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Other Versions of the Story
The
History:
This event took place during the
reign of
the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. It is known as Ako Jiken (the
Ako
Incident), Ako being the name of the town the men were from.
- Tale
of the 47 Ronin
- A full account of the Ako
Incident, from Kyuba
no Michi: The Way of the Horse and the Bow, a site with lots of
samurai
information.
- The
47 Ronin
- A short account from the Daily
Yomiuri Online
newspaper.
- The
Famous 47 Ronin of Ako
- Another version of the story.
- Chushingura
- A description of the Ako
Incident that deals
primarily with the aftermath of the attack.
- Swords
of the 47 Ronin
- Here you can find the names of
all the 47
ronin and a description of their weapons.
- Ako
High School Project
- A page in English by Japanese
high school
students with a retelling of the story, photos of Ako, and scenes from
the story.
The
Kabuki
Drama:
Just weeks after the 47 ronin
attacked Kira's
mansion, the events were being performed in kabuki and bunraku
(puppet) theaters.
The most famous of these plays
based on
the Ako Incident is Kanadehon Chushingura (The Treasury of
Loyal
Retainers), by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Since the Shogun's censors forbade
any depiction of contemporary events, the story was transported
hundreds
of years back in time to the Kamakura Period, and the names of the
characters
were changed.
- Chushingura:
Revenge of the 47 Samurai
- This essay was originally
published as a gallery
guide for an art exhibition. It has a brief recounting of the
historical
incident, followed by an act by act retelling of the kabuki play Kanadehon
Chushingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers).
- Kabuki
for Everyone
- All about kabuki, the plays,
the theater,
the music, the make-up. Go to Online Theater for a summary of Ichiriki
Teahouse, part of the Chushingura cycle.
Film
Versions:
 Chushingura
(The 47 Loyal Samurai) (1962)- Exciting color version, in
Japanese with English
subtitles. Very long (2 videos.) The classic one to see, with
Toshiro Mifune as a rogue
samurai who holds off the police while the forty-seven ronin attack.
- Genroku
chushingura (The 47 Ronin) (1941)
- Black & white film version
in Japanese
with English subtitles. This one is stately, impressive, but very
slow.
Books:
- Allyn, John. The 47
Ronin Story.
Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle, 1970.
- A fictional treatment of the
story of the
47 ronin. This version for English language readers sticks
closely
to what is known about the incident, while filling in the basic story
with
accurate details of samurai life.
- Haugaard, Erik Christian. The
Revenge of
the Forty-seven Samurai. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
- A novel for young adults about
the Ako Incident.
Jiro is a young servant in the Asano household who acts as a "fly on
the
wall" as he observes and reports on the ronin's plan for revenge.
- Sato, Hiroaki. Legends
of the Samurai.
Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 1995.
- The story of the 47 ronin is
one of the many
samurai accounts in this book. Sato quotes from eyewitness
accounts
and arguments made for and against the behavior of the ronin.
- Statler, Oliver. Japanese
Inn.
New York: Random House, 1961.
- Statler's classic book paints
a picture of
Japanese history and culture as seen from the vantage point of an inn
on
the Tokaido Road. One chapter deals with the story of the 47
ronin
in great detail.
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