47 Ronin: An example of honor

Have you ever heard of the 47 Ronins? That story is portrayed as one of the greatest examples of honor and loyalty in Japanese culture. This is a group of samurai responsible for the protection of their lords and provinces.

It was not an easy mission for these warriors, they took Bushido (武士道) seriously, a kind of code for samurai. This manual was not written, but had a strong meaning of honor above all else. But how did those samurai become Ronins and end up becoming symbols of loyalty?

The real story behind the legend two 47 ronins

The story takes place in ancient feudal Japan between 1701 and 1703. Samurai were very important to empires in that period to ensure the safety of all.

But in the end what does Ronin (浪人) mean? That term refers to samurai without a lord. That is, not to possess the basic principle of Bushido they were like '' discounted samurai ''. Because they would not have a teacher they could not perform their previous functions.

The story gained momentum in the Meiji period, but to this day is widely discussed in Japan. Oihi Yoshio was the right arm and servant of Asano Takumi No KamiNaganori Asano Takumi No Kami Naganori (浅野長矩).

At that time the lords were ruled by shõgun (general). &Nbsp; The game of the time was Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, he chose the daimyo Asano to receive and welcome representatives of the Imperial family. Among them was Kira Kozukenosuke Yoshinaka who was responsible for issuing conduct orders.

As far as everything goes, Asano and Kira didn't get along well because Kira had a difficult genius, so she lived provoking herself. One day Asano could not stand the offense and ended up wounding the representative superficially with his sword.

What the daimyo did may not seem so serious, but trying to hurt a guest was against the law and to make matters worse the attitude was carried out inside the palace, which made it even more dishonorable. The penalty for this type of crime was hanging, but he had the chance to commit the seppuku. This form of suicidal ritual is given as a possibility in some cases to die with honor and regain the honor of his family.

47 ronins: an example of honor

What did the 47 ronin do?

When the news spread through the palace, the samurai were outraged by what had happened and decided to look for a way to get revenge on Kira. The samurai who became ronins after the death of their daimyõ were led by Oihi Yoshio. He who led everything in relation to the plan of revenge and still managed to convince another 46 to help him in that mission.

The ronins were very careful not to become free of suspicion, they did not resolve to attack at the same time. They waited almost two years to attack Kira. They were all aware that they would not escape death, but they would honor their master.

The plan was for them to take lives as ordinary citizens to confuse Kira's spies. The ronins hid battle instruments already thinking of the day that would avenge the death of their lord.

When they were convinced that the lord had lowered his guard in relation to care, they resolved to attack, almost two years later. On December 14, 1702, they invaded the Kira mansion in Edo. The ronins entered armed and split into two groups, one entering from behind and the other from the front.

As the neighbors around the palace did not like much of the lord it was not difficult for them to enter. When Kira perceived the presence of the ronins she did everything to escape and hide, but ended up being found outside the premises. The ronin who found him took him ahead of the others so they could see ‘justice being done’. He had the option of taking his own life as Master Asano, but as he did not react he had to be executed by a ronin in the same way as daimyõ and then his head was beheaded.

The head was guarded and taken to the tomb of Asano to symbolize the honor done by him through the ronins. The consequence was that on the fourth of February, 1703, they were to be killed, not as criminals, but as honor. The 47 ronin died by seppuku and buried together in Sengakuji.

47 ronins: an example of honor

The repercussion of the 47 Ronin today

The attitude of the ronins are examples for Japanese culture to the present day. Every year on the fourteenth of December their tombs are visited and honored.

In addition to being remembered in Japan, this story became known worldwide, as books, plays and films were written.

The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:

The movie 47 Ronins

There are a few movie versions that represent the bravery of these ronin, but currently the most recent is the movie 47 Ronin. The film is North American produced in 2013, under the direction of Carl Rinsch. Of course, like most feature films that portray some event, there were adaptations to draw more public attention.

47 ronins: an example of honor

In the film 47 ronin has tournaments with the right to fight and armor, the presence of mystical creatures and even a sorceress who transforms into a fox that represents a spy of Kira. Another thing that can not fail to draw even more public attention is the part of romance that occurs when Asano's daughter falls in love with a bastard who later enters the group of ronin.

Despite having those more dinners, the film is good and has managed to achieve the goal of portraying as closely as possible the history of the ronins. Clothes, weapons, hairstyles, venues, and ceremonies were very judicious.

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