thing and take his own life, one of the rōnin stepped forward and beheaded him.

The morning after the attack, the 47 Rōnin carried Kira’s head to the grave of Asano, at Sengakuji Temple, and gave themselves up to the authorities to be judged by the will of the shogun.

How were the 47 Rōnin punished?

There was no question that the 47 Rōnin had to be punished, but this was no simple matter of murder: by killing Kira, they had abided by the samurai code. What’s more, news of their deed had spread quickly, and many praised their unwavering loyalty and honour; a return of old samurai values that were seemingly fading as the Edo period progressed.

After weeks of deliberation, the rōnin were permitted the honourable death of seppuku. In the end, 46 men carried out the ritual suicide: one of the rōnin was spared (the most common reason for his survival was that he had been sent to Akō as a messenger, and therefore had earned his reprieve).

They were buried at a Sengakuji Temple, in front of their former master. The 47th man joined them after his death many years later.

Why is the tale of the 47 Rōnin famous?

Today, the graves of the 47 Rōnin have become a place of pilgrimage and a festival is held at the temple every 14 December to honour their memory.

The lionisation of their tale began straight away. Within weeks of their deaths, plays about the 47 Rōnin were being performed, and more followed over the years until there was an entire genre dedicated to them, called Chūshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers).

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The plays include traditional kabuki and bunraku (puppet) theatre – the most famous being an 11-act play from 1748, which remains, in adapted forms, hugely popular in Japan – as well as woodblock prints, novels, television shows, and films.

The deeds of the 47 Rōnin found fame worldwide, too, thanks in part to Tales of Old Japan, an anthology of stories compiled by a British diplomat, AB Mitford, and published in 1871. While the core of the story remains the same, its enduring resonance has inspired a variety of adaptations, perhaps most notably the Hollywood version starring Keanu Reeves.

How accurate is the 2013 film, 47 Rōnin?

Given that the 2013 Hollywood adaptation of 47 Rōnin features Keanu Reeves and a witch that can transform into animals, magical swords and mythical beasts, it should come as no surprise that it is far from the original tale.

In the film, Asano’s downfall is brought about by the witch tricking him into thinking Kira is attacking his daughter. This allows the evil Kira to take control of Akō. The Dutch trading post of Deshima, a human-made island in the harbour of Nagasaki, also makes an appearance, but resembles something out of the Pirates of the Caribbean more than history.

Most importantly, the film diverges from history in that there was no non-Japanese member of the 47 Rōnin, like Reeves’s character of Kai, a mixed-race outcast adopted by Asano.

That said, the idea of an English samurai does have historical roots, namely William Adams, the inspiration for the character of John Blackthorne in the Disney+ series, Shōgun.