On the snowy night of January 30, 1703, in an incident known as the Ako vendetta, forty-six samurai burst into the mansion of the man responsible for the death of their former master, Asano Naganori, the lord of Ako. Their intended victim, Kira Yoshinaka, was a powerful noble and an important retainer of the imperial household. After refusing the opportunity to die by his own hand, Kira was killed with the same dagger Asano had used to commit seppuku, and then beheaded. At dawn on the following morning the vengeful samurai surrendered themselves to the priests of a Buddhist temple to await their punishment.
The actual events that set this tale into motion began in 1701, when the emperor sent an envoy with a message to the shogun. This envoy was to be received with royal honors and entertained by high ranking noblemen in the shogun's retinue. Two nobles were entrusted with the reception of the imperial envoy; one of them was Asano, a young baron from a rural area, unfamiliar with the intricacies of court etiquette. Asano sought instruction from Kira, an expert on court ceremonies. Because Asano failed to provide Kira with a large enough bribe in the form of extravagant gifts, Kira taunted him mercilessly until the hot-headed Asano lost his composure, drew his sword, and lunged at his antagonist. Though Kira's wounds were superficial, the shogun could not allow such a gross breach of conduct to go unpunished, and he ordered Asano's death. Seppuku, a form of suicide in which the victim disembowels himself, was considered the most honorable way to carry out the death sentence. Only offenders in the samurai class were allowed to commit seppuku, thus preserving their warrior status and distinguishing them from common criminals who were beheaded. After his death, Asano's lands were confiscated and his household retainers became ronin, or "wave men," cast adrift in the sea of life. Forty-seven of these men, led by Oishi Kuranosuke, Asano's chief advisor, swore an oath to revenge their master's needless death.
During the Tokugawa era (1600-1868) there was a ban on the depiction in art or the dramatization on stage of current historical events using the actual names of the nobility involved. Therefore, the theatrical version of the Ako vendetta was set in the days of the fourteenth-century shogun Takauiji; Asano, Kira, and Oishi became Enya, Moronao, and Oboshi, and the setting of the play was changed from Edo to Kamakura.
At the opening of the play shogun Takauiji has killed Yoshida, the famous general of the Minamoto clan, in battle. Takauiji has a shrine built at Kamakura to commemorate his victory and has ordered Yoshida's helmet to be placed in the shrine's treasury. He sends his brother (the imperial envoy in the original historic event) to supervise the inaugural ceremonies, but since forty-seven helmets had been recovered from the battle-field, no one knows for sure which one was Yoshida's. Enya's wife, who had once been an attendant in Yoshida's household, is summoned to identify the helmet. On the day that she comes to inspect the helmets, Moronao (the historical Kira), who has long admired her beauty, slips her a love letter. At this initial encounter Moronao is cordial towards Enya, but angrily insults Wakasa, the other noble in attendance, who has reprimanded Moronao for making advances towards Enya's wife. Lady Kawayo politely rejects Moronao's solicitations, but in doing so she unintentionally causes Moronao to dislike her husband.
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Act II
The second act introduces the first of many subplots that run through the play. This is the romance between Rikiya, the son of Oboshi Yuranosuke, Enya's chamberlain, and Konami, the daughter of Wakasa's chief councilor, Honzo. Meanwhile, Wakasa decides that he cannot bear the insult he has received from Moronao, and that at their next meeting he will kill him. He relates this to Honzo, who agrees with his master but has decided to increase the bribe to Moronao at his own expense.
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Act III
Honzo arrives at the palace early to offer his bribe to Moronao, and later, when Wakasa comes prepared to fight Moronao his is surprised that Moronao, placated by the bribe, apologizes for his previous behavior. Wakasa does not conceal his disgust at Moron's obsequiousness; Moronao feels humiliated and becomes insulting to Enya, who has arrived with one of his junior retainers, Kampei. Unfortunately for Enya, Yuranosuke is away on business, and Kampei is off flirting with one of the palace maids. Finally, in an inevitable fit of anger, Enya attacks the insufferable Moronao and wounds him slightly. Honzo restrains Enya and prevents him from finishing off the terrified Moronao. Kampei, hearing the commotion, rushes into the palace, but he is too late. As he has neglected his duty, Kampei sees no alternative but to kill himself. He is persuaded not to take this course of action by maid Okaru and together they flee to her parents' house.
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Act IV
The fourth act consists entirely of Enya's seppuku, the punishment ordered by the shogun for his attempt on Moronao's life. This scene, filled with quiet, yet terrible, passion, is one of the classical moments of kabuki theater. As the preparations for his suppuku are completed, Enya swears to "return to life again and again until my vengeance is accomplished." From an adjoining room Enya's retainers beg through the closed door to be allowed one last look at their master. In silence Enya, dressed in white, the traditional color of death, waits for Yuranosuke while he continues his preparations. A thick, white tatami mat is laid with branches of ceremonial herbs in each corner. Enya slides his outer-garment off on his shoulders and tucks the long ends firmly under his knees so that the tension of the fabric will cause him to fall face down. At a silent signal Rikiya enters bringing a short sword on a wooden stand. Finally, there is nothing else left to do; Enya gathers his composure, and in a swift motion takes up the sword and drives it into his stomach. Just then Yuranosuke enters and speaks in calm, almost fatherly tones, bidding Enya to die bravely. Gazing steadily into his chamberlain's face, Enya tells Yuranosuke that he must avenge his death using this very same sword, and with a last effort completes the act of ritual suicide.
