Criticisms of Actions of the 47 Ronin - Book Report/Review Example

? Criticisms of Actions of the 47 Ronin In 1701, out of fury and anger resulting from insults by Kira, Asano did the unexpected. He lashed out a court officer, setting up a chain of events that followed in the subsequent years. Asano’s dishonored death led the 47 ronin into seeking vengeance by ensuring that they killed Kira. This action by the retainers has, however, been received differently, with criticisms from one side and praises and admiration from the other. Criticisms of Actions of the 47 Ronin The story of the forty-seven ronin informs of a faction of samurai who were left without a lord and, thereby, became ronin. Their lord, Asano Naganori, was made to commit a ritual suicide, as he was charged of assaulting Kira Yoshinaka, an officer of the court. The forty-seven ronin decided on avenging their lord's reputation. They waited tolerantly for two years as they planned on how to kill Kira. Having carried out the offensive, the ronin were also forced to commit the ritual suicide for the crime of murder they had carried out. This story is viewed in the Japanese society as illustrative of the allegiance, sacrifice, perseverance and admiration that good people have to conserve in their daily routines, as is provided in the Bushido code. Their action, however, have also attracted several condemnations, with some saying they were trying a more far-reaching criticism and making a general assertion that go beyond launching a revenge against Kira. Some think their criticism was targeting the predominant cultural trend of the mid-Tokugawa period. Some have approved their actions while some have found contradictions in them. This paper seeks to explore the actions committed by the ronin and discuss the wider criticism and implicit statement that the forty-seven ronin were making by their actions. In 1701, Lord Asano Naganori, Daimyo of the Province of Ako (Allyn, 1989, p.16) and Lord Kamei were required by Kira Yoshinaka, an influential Edo official, to prepare a fitting reception for the Emperor’s emissaries during their service to the Shogun. Kira, however, with his arrogant character and love for bribes, became disappointed by the kind of presents offered and insulted the two. Kamei’s counselors, however, bribed his way off Kira’s rage, leaving Asano alone. Asano would not give a bribe, though. In his letter to Oishi he said: Kira is the man to watch out for. He enjoys the confidence of the Shogun and appears to be a faithful servant, but in truth he is an unscrupulous bribe taker and uses his office solely for his own ends. There is seemingly no way of dealing with such men except to play their game, but this I refuse to do. (p.21) Kira kept insulting Asano for not customarily obeying the practice of bestowing gifts of money on the court Master of Ceremonies for his services (p.22), a factor which infuriated Asano who later attacked and wounded Kira in an attempt to kill him. Since this was a serious offence in Shogun, Asano was required to commit ritual suicide and his property destroyed. Tamura told Asano: … decreed that your execution should be swift and you should therefore be grateful to him. You have also been granted the privilege of dying in an honorable manner because of your rank. …All property you held in your name will be confiscated and placed under the protection of the Shogun’s government until further notice. (p.41) Over 300 of his retainers could not tolerate the dishonor committed upon their master, with forty-seven vowing to avenge their lord by killing Kira. They had to hide their intentions careful to prevent raising suspicion of Kira’s detectives. After a carefully planned attack, ronin manage to enter Kira’s fortified residence where they behead him (p.184) and later presented the head at Asano’s grave before their surrender to the authorities. They were, eventually, condemned to death, though they were asked to commit seppuku which they all did. Although the action by ronin was considered as an act of allegiance, there have arisen skeptic views as to the intent of their action. One of them is that ronin had a second mission, that of re-instituting the lordship of Asano and establishing a location for fellow samurai to serve. Most of the servants who had served as lord Asano’s workers during his reign were left unemployed and could not find jobs because they had been under Asano’s lordship, a family that was considered disgraced since Asano’s death. Most of them ended up practicing farming or other handicraft chores to cope up with life. The action of the forty-seven ronin, however, is seen as redeeming their lost honor, as most of the jobless samurai manage to secure jobs after the respectable sentencing of the ronin. Further, Takuinokami, who is Asano’s younger sibling, received Tokugawa Shogunate’s permission to re-institute his name, although his territorial boundaries were reduced substantially. The ronin spent much time waiting for the right instance of striking to come. This period is too long such that any crisis could have arisen and hinder the strategy of the forty-seven ronin. Oishi’s drunkenness, for example, could have taken a serious diversion of the plans, hence, hindering the initial mission. His drunken behavior went to an extent of being laughed by passers-by and even being spit on and hit on the face, something unthinkable of a samurai. Such character could have brought more shame to the already disgraced family. Oishi, the chief retainer of the Asano clan (p.9), could have completed an immediate vengeance after the death of Asano, but he so much wanted success in the mission, as an earlier attack on the heavily fortified residence would mean a defeat. For a samurai, though, and according to bushido, success is not of essence and it does not matter whether ronin would have gotten killed and neither success nor defeat is significant in bushido. What matters most is the demonstration of allegiance, bravery and determination to avenge the Kira house so as to attain eternal honor for their deceased master. Although their patience increased their probability of success in the mission, they risked doing the most horrible transgression a samurai can commit which is to disgrace the name of their kinfolk. From the beginning of the matter, Lord Asano failed to show concern for the outcome that would follow his family and retainers and for the status of his house when he attached Kira. It is obvious that Asano was conscious of the consequences of his acts that he would not only be sentenced