Laura Joh Rowland - Sano Ichiro v15 The Ronin's Mistress.pdf

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To my husband, Marty.
After thirty years of marriage, you’ve earned another dedication.
Historical Note
I AM FASCINAT ED
by the true story of the forty-seven
rōnin,
which is one of the most famous, beloved tales in Japanese history. A
difficulty in understanding it is that although there are many sources of
information on it, few historical details have been established beyond
doubt. Much information about the forty-seven rōnin’s vendetta is based
on speculation by historians during the course of more than three hundred
years. The many fictionalized accounts further obscure the truth. Details
that appear in books, plays, and movies have been repeated so often that
they pass for facts even when they are not indeed facts. Setting the
record straight is probably impossible, and I won’t try. Here I will lay out
the facts that are known and explain what in this novel is a product of my
imagination.
In 1701, Lord Asano of Harima Province was the host for visiting
envoys from the Emperor’s court. Kira Yoshinaka, the master of
ceremonies at Edo Castle, was responsible for instructing Lord Asano in
the necessary etiquette. On April 21, 1701, Lord Asano drew his sword
on Kira, mentioned that he had a grievance against him, attacked him, and
wounded him. The only witness to the attack was Kajikawa Yosobei, a
keeper of the castle. Drawing a sword inside Edo Castle was a capital
offense, and Lord Asano was forced to commit ritual suicide that same
day. His retainers became
rōnin,
masterless samurai. The house of
Asano was dissolved. Kira claimed that Lord Asano had attacked him for
no reason. Kira wasn’t punished for his part in the fiasco, and the
government ruled that no action should be taken against him. On February
1, 1703, after some secret conspiring, forty-seven of the
rōnin
sought
revenge on Kira, whom they blamed for Lord Asano’s death. They
invaded Kira’s house, fought the guards, killed Kira by decapitating him,
then carried his severed head to Sengaku Temple and laid it at Lord
Asano’s grave. There they awaited orders. A big controversy developed:
What should be done with the forty-seven
rōnin,
who had fulfilled their
duty to their master by avenging his death but broken the law? A supreme
court was created to decide.
Those are the bare bones of the story. Intriguing questions remain. Why
did Lord Asano attack Kira? If there was a quarrel, what was it about?
Why did the forty-seven
rōnin
wait almost two years to avenge Lord
Asano? What orders were they expecting?
Many writers have posed answers to these questions.
The Rōnin’s

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