The Masterless Samurai
Every Japanese schoolchild knows the story of the 47 ronin (masterless samurai), a story also immortalized in a popular Kabuki play. In 1701, a feudal lord (daimyo) named Kira was ordered by the Tokugawa shogun to instruct another daimyo, Asano, in the etiquette of court ritual in preparation for a visit from an Imperial entourage from Kyoto. The two quarreled, and the quick-tempered Asano, angered at the insults hurled by the older daimyo, drew his sword. Since the drawing of a sword in Edo Castle was strictly forbidden, Asano was ordered to commit ritual suicide, his family was disinherited and turned out of their home, his estate and castle were confiscated by the shogun, and his retainers (samurai) became masterless. Kira, on the other hand, was found innocent and went unpunished.
In those days, masterless samurai were men without a future. Their loyalty in question, they were unlikely to find daimyo willing to retain them, so many turned to a life of crime, hiring themselves out as mercenaries or becoming highway robbers. The 47 ronin, however, decided to avenge their master's death by killing Kira. Knowing that Kira was on the lookout for revenge, they bided their time until one snowy December night in 1702, when they attacked Kira's mansion, cut off his head, and paraded it through the streets of Edo on the way to their master's grave at Sengakuji Temple. Although the public was sympathetic toward the ronin for the steadfast loyalty they had shown their dead master, the shogun ordered all of them to commit ritual suicide through disembowelment.
In Tokyo today, all that remains of Kira's mansion, located near the Kokugikan sumo stadium at 3-13-9 Ryogoku, is a white-and-black wall crowned by a weeping willow and a small inner courtyard. The 47 ronin and their master, on the other hand, are memorialized by tombs at Sengakuji Temple, 2-11-1 Takanawa (tel. 03/3441-5560; subway: Sengakuji, exit A2, a 2-min. walk), and by a small museum (daily 9am-4pm; closed Mar 31 and Sept 30) containing clothing, armor, and personal items belonging to the ronin (a 15-min. video about the ronin and their era is shown in Japanese; if there are no other visitors, however, you can request to see it in English). Admission to the temple and tombs is free; admission to the museum is ¥500 ($4.75) for adults, ¥400 ($3.80) for students, and ¥250 ($2.40) for children. Every December 14, in a reenactment of the parade, 47 men dressed as ronin deliver a replica of Kira's head to Sengakuji Temple.
The Floating World of Yoshiwara--During the Edo Period (1603-1867), prostitution in Japan was not only allowed, it was also -- along with everything else in feudal Japan -- regulated and strictly controlled by the Tokugawa shogunate. Licensed quarters arose in various parts of Edo (former Tokyo), but none was as famous or as long-standing as Yoshiwara, the "floating world of pleasure." Opened in 1657 in the midst of rice fields, far outside the city gates upriver from Asakusa, Yoshiwara rose to such prominence that, at its height, as many as 3,000 prostitutes, referred to as "courtesans," worked their trade here. The services they rendered depended on how much their customers were willing to spend. Some men, so they say, stayed for days. Stories abound of how more than a few lost their entire fortunes.
The top-ranked courtesan, known as Tayu, was distinguished by her gorgeous costume, which often weighed as much as 40 pounds and included a huge obi (sash) knotted in front. Many of the courtesans, however, had been sold into prostitution as young girls. To prevent their escape, a moat surrounded Yoshiwara, which could be entered or exited only through a guarded gate. The courtesans were allowed out of the compound once a year, during an autumn festival. Such virtual imprisonment was abolished only in 1900. Yoshiwara itself was closed down in 1957, when prostitution became illegal.
