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. It 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.