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Fuwa Kazuemon was born 1670 and died by [[seppuku]] in February 1703. His history is unique among the 47 Ako ronin who avenged the death of their lord, [[Asano Naganori|Asano Takumi no kami Naganori]].  Unlike the others, Fuwa had been banished from the clan, having lived as a [[ronin]] for several years before the Ako clan was disbanded.  

Fuwa Kazuemon was born 1670 and died by [[seppuku]] on 1703/2/4 (March 20, 1703). His history is unique among the 47 Ako ronin who avenged the death of their lord, [[Asano Naganori|Asano Takumi no kami Naganori]].  Unlike the others, Fuwa had been banished from the clan, having lived as a [[ronin]] for several years before the Ako clan was disbanded.  

Fuwa Kazuemon was the son of [[Okano Jidayu]] and was adopted into the [[Fuwa clan|Fuwa]] family, retainers of the [[Asano clan]] in the Ako domain.  No evidence was found that he married or produced children. He was dismissed from the Asano clan by Lord Asano Naganori in [[1697]] and thus became a ronin at age 27.  As for the reasons for Fuwa's dismissal, they are unclear.  The most common speculations given out by sources are that Fuwa desired to test a new sword. So he went to one of the graveyards and dug up a freshly-buried corpse and cut it to pieces.  Asano Naganori dismissed him because this action was an offense to the living relatives of the person whose body had been buried and then mutilated.   

Fuwa Kazuemon was the son of [[Okano Jidayu]] and was adopted into the [[Fuwa clan|Fuwa]] family, retainers of the [[Asano clan]] in the Ako domain.  No evidence was found that he married or produced children. He was dismissed from the Asano clan by Lord Asano Naganori in [[1697]] and thus became a ronin at age 27.  As for the reasons for Fuwa's dismissal, they are unclear.  The most common speculations given out by sources are that Fuwa desired to test a new sword. So he went to one of the graveyards and dug up a freshly-buried corpse and cut it to pieces.  Asano Naganori dismissed him because this action was an offense to the living relatives of the person whose body had been buried and then mutilated.   

Fuwa Kazuemon, along with his compatriots, turned himself in to the bakufu authorities. There was some discussion after the attack about whether the ronin should surrender voluntarily to the bakufu authorities or, as some advocated, should commit seppuku on the spot at Sengakuji Temple. Fuwa Kazuemon was on the side of his leader, Oishi Kuranosuke, who thought that surrender to the authorities would be best. He wrote a letter to his father where he had urged this surrender.  Some scholars have argued that the decision to surrender to the bakufu authorities was a sign that the Ako ronin were convinced that this would lead to a pardon rather than death.  However, most evidence suggests that the Ako ronin never expected anything other than their own deaths in any event.

Fuwa Kazuemon, along with his compatriots, turned himself in to the bakufu authorities. There was some discussion after the attack about whether the ronin should surrender voluntarily to the bakufu authorities or, as some advocated, should commit seppuku on the spot at Sengakuji Temple. Fuwa Kazuemon was on the side of his leader, Oishi Kuranosuke, who thought that surrender to the authorities would be best. He wrote a letter to his father where he had urged this surrender.  Some scholars have argued that the decision to surrender to the bakufu authorities was a sign that the Ako ronin were convinced that this would lead to a pardon rather than death.  However, most evidence suggests that the Ako ronin never expected anything other than their own deaths in any event.

Fuwa Kazuemon died by seppuku in February, 1703.  He was buried at Sengakuji Temple along with his compatriots and Lord Asano Naganori.  

Fuwa Kazuemon died by seppuku in the second month of 1703.  He was buried at Sengakuji Temple along with his compatriots and Lord Asano Naganori.  

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.