Oishi Yoshio
Encyclopedia
was the chamberlain of the Akō Domain
in Harima Province
(now Hyōgo Prefecture
), Japan
(1679 - 1701). He is known as the leader of the Forty-seven Ronin
in their 1702 vendetta and thus the hero of the Chūshingura
. He is often referred to by his title, .
He served Asano Naganori
as the head chamberlain for the Asano estate, supervising the daily running of the castle and the samurai. Due to the Tokugawa rules which required all the daimyos to spend every other year in Edo
(now called Tokyo) the chamberlain was a very important man and the defacto ruler of the estate when the daimyo was away. Having attained this office at a rather young age, he is said to have had the implicit trust of his lord.
When Asano committed seppuku
as punishment for his failed attempt to kill Kira Yoshinaka
in Edo castle
and the Tokugawa shogunate
abolished the house of Asano in Akō, Ōishi was in Akō and managed all its administrative issues. He persuaded other samurai to vacate the castle to the agents of the Shogunate. During the next two years many people wondered what Oishi would do as he had a reputation as an honorable and capable man.
He attempted to get the permission to re-establish the house of Asano but failed. He then began a careful plot to kill Lord Kira but to throw off suspicion spent time (and money) in the Geisha
houses of Kyoto
. This type of ruse is referred to as – appearing to be serving no useful purposes, and this term is frequently applied to Ōishi. He carried out his role well – and secretly coordinated the movements of the remaining loyal Asano samurai. Nearly two years passed before the attack was launched.
In January 1703 (by the old Japanese calendar
, December 14) he, with 46 other Akō ronin
, attacked Kira at his residence in the Honjo neighborhood of Edo
. Kira was killed and decapitated. After Ōishi dispatched Terasaka Kichiemon to inform Asano's widow Yōzeiin of the deed, he and the remaining 45 ronin went to Sengaku-ji
in Shinagawa
where Naganori was buried and there they were arrested.
He and the other ronin were sentenced to commit seppuku
. Since it was an honorable sentence rather than merely decapitation, everyone accepted this sentence as an honor.
In the famous kabuki
play Kanadehon Chūshingura, Yoshio (Kuranosuke) is known as Ōboshi Yuranosuke.
After death, Oishi became famous as the example of ideal samurai behavior. His ultimate goal of reestablishment of the Asano clan was realized as the Tokugawa shogunate did restore some lands (about 1/10 of the original holdings) to the Asano clan.
Oishi was in fact related to the Asano clan by blood, as several generations prior, an Oishi man married a daughter of the Asano.
Ako Domain
The was a domain in feudal Japan. It was located in Harima Province and coincided with the present-day cities of Akō and Aioi and the town of Kamigōri in Hyōgo Prefecture. The domain had its headquarters at Akō Castle....
in Harima Province
Harima Province
or Banshu was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tamba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji....
(now Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
), Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1679 - 1701). He is known as the leader of the Forty-seven Ronin
Forty-seven Ronin
The revenge of the , also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the 18th century...
in their 1702 vendetta and thus the hero of the Chūshingura
Chushingura
is the name for fictionalized accounts of the historical revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including the early , the story has been told in kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, television shows and other media...
. He is often referred to by his title, .
He served Asano Naganori
Asano Naganori
was the daimyo of the Akō Domain in Japan . His title was Takumi no Kami . He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chushingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, joruri and Japanese books and films.He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano...
as the head chamberlain for the Asano estate, supervising the daily running of the castle and the samurai. Due to the Tokugawa rules which required all the daimyos to spend every other year in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
(now called Tokyo) the chamberlain was a very important man and the defacto ruler of the estate when the daimyo was away. Having attained this office at a rather young age, he is said to have had the implicit trust of his lord.
When Asano committed seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
as punishment for his failed attempt to kill Kira Yoshinaka
Kira Yoshinaka
was a kōke . His court title was Kōzuke no suke. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the Forty-seven Ronin...
in Edo castle
Edo Castle
, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
and the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
abolished the house of Asano in Akō, Ōishi was in Akō and managed all its administrative issues. He persuaded other samurai to vacate the castle to the agents of the Shogunate. During the next two years many people wondered what Oishi would do as he had a reputation as an honorable and capable man.
He attempted to get the permission to re-establish the house of Asano but failed. He then began a careful plot to kill Lord Kira but to throw off suspicion spent time (and money) in the Geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
houses of Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. This type of ruse is referred to as – appearing to be serving no useful purposes, and this term is frequently applied to Ōishi. He carried out his role well – and secretly coordinated the movements of the remaining loyal Asano samurai. Nearly two years passed before the attack was launched.
In January 1703 (by the old Japanese calendar
Japanese calendar
On January 1, 1873, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar. Before 1873, the Chinese style lunisolar calendar had been in use since 7th century. Japanese eras are still in use.-System:...
, December 14) he, with 46 other Akō ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
, attacked Kira at his residence in the Honjo neighborhood of Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
. Kira was killed and decapitated. After Ōishi dispatched Terasaka Kichiemon to inform Asano's widow Yōzeiin of the deed, he and the remaining 45 ronin went to Sengaku-ji
Sengaku-ji
Sengakuji is a Sōtō Zen Buddhist temple located in the Takanawa neighborhood of Minato-ku, near Shinagawa Station, Tokyo, Japan.The graves of Asano Takumi no Kami Naganori and the Forty-seven Ronin are there.-External links:* - in Japanese...
in Shinagawa
Shinagawa, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Shinagawa City. The ward is home to nine embassies.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 344,461 and a density of 15,740 persons per km². The total area is 22.72 km²....
where Naganori was buried and there they were arrested.
He and the other ronin were sentenced to commit seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
. Since it was an honorable sentence rather than merely decapitation, everyone accepted this sentence as an honor.
In the famous kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
play Kanadehon Chūshingura, Yoshio (Kuranosuke) is known as Ōboshi Yuranosuke.
After death, Oishi became famous as the example of ideal samurai behavior. His ultimate goal of reestablishment of the Asano clan was realized as the Tokugawa shogunate did restore some lands (about 1/10 of the original holdings) to the Asano clan.
Oishi was in fact related to the Asano clan by blood, as several generations prior, an Oishi man married a daughter of the Asano.