The story of the 47 rōnin has been described as Japan’s national legend. It’s not surprising then that it has taken a vast number of forms, from plays to books to films. One scholar describes it as a kind of “cultural obsession.” The first point to note is that the incident has many names. It is often referred to Chūshingura (after the puppet play Kanadehon Chūshingura) but you might also see the episode described as the Akō vendetta, the Genroku incident, or the Akō incident.  

The incident quickly became famous, but it attained new levels of interest after the performance of the 1748 puppet play Kanadehon Chūshingura, which is usually translated as The Treasury of Loyal Retainers. This play took the key events of the historical episode but, in an effort to avoid government censorship, pushed them into a different period while adding new characters. 

According to some estimates, there are more than 100 films about the Akō incident.  These include a famous 1962 film version directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and called Chūshingura.  There are also numerous TV dramas known as “saga-dramas” or taiga dorama. Finally, there is a 2013 Hollywood movie, 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves, but this has an exceptionally limited connection to the historical episode. 

The story of the 47 rōnin and its fictionalized counterpart Kanadehon Chūshingura have generated a stunning array of visual representations. Donald Keene was a key translator of Japanese literature into English and the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture has a superb page dedicated to Chūshingura on stage and in print. This can be seen here.

There are many scholarly examinations of the 47 Rōnin. Henry Smith, who taught at Columbia University for many years, has authored a series of influential studies that provide an excellent introduction to some of the central issues. These can be seen here. 

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