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FURTHER NOTES ON THE AKO RONIN: The life of Fuwa Kazuemon raises questions about the character of the daimyo Asano Naganori and the motives, characters, and actions of the forty-seven ex-retainers who planned and executed the successful attack upon the hatamoto official, Kira Kosuke-no-Suke Yoshinaka. A revisionist view has been written by some recent scholars, stating essentially that the attack upon Kira was not justified because of the bad character of Lord Asano and the failures of his retainers to rein him in and properly educate him. This assessment of Lord Asano’s character and mode of governance was derived mainly from the Dokai Koshuki, a report prepared by agents of Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi that concerned the lives and behavior of daimyo in Japan.  In this report, Asano Naganori was portrayed as a daimyo who, though he had strict and consistant rules for his fief, spent time gathering women for his own pleasure, that he would give promotions to retainers based upon the beauty of the women that his retainers allegedly procured for him.  The report also said that he was “only concerned with his personal amusement” and left the government of his domain in the hands of those who served him.  The report went on to state that Asano Naganori lacked both military and literary skills.  The report states furthermore that chief retainer Oishi Kuranosuke had failed in his duties in keeping Lord Asano more in line with proper decorum and behavior.  

FURTHER NOTES ON THE AKO RONIN: The life of Fuwa Kazuemon raises questions about the character of the daimyo Asano Naganori and the motives, characters, and actions of the forty-seven ex-retainers who planned and executed the successful attack upon the hatamoto official, Kira Kosuke-no-Suke Yoshinaka. A revisionist view has been written by some recent scholars, stating essentially that the attack upon Kira was not justified because of the bad character of Lord Asano and the failures of his retainers to rein him in and properly educate him. This assessment of Lord Asano’s character and mode of governance was derived mainly from the Dokai Koshuki, a report prepared by agents of Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi that concerned the lives and behavior of daimyo in Japan.  In this report, Asano Naganori was portrayed as a daimyo who, though he had strict and consistant rules for his fief, spent time gathering women for his own pleasure, that he would give promotions to retainers based upon the beauty of the women that his retainers allegedly procured for him.  The report also said that he was “only concerned with his personal amusement” and left the government of his domain in the hands of those who served him.  The report went on to state that Asano Naganori lacked both military and literary skills.  The report states furthermore that chief retainer Oishi Kuranosuke had failed in his duties in keeping Lord Asano more in line with proper decorum and behavior.  

So is the Dokai Koshuki an accurate report?  Can the assertions stated therein be unconditionally accepted as fact without critical review?  If so, then an implication can be made that people, not only in Japan but around the world, have been celebrating an incompetent and selfish daimyo and a band of murderous ronin; these outlaw ronin attacked a hatamoto official whose only dereliction may have consisted of attempting to perform his normal duties toward an unwieldy and uncooperative daimyo. However, evidence does exist about Kira Yoshinaka’s propensity for greed and unduly desiring “gifts” i.e. bribes.  Kira Yoshinaka’s desire for such gifts, and his alleged mistreatment of Asano Naganori for failure to produce sufficient bribes are usually given as the motive for Asano’s original attack on him within the Shogun’s palace; in reality, the motive can only be speculated as there are no eyewitness accounts of the dispute that caused Asano to act as he did toward Kira.  Some have claimed that Kira Yoshinaka has been unduly smeared by the historians, playwrights, and film-makers who have tried to build motives for the Ako ronin’s attack upon him.   

So is the Dokai Koshuki an accurate report?  Can the assertions stated therein be unconditionally accepted as fact without critical review?  If so, then an implication can be made that people, not only in Japan but around the world, have been celebrating an incompetent and selfish daimyo and a band of murderous ronin; these outlaw ronin attacked a hatamoto official whose only dereliction may have consisted of attempting to perform his normal duties toward an unwieldy and uncooperative daimyo.  

 

Evidence does exist about Kira Yoshinaka’s propensity for greed and unduly desiring “gifts” i.e. bribes.  Two Confucian scholars who were contemporary to the time left observations about Kira Yoshinaka and his arrogance and propensity for greed. One of these scholars, Sato Naokata Naokata (1650 - 1719), was a critic of Asano Naganori and his former retainers. Thus there are no motives for Naokata to unfairly impugn Kira's character. However, he characterizes Kira as "born to be greedy, and he was detested by everyone for his arrogance, conceit, and evil mind" The other scholar, Asami Yasusade (1562 - 1711), states that Kira "appears not to have cared, because of his personal greed and willfulness, whether or not [Asano] Takuminokami committed clumsy errors, and made him disgrace himself in front of people in the Palace of Splendor." 

 

Kira Yoshinaka’s desire for such gifts, and his alleged mistreatment of Asano Naganori for failure to produce sufficient bribes are usually given as the motive for Asano’s original attack on him within the Shogun’s palace; in reality, the motive can only be speculated as there are no eyewitness accounts of the dispute that caused Asano to act as he did toward Kira.  Some have claimed that Kira Yoshinaka has been unduly smeared by the historians, playwrights, and film-makers who have tried to build motives for the Ako ronin’s attack upon him.   

