Forty-seven Ronin

The revenge of the forty-seven rōnin (四十七士, Yon-jū-shichi-shi^?, forty-seven samurai), also known as the Akō incident (赤穂事件, Akō jiken^?) or Akō vendetta, is an 18th-century historical event and a legend in Japan in which a band of rōnin (leaderless samurai) avenged the death of their master. A noted Japanese scholar described the tale as the best known example of the samurai code of honor, and as the country's "national legend".

The story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (becoming rōnin) after their daimyō (feudal lord) Asano Naganori was compelled to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka, whose title was Kōzuke no suke. The rōnin avenged their master's honor by killing Kira, after waiting and planning for a year. In turn, they were themselves obliged to commit seppuku for committing the crime of murder. This true story was popularized in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honor that people should preserve in their daily lives. The popularity of the tale grew during the Meiji era, in which Japan underwent rapid modernization, and the legend became entrenched within discourses of national heritage and identity.

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