What is "Chushingura"?

"Chushingura" is one of the dramas of Kabuki. It isn't wrong to say that "Chushingura" is the best of Kabuki dramas.

This drama was written based to the real incident in 1701.

Asano Takuminokami who was a lord of Ako tried to slash to Kira Kouzukenosuke in the Edo Castle.

Kouzukenosuke didn't die then, but Takuminokami had to do the ritual suicide, hara-kiri.

If a lord drew a sword even a little bit in the Edo Castle, regardless of his motive, he should do the ritual suicide.

His retainers became lord-less retainers. Some of them made a raid on the mansion of Kouzukenosuke to kill him for the revenge of their lord.

It was called "Uchiiri" and they have been known as "the forty seven loyal retainers".

"Chushingura" is finished, when the loyal retainers achieved the revenge. But Tokugawa shogunate government ordered them to do the ritual suicide. At the result, they all were killed.

I think lord-less retainers had no method to live except thinking how to die.

After the incident, it was made into many stage plays, movies and TV-dramas. Maurice Begirt choreographed "Chushingura" for a ballet which title is "The Kabuki". So we can watch "Uchiiri" at every Opera House in the world now.

In the drama "Chushingura", all of characters have different names.

I have read an English reference book about Japanese culture, and it was written that "all of names of characters have been changed out of consideration for the authorities". But it has a different nuance.

Tokugawa shogunate government forbade to perform any real incident. Thus Kabuki drama writers had to change their characters names.

So Takuminokami is Enya Hangan, Kouzukenosuke is Kono Morono in the drama.

"Yotsuya Kaidan" is one of the episodes of "Chushingura".

Yotsuya Samon, Yomoshichi, Shozaburo, and Iemon were lord-less retainers of Enya. Naosuke wasn't a retainer, but he belonged to them because he served to Shozaburo's family.

All of them were killed except Yomoshichi. But all audiences at the theater know that Yomoshichi would die sooner or later.

Because he would do Uchiiri.