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Jump to navigationJump to searchan excellent argument, but where's the encyclopedic factual biography?
*''Japanese'': 吉良義央 (Kira Yoshinaka or Kira Yoshihisa)
*''Japanese'': 吉良義央 (Kira Yoshinaka or Kira Yoshihisa)
Yoshinaka was a [[Tokugawa clan|Tokugawa]] hatamoto with a stipend of 4,200 koku.
Yoshinaka was a [[Tokugawa clan|Tokugawa]] ''[[hatamoto]]'' with a stipend of 4,200 ''[[koku]]'', a shogunal official of the [[Edo period]]. He is famous for his part in the tale of the [[47 Ronin]], as the killer of their lord [[Asano Naganori]] and the target of the ronin's vengeance.
Traditionally, Kira Kosuke Yoshinaka has been heavily vilified by novels, plays, and prints to lend justification to [[Asano Naganori|Asano Naganori’s]] assault and also to give the [[47 Ronin]] a worthy villain against which to carry out their vendetta. But how much of this, if any, is based on historical fact? Kira’s contemporary, [[Sato Naotaka]], has pointed out that "while Asano’s conduct was justified (by some) on account of evil-doing that people attributed to Kira, it still left open the question of whether this view of Kira was indeed supported by fact".
Traditionally, Kira Kosuke Yoshinaka has been heavily vilified by novels, plays, and prints to lend justification to Asano Naganori’s assault and also to give the 47 Ronin a worthy villain against which to carry out their vendetta. But how much of this, if any, is based on historical fact? Kira’s contemporary, [[Sato Naotaka]], has pointed out that "while Asano’s conduct was justified (by some) on account of evil-doing that people attributed to Kira, it still left open the question of whether this view of Kira was indeed supported by fact".
The picture that arises from the historical record is that of a rather typical Edo period samurai/bureaucrat, little better or worse than his peers whose ‘big mistake’ was in being assigned the surly Asano as a student.
The picture that arises from the historical record is that of a rather typical Edo period samurai/bureaucrat, little better or worse than his peers whose ‘big mistake’ was in being assigned the surly Asano as a student.