to death, but also his family and retainers would be destroyed and his property confiscated. The forty-seven ronin, therefore, had no obligation to carry the vengeance as Asano deserved no such honor. He, actually, exposed their lives to danger and disgrace, which shows that his action was of self-gain and without consideration of his family and retainers. The ronin, therefore, needed not carry out the vengeance. The forty-seven ronin dishonored the Bakufu law deliberately when they invaded Kira’s residence. It was, therefore, ridiculous to make known to the government of their deeds on completion and then pass the message that they were anticipating their instructions rather that committing the ritual suicide right away. This character could mean their aim was to seek praise and respect for their act of allegiance and not to carry out the vengeance. They could have wanted their action to bring back the lost honor of the kin, so that they would once again get jobs and pardon. Otherwise would hoist the question as to why they did not to disembowel themselves immediately they fulfilled their mission. It is possible that they desired to live. The period linking the time of Asano’s bereavement and that of Kira is long, specifically two years. This length is too long such as to raise the question as to whether the vengeance mission was really essential to the late Asano’s family and the retainers, including Oishi, who had studied Confucian ethics during his childhood (p.11). While this lengthy period can be argued that it was a master plan that had to be well structured and require patience in order to penetrate Kira’s fortified residence, such an attack could have, otherwise, been carried out at the time when Kira was most prone to an attack, when his personnel had been worn out due to entertainment activities they were offering the guests and when snow subdued the tracks of the assailants. While it can be argued that the 47 ronin acted heroically such that Shogun decided not to kill them but to issue them with the chance to commit seppuku, their actions appear unfair to the seemingly constrained Kira whose minimal income left him a man of humble hatamoto class. The battle was not evenly fought, as only sixteen retainers of Kira were killed, with four succumbing to injuries while those of Oishi constituted 47 samurai. A change of the tactics employed by the ronin would have avoided the loss of Kira’s workers and retainers, especially if Oishi carried out the invasion by the road with the help of a few ronin in a conventional samurai style. After the murder of Kira, the Bakufu’s accusation against the forty-seven ronin states the employment of projectile arms, which could include not only spears, arrows and slings but also firearms. This means the assailants were more advantaged as compared to Kira’s retainers who were most likely equipped with swords only. Oishi’s addition of archers with bows and to be the sharpshooters so as to pick off any of Kira’s retainers who might run away from the scene and presage neighbors to help them is an indication of fear on the side of the forty-seven ronin. There is, as well, likelihood that the forty-seven ronin were aware of Shogun Tsunanyoshi’s character. Shogun was known to overrule the decisions made by his administrators with the aim of appeasing the people so as to get praises in return. The people obviously admired the forty-seven ronin’s allegiance and faithfulness and would not have wanted them to be killed. The forty-seven ronin’s knowledge of this prevented them from committing suicide immediately after completing their mission, as they could have otherwise committed seppuku instead of having to turn themselves to the authorities. Their actions were admirable. Bushido code constitutes principles of knighthood or the techniques of a warrior. They encompass eight virtues which include; rectitude or justice, politeness, courage, honor, benevolence or mercy, honesty and sincerity, character and self-control, and loyalty. Rectitude or justice in the Bushido code refers to an individual’s ability to make decision over how to behave in accord with reason without panic of dying. It is the most significant asset of bushido. According to the code, politeness is referred to as the expression of a kind regard towards others and should not be aggravated by a fear of wronging good taste. Courage is distinguished from bravery in bushido as doing what is of virtue. Honor deals with non-martial conduct and refers to a person’s consciousness towards dignity and merit. Benevolence or mercy is the act a person of authority was expected to display. These acts include love, fairness, caring for others, sympathy and forgiveness. To a samurai, honesty and sincerity brought the meaning that riches hampered wisdom, hence encouragement for prudence. Character and self-discipline are required by bushido which provides for total ethical standard. This means that a samurai is expected to know between right and wrong. Finally, loyalty is pointed out in bushido as the most idiosyncratic virtue of the feudal time. As seen above, the actions of the 47 ronin are received with various perceptions. While some say their actions were a sign of allegiance to their late lord Asano and bravery similar to the Bushido code, others find criticism in their acts. Firstly, whether ronin had an intention of avenging their master is questionable, as they could bear the intention of redeeming their lost glory as members of the Asano family and retainers could no longer be employed elsewhere. The time the ronin took to execute the attack was also too long, and this could have changed the initial plans to attack Kira, especially with the change of character of key players like Oishi who began drinking too much. The risk ronin placed themselves in and the likely disgrace they would bring to the already dishonored family if their mission failed was not worth carrying the vengeance for a man who never thought of them, as he knew what actions the consequences of his deeds would attract to his family and retainers. The dishonoring of the Bakufu law by ronin was illegal ab initio contrary to the samurai beliefs. As seen, the intention of ronin could have been to get pardon for their deeds from the Shogun Tsunanyoshi as they would have, otherwise, committed seppuku immediately they fulfilled their mission and not wait to present themselves to the authorities. The actions of the ronin were, therefore, not necessary. References Allyn, J. (1989). The 47 Ronin Story. Boston: Tuttle Publishers. Read More