The 47 Rōnin: From Akō to Sengaku-ji

On 21 April 1701, in the Great Pine Corridor of Edo Castle, Asano Takumi-no-kami drew his short sword on Kira Kōzuke-no-suke. His first strike wounded Kira in the face; the second missed and hit a pillar. Drawing any blade was completely forbidden inside the castle. Asano died by seppuku in the garden of the Tamura residence, and his retainers quietly buried him at Sengaku-ji. The Fujimi-tamon defence house stands about 120–130 metres north of the corridor's site.

Location precision: The corridor lay inside the castle's Honmaru; the pin marks the castle, not the exact spot.

Ōishi Kuranosuke, the domain's chief retainer, decided on the 12th day of the fourth month (old calendar) to give up Akō Castle, and it was handed over on the 18th. He shared the domain's remaining assets among the retainers and begged the shogunate's envoys to let Asano Daigaku restore the house. The Asano lost the castle for good. Part of it has been rebuilt: a yagura and moats in 1935, more moats in 1953. Inside the ruins stands Oishi Shrine, dedicated to the forty-seven.

Visitor guidance: Oishi Shrine stands in the castle ruins.

In the sixth month of 1701 (old calendar) Ōishi joined his family in seclusion at Yamashina, near Kyoto. By then 93 men had pledged themselves to him in writing. A council there, from the 15th day of the second month of 1702, concluded that they should wait. Ōishi lived dissolutely to throw off suspicion, and when the time came he slipped away from Kyoto and shook off the spies watching him. The exact house is not located; the pin marks the area around Ōishi Shrine in Yamashina.

Location precision: The sources name Yamashina but no street; the pin is a search result for Ōishi Shrine there.

About six months after the attack, the shogunate moved Kira to this plot in Honjo; the estate covered about 8,400 square metres. On 31 January 1703 the rōnin stormed it. They killed 16 of Kira's men and wounded 22. Ōishi found Kira's bed still warm, so he could not be far. Today a small public park of about 98 square metres keeps the site, with a restored namako-wall and black gate evoking the mansion.

Location precision: The park is only a fragment of the original estate, so the pin marks the area.

Visitor guidance: The park keeps the restored wall and gate.

After the raid the rōnin carried Kira's head about ten kilometres across the city to Sengaku-ji, causing a great stir. They tried to rest at Ekō-in on the way, but the temple turned them away for fear of trouble. Around then one of the forty-seven, Terasaka Kichiemon, left the group. One account says he was sent to Akō to report that the revenge was done; why he went has been called a mystery ever since.

At Sengaku-ji, the Asano clan's Edo family temple, the remaining 46 washed Kira's head in a well and laid it with the dagger before Asano's tomb. They gave the abbot all their remaining money to bury them and pray for them, then surrendered. The group was split among four daimyō for custody. The temple still keeps the original receipt for the head.

Visitor guidance: Sengaku-ji is a minute's walk from Sengakuji Station, exit A2.

The 46 were ordered to commit seppuku and did so on 20 March 1703; the youngest, Ōishi Chikara, was only 15 at the raid. They were buried in front of their master's tomb. Terasaka was pardoned and was later buried with them. There are 48 graves, as Kayano Shigezane's is included. The legend is a different thing: the 1748 puppet play Kanadehon Chūshingura moves events to the 14th century with disguised names, and adds plot twists that do not reflect the real story.

Visitor guidance: Graves are in the temple grounds; Sengakuji Station is a minute's walk.