The manga assassination classroom plays off this story, with many of the junior high trainee assassins named after members of the 47 ronin, their principal named asano, and their target korosensei inspired by kiras name. Oct 04, 20 the 47 ronin is a famous story from the history of feudal japan. Produced over a twoyear period, kenji mizoguchis version of the oftfilmed seika mayama story the 47 ronin was too big to be confined to a single film. Oishi and his men took menial jobs and adopted factitious characters of. It is a historical piece set in ancient feudal japan where the hero kai played by keanu reeves is thrust into the world of the samurai and. It has a slower beginning but it helps give characters depth. In response, lord asano attacks kira, wounding him but violating the law of not attacking another in the shoguns keep. While there are other depictions of the story in manga form, this version stands out as being the most accurate and most compelling. It is not a huge budget movie, it doesnt have a perfect script or story overall, but the. It is hugely popular, and the number of retellings in plays, prose, film and television must number in the hundreds. Its an intricate and extremely wellwritten story about a group of men who became exsamurais when their master was executed for drawing his sword in the court of the shogun. The 47 ronin story is a book about honor, revenge and redemption. Lord asano of ako is portrayed as an honorable man who is trying to live the laws set forth by the shogun tsunayoshi. Ichikawa kon s shijushichinin no shikaku 1994, which cast japanese film legend ken takakura in the role of oishi.
In the 47 ronin, sean michael wilson has created a historically factual portrait, enhanced by evocative and often lyrical drawings by akiko shimojima. Under him were a number of regional lords, the daimyo, each of whom employed a contingent of samurai warriors. We also see some fantasy violence, such as witchcraft and monsters. Among the bestknown episodes in japanese history, the tale of the 47 ronin and their yearslong mission to avenge their disgraced master epitomizes the samurai code of honor. Social studies 47ronin questions 128 japanese history learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. In the film, keanu reeves portrays kai, a halfbritish halfjapanese outcast who is called upon by oishi, the leader of the 47. It is also one that offers a great insight into the japanese character, during the. The treasury of loyal retainers, which was written in 1748 for puppet theater based on the historical event. The tale of the 47 ronin this following is an introduction to the tale of the 47 ronin. You may also wish students to read or dramatize the play chushingura. On this day, many many people flock to the sengakuji temple to offer and burn incense before the tombs of the 47. The leaderless samurai must work in secret waiting for their revenge. Lord kira had, nearly two years earlier, goaded their young lord asano into misbehavior for which.
Penny rose the 20 film 47 ronin is a modern chushingura or a depiction of the historical characters of the 47 samurai who planned to avenge the death of their master and were sentenced to perform harakiri for taking revenge. Thus norinaga 1,2 refers to the first kanji for nori and the second kanji for naga. In the tale, the lord asano is visiting the shoguns court and is affronted by kira, the shoguns master of ceremonies. Honorific individualism and the making of modern japan, cambridge. Parents need to know that 47 ronin is based on a famous japanese story about an event that took place in the 18th century and though the violence is largely bloodless, there are swordfights with mixed martial arts and two beheadings. The sad thing about 47 ronin is that theres a base for a seemingly amazing movie. This minidocumentary is edited and narrated by japanquickies. The film took after the story wherein lord asano drew out his sword on the master of ceremonies, kira, but with a bold twist, for.
Its a fitting conclusion for a bigbudget adaptation that has left universal deeply in the. Unbelievably, its one of those rare films which gets its worldwide release here in japan whilst the uk and usa have to wait till christmas time for its release. Cinematic treatments included director mizoguchi kenji s genroku chushingura 1941. A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun. Dec 30, 20 47 ronin, an old japanese fable about a group of rogue samurai, ends in a horrible bloodbath. From ancient japans most enduring tale, the epic 3d fantasyadventure 47 ronin is born. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The tale of the 47 ronin is one of the most famous in japanese history, and it is a true story. The story of the 47 ronin is a japanese national legend, one that has. The film is a fictionalized account of the true fortyseven ronin tale but will feature fantastical elements including sorcery and witches. Yoshitoshi, 47 ronin series 1860 discover the tales of chushingura, the 47 ronins. In fact his realisation of the story, w hich was based on a kabuki play by seika mayama, was so lengthy, it was actually released as two separate twohour films, the 47 ronin, part i genroku chushingura 1, 1941 and the 47 ronin, part ii genroku chushingura 2, 1942. Wilson and shimojima have made the characters nuanced and.