Some have claimed the Dokai Koshuki as an unbiased source. But is it truly unbiased?  One must critically examine the agendas of a government that would issue such a report – could there possibly be motives in unduly criticizing some of the various daimyo that may have been viewed as dangerous to the centralized bakufu authorities?  There is an incongruity here, with the actions that have been recently claimed to be so unjustified being celebrated as heroic deeds for over 250 years.  Has the majority of an entire nation been taken in by a series of propagandistic hoaxes?  

Some have claimed the Dokai Koshuki as an unbiased source. But is it truly unbiased?  One must critically examine the agendas of a government that would issue such a report – could there possibly be motives in unduly criticizing some of the various daimyo that may have been viewed as dangerous to the centralized bakufu authorities?  There is an incongruity here, with the actions that have been recently claimed to be so unjustified being celebrated as heroic deeds for over 250 years.  Has the majority of an entire nation been taken in by a series of propagandistic hoaxes?  

==References==

==References==

* Bodart-Baily, Beatrice, The Dog Shogun: The Personality And Policies of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi:  (University of Hawaii Press, May 2007). This book contains a chapter on the 47 Ako ronin and their former lord.  The author expounds the revisionist view of the issues surrounding the Ako ronin’s attack, mainly citing the Dokai Koshuki to support this view.   

* Bodart-Baily, Beatrice, The Dog Shogun: The Personality And Policies of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi:  (University of Hawaii Press, May 2007). This book contains a chapter on the 47 Ako ronin and their former lord.  The author expounds the revisionist view of the issues surrounding the Ako ronin’s attack, mainly citing the Dokai Koshuki to support this view.   

* Hall, John Carey, translator: Buke Shohatto 1683 (The Tokugawa Legislation, Yokohama 1910, PP. 286-319) URL: http://www.uni-erfurt.de/ostasiatische_geschichte/texte/japan/dokumente/17/tokugawa_legislation/index_files/buke_shohatto_1683.html  This is the text of the laws in effect at the time of Fuwa Kazuemon’s life that mainly concern the conduct and behavior of those in the Buke class.  

* Hall, John Carey, translator: Buke Shohatto 1683 (The Tokugawa Legislation, Yokohama 1910, PP. 286-319) URL: http://www.uni-erfurt.de/ostasiatische_geschichte/texte/japan/dokumente/17/tokugawa_legislation/index_files/buke_shohatto_1683.html  This is the text of the laws in effect at the time of Fuwa Kazuemon’s life that mainly concern the conduct and behavior of those in the Buke class.  

* Murdoch, James: A History of Japan: (Routledge, December 16, 1996). This 3-volume set was first published in 1926. I read the chapter on the 47 ronin at an online site which no longer exists at the particular URL address. Murdoch mainly cited Shigeno Yasutsugu, whom Professor Henry Smith (cited below in the bibliography) describes as “the first Japanese historian to analyze the incident using the tools of modern scholarship.”  Included in this account are summaries of Kira Yoshinaka’s alleged greed, including a report of an incident a different daimyo occuring 4 years previous to Asano Naganori’s attack.  This daimyo, Kamei, who ruled over Tsuwano in Iwami, had been insulted by Kira for failure to provide sufficient “gifts.”     

* Murdoch, James: A History of Japan: (Routledge, December 16, 1996). This 3-volume set was first published in 1926. I read the chapter on the 47 ronin at an online site which no longer exists at the particular URL address. Murdoch mainly cited Shigeno Yasutsugu, whom Professor Henry Smith (cited below in the bibliography) describes as “the first Japanese historian to analyze the incident using the tools of modern scholarship.”  Included in this account are summaries of Kira Yoshinaka’s alleged greed, including a report of an incident a different daimyo occuring 4 years previous to Asano Naganori’s attack.  This daimyo, Kamei, who ruled over Tsuwano in Iwami, had been insulted by Kira for failure to provide sufficient "gifts."

* Sansom, George, History of Japan: 1615-1867 (Stanford University Press June, 1963).  This is a text of the general history of Japan during the Tokugawa period.  There is a bare mention of the Ako ronin events. However, the author does mention the tozama status of the Asano family of Ako.  There is also a general summary of how ronin fared during this time.

* Sansom, George, History of Japan: 1615-1867 (Stanford University Press June, 1963).  This is a text of the general history of Japan during the Tokugawa period.  There is a bare mention of the Ako ronin events. However, the author does mention the tozama status of the Asano family of Ako.  There is also a general summary of how ronin fared during this time.

* Smith Henry D., Columbia University, New York, NY, U.S.A:  "Rethinking The Story Of The 47 Ronin: Chûshingura In The 1980s":  (Prepared for the Modern Japan Seminar, Columbia University, April 13, 1990).  Critical article that studies the events and legends of the 47 Ronin incident.  Includes summary of revisionist theories.  URL:   

* Smith Henry D., Columbia University, New York, NY, U.S.A:  "Rethinking The Story Of The 47 Ronin: Chûshingura In The 1980s":  (Prepared for the Modern Japan Seminar, Columbia University, April 13, 1990).  Critical article that studies the events and legends of the 47 Ronin incident.  Includes summary of revisionist theories.  URL: