Chushingur Rethinking The Ako Ronin Debate

The Movie Chushingura is about a group of Asano’s retainers took avenge to their enemy Kira because their lord Asano was announced to commit seppuku after he attacked Kira in the Shogun house. The 47 retainers turned to be Ronin because of losing their master and they planned to avenge Kira in order to fufill their obligations. In the end of the movie, the 47 Ronin succeed in avenging Kira and Bakufu ordered them to commit seppuku. After watching the movie and reading the Journal “Rethinking the Ako Ronin Debate” which the Tokugawa Confucian debate over the Ako revenge and discuss on counting the 47 Ronin as Chushin gishi (Loyal and righteous samurai), I believe that the 47 Ronin followed the way of Bushido and could be count as Chushin gishi because their action and behavior contained the

Righteousness in Bushido means doing the right things to show they are the true warrior, also said as Giri in Japanese. In Chushingura, Asano’s wife drove Oishi away when he told her that they were not going to avenge to Kira. But the 47 Ronin chose to conceal the facts because they wanted to protect Asano’s wife if the bakufu blamed on them (Chushingura). After they succeed to avenge Kira, they were announced to commit suicide in the end of the movie (Chushingura). It proved that the 47 Ronin honored their loyalty to their lord and also showed that they already fulfilled their responsibilities and obligations. Hiding the facts to avoid the bakufu blamed on Asano’s wife is another way to show their righteousness that they had the responsibility to protect the weak people.47 retainers showed that they were the Chushin gishi because committed seppuku saw as self-sacrifice for the sake of rightness and it conformed to the Mencius concepts that all the people should desire rightness even when it entails death (Tucker