The site of OISHI Yoshio and 16 Roshi of Loyal Retainers

There are lots of historic places regarding Ako Affair in Tokyo, famous for Chushingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), and this site is one of them. This is the place where 17 of 47 Ako Roshi (masterless samurai), including their chief OISHI Kuranosuke Yoshio committed seppuku.

Ako Affair, starting with the sword fighting incident at Matsu no Roka (corridor) of Edo Castle in 1701, expanded to incident of braking into the residence of KIRA Kozukenosuke in December 1702. After killing down KIRA, 46 Roshi including OISHI Kuranosuke offered up the head of KIRA Kozukenosuke in front of the tomb of their master Lord ASANO Takuminokami at Sengaku-ji Temple. After that, 4 residences of Lords including HOSOKAWA Family were assigned to take care of them. A document says HOSOKAWA Family treated OISHI Kuranosuke and 16 Ronin courteously. On February 4th in 1703, each of the Ako Roshi committed seppuku in each residence of the Lords where they confined, and were buried in Sengaku-ji Temple.

The place that was HOSOKAWA Family's Takanawa suburban residence becomes Takamatsu junior high school at present, but there remains it as a historic place of HOSOKAWA residence surrounded by walls, and it reminds us of former times.