---
node: ako_incident
type: event
slug: ako_incident
title: "Ako incident (the 47 ronin)"
lead: "In the winter of 1702–03, forty-seven masterless retainers of Asano Naganori avenged their lord by killing the shogunal official Kira Yoshinaka, then surrendered and were ordered to commit seppuku. The event became Chushingura, Japan's defining story of loyalty versus law."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
---

## What happened

In the winter of 1702–03, forty-seven of Asano Naganori's masterless retainers (ronin), led by Oