Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-28

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scanned the old ma9ts features, and it was
indeed Kotsuke no Suke; and if further
proof We're wanting dhe still bore a scar on
Takumi no kami. had Wounded him dur.
ing the ARRAY in the castle. There being
no possibility of mistake, therefore, Oishi
kuranosuke went down on his knees, and
addressing the Old man very respectfully,
said:
My lord, we are the retainers of Asano
Tdkumi no kami, Last year your lordshfp
and our master Iqubrreled in the palace,
and our master was sentenced to hara kirf,
and his family were ruined. We have come
tonight to avense him, as is the duty of
faithful and loyal men. 1 pray your lord
ship to acknowledge the justice of our
purpose. And now. my lord, we beseech
you to perform haIa kri. I myself shall
have the honor to act as your second, and
when, with all humility, I shall have re-
ce1ved your lordship's head, it Is my fnten-
ton to lay it as an Offering upon the grave
of Asano Takumi no Kami."
Thus. in consideration of the high rank
OF kotsuke no Suke, the Ronins treated
him with the greatest courtesy, and over
and over again entreated him to perform
hara kiri. But he crouched speeches. and
trembling. At last Kuranosuke, seeing that
it was vain to urge him to die the death of
nobleman, forced him down, and cut off
his head with the same dirk with which
Asano Takumf no kami had killed himself
Then the forty-seven comrades, elated at
having accomplished their design, placed
the head in a bucket, and prepared to de-
part, but before leaving the house they
carefully extinguished all the lights and
FIRES in the place, lest by any accident a
ire should break out and the neighbors
suffer.
As they were on their way to Takanawa,
the suburb in which the temple called
SengakuU stands, the day broke; and the
people fiocked out to see the forty-seven
men. who. with their clothes and arms all
blood-stained, presented terrible appear
ance; and every one praised them wonder
faif fr1ln L,
they expected every moment that kotsuke
no Suke's father-in-law would attack them
and carry off the head and made ready to
die bravely sword in hand. However they
reached Takanawa in safety, for Matsu-
dalra Aki no Kami, one of the eighteen
chief daimios of Japan, of whose house
Asano Takumi no Kami had been a cadet,
mad been highly pleased when he heard of
the last nights work, and he had made
ready to assist the Ronins in case they
We're attacked. So Kotsuke no Suke's
father-in-law dared not pursue them.
AT about seven lin the morning they
came opposite to the palace of Mats1daira
Mutsu no kami the Prince of Sendai and
the prince hearing of it. sent for one of his
Takumi no kami have slain their lords
enemy, and are passing this way; 1 cannot
suihciently admire their devotion, So as
lney must be tired and hungry after their
nights work, do you go and invite them to
come in here, and set some cruel and a c,,n
of wine before them.
so the councillor went out and said to
Oishi kuranosuke: Sir l am a councillor
of the Prince of Sendai and nv master
bids me beg you as you must be worn out
after all you have undergone to come in
and partake of such poor refreshment as
we offer you. This is my message to
you from my lord
Il thank you, SIR" replied Kuranosuke.
1T Is very good of his lordship to trouble
himself to think of u.s. We shall accent
his Kindness gratefully"
So the forty-seven Ronins went into the
palace, and were Toasted with cruel and
wine, and all the retainers of the Prince
of Sendai came and praised them.
Then kuranosuke turned to the council
lor and said, sir. We are truly indebted
TO you for this kind hospitality: but as We
have still to hurry to Sengakuji, We must
needs hxmbly take Jour leave" And, after
returning many thanks to their hosts they
left the palace of the Prince of Sendai and
hastened to Sengakuji, where they were
met by the abbot. iof the monastery. who
went to the front gate to receive them and
led them to the tomb of Takumi no Kami
And when they came to their lords
grave, they took the head of Kotsuke no
Suke. and having washed it clean in a well
hard by, laid it an Offering before the
tomb. When they had done this, they en-
gagged the priests of the temple to come
and read prayers while they burnt incense:
first Oishi kuranosuke burnt incense, and
then his son Oishi Chkara and after them
the other fortyztive men performed the
same ceremony Then Kuranosuke having
8
to the abbot said:
when We forty-seven men shall have
performed hara kiri, l beg you to bury us
decently. | rely upon your kindness. This
Is but trif1e that l have to offer; such as
it is. let it be spent in masses for our
soulsv'
And the abbot. marveling at the faith
full courage of the men, with tears in his
eyes pledged himself to fulfill their wishes
So the forty-seven Ronins, with their minds
at rest, waited patiently until they should
receive the orders of the government.
At last they We're summoned to the SUI
preme court, where the governors of Iedo
and the public censors had assembled; and
the sentence passed upon them was as fol-
lows: Whereas, neither respecting the
dignity of the city nor fearing the govern
to Stay your enemy. you violently broke
into the house of Kira Kotsuke no Suke
by night and murdered him, the sentence
of the court is. that. for this audacious
conduct, you perform hara kiri" When
the sentence had been read the forty-seyen
Ronins were divided into four parties, and
handed over to the safe keeping of four
different daimios; and sheriffs were sent to
the palaces of those daimios in whose
presence the Ronins were made to perform
hara kiri. But as from the very beginning
they had all made up their minds that to
this end they must come they met their
death nobly; and their corpses We're car
ried to Sengakuji. and buried in front of
the tomb of their master, Asano Takumi
came noised abroad, the people fiocked to
pray at the graves of these faithful men.
Among those who came to pray was a
Satsuma man. who, prostrating himself be-
fore the grave of Oishi kuranosuke said:
when l saw you lying drunk by the road
side at Yamashina. in Kioto, 1 knew not
that you were plotting to avenge your
lord; and, thinking you to be a faithless
man, l trampled on you and spat in your
face as l passed And now 1 have come to
ask pardon and offer atonement for the
insult of last year. With those words he
Frustrated himself again before the grave,
and, drawing dirk from his girdle, stabbed
himself in the belly and died. And the
chief priest of the temple, taking pity upon
him, buried him by the side of the Ronins;
and his tomb still remains to be seen with
those of the forty-seven comrades.
This is the end of the story of the forty
seven Ronins.
A terrible picture of fierce heroism which
1t is impossible not to admire. In the
Japanese mind this feeling of admiration
is unmiXed, and hence it is that the forty
seven Ronins receive almost divine honors.
Pious hands still deck their graves with
green boughs and burn incense upon them;
the clothes and arms which they wore are
preserved carefully in tire-proof store