An 18th century set story centered on a band of samurai who set out to avenge the death of their master. Oct 28, 2019 in the 47 ronin in debt, yoshihiro nakamuras samurai satire on the high cost of waging warfare, the noble history of feudal japan is retold through the lens of economic necessity. But the 47 ronin refers to a story known throughout japan. The story of the 47 ronin is one of the most beloved in japanese history, and for anyone with even a passing interest in it, this is a mustread. In a shocking clash between the warriors and the merchant class of seventeenth century japan, there emerged the most unlikely set of heroes. Despite the fact that oishis men outnumbered kiras sleeping guards by a ratio that is commonly put at 47 to 5 and by some accounts, 47 to 3, they still felt the need and justification to kill unarmed civilians. The 47 ronin is a famous story from the history of feudal japan. Very loosely outcast from society and enslaved due to being halfjapanese, halfbritish, a man named kai keanu reeves encounters the eponymous ronin, led by oishi hiroyuki sanada. Akos fortyseven samurai web site produced by students at ako high school. Theres a solid story and characters that we should connect with.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of 47 ronin by mike richardson. A story of 47 masterless samurai who carried out revenge on their lords tormentor. The 47 ronin story is a story of honor and determination. This was perhaps all the more so because it occurred at a time when the samurai class was struggling to maintain a sense of itself warriors with no war, a social class without a function. Outcast from society and enslaved due to being halfjapanese, halfbritish, a man named kai keanu reeves encounters the eponymous ronin, led by oishi hiroyuki sanada. Richardson is the founder of dark horse comics est. The story of the 47 ronin is one of the most celebrated in the history of the samurai. Keanu reeves leads the cast as kai, an outcast who joins oishi hiroyuki sanada, the leader of 47 outcast.
Nov 04, 20 but the 47 ronin refers to a story known throughout japan. Keanu reeves in 47 ronin 20 hiroyuki sanada in 47 ronin 20 rinko kikuchi in 47. The story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless after their. The creature design in 47 ronin was just mindblowingly good.
The earliest sign was perhaps akutagawa ryunosukes short story one day in the life of oishi kuranosuke aru hi no oishi kuranosuke, chuo koron, oct. During the tokugawa era in japan, the country was ruled by the shogun, or highest military official, in the name of the emperor. The true story of the vendetta of the 47 ronin from ako. A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the. The story of the fortyseven ronin the name given to a samurai bereft of a master.
Variety reported that the film will tell a stylized version of the story, mixing fantasy elements of the sort seen. Mike richardsons 47 ronin is a graphic novel depicting historical events from eighteenthcentury japan with illustrations by stan sakai. In his hand is a scroll with the list of the 47 ronin. Scripted by chris morgan and hossein amini from a story by morgan and walter hamada, the film is a work of chushingura the treasury of loyal retainers serving as a fictionalized account of the fortyseven ronin, a reallife group of masterless samurai under daimyo asano naganori in 18thcentury japan who avenged. The 47 ronin lead by oishi successfully avenged their masters grudge against kira kozuke no suke on the 14th of december in genroku 15 1702. They, of course, are samurai out to get revenge for the death of their master. In the 47 ronin in debt, yoshihiro nakamuras samurai satire on the high cost of waging warfare, the noble history of feudal japan is retold through the lens of economic necessity. Spectacular goofiness should be expected of 47 ronin, an american film loosely based on the true story of 47 reallife masterless samurai who avenged their disgraced masters death. The 20 film 47 ronin is a modern chushingura or a depiction of the historical characters of the 47 samurai who planned to avenge the death of their master and were sentenced to perform harakiri for taking revenge. This action movie runs with purpose from one fight scene to another but takes a pause to develop the characters and let the audience relate to their inner emotions. I have read several englishlanguage books on the 47 ronin over the past 20 years, but i consider this one to be the definitive telling of the tale. With a big hollywood actor now starring in the forthcoming 47 ronin movie the story of these 47 loyal samurai will be taken to an allnew and much bigger audience. To be ronin is to be banished from every city, to be despised by japanese society, to know humiliation without end.
For those looking for the real story behind the fictionalized movie account of the 47 ronin story, this is the definitive, fascinating account of this unforgettable tale of a band of samurai who defied the emperor to avenge the disgrace and death of their master, and faced certain death as a result. Even the minor characters of both stories share similar names. Japans timeless tale of honor and revenge, the loyal 47 ronin is the true story of group of samurai who became ronin masterless samurai after their lord was forced to commit seppuku ritual suicide for assaulting a court official, kira yoshinaka, who had insulted him. Mike richardsons 47 ronin is a graphic novel depicting historical events from eighteenth. The tale of the 47 ronin is a somewhat true story of revenge and loyalty. Lord asano and his wife, along with the 47 ronin, are buried at the sengakuji temple in the takanawa neighborhood. The fortyseventh ronin and the chushingura imagination by henry d. From the beginning of the story, the concept of honor and redemption is apparent. When you first enter temple area, on the right is a bronze statue of oishi kuranosuke leader of the raid. Of asanos over 300 men, 47, especially their leader oishi, refused to allow. With kazuo hasegawa, shintaro katsu, koji tsuruta, raizo ichikawa. And both films were devastating failures at the box office. Ronin is a 20 american 3d fantasy action film directed by carl rinsch. The story of the chushingura literally, the loyal league, better known in the.
The 47 ronin story by john allyn is a japanese story about lord asano of ako and what is known as one of the bloodiest campaigns in japanese feudal history. A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a. The 47 ronin, or masterless samurai, avenged their lords death and became some of the most famous japanese samurai in history. The sequence of events and the characters in this narrative were presented. With keanu reeves, hiroyuki sanada, ko shibasaki, tadanobu asano. The revenge of the fortyseven ronin also known as the ako incident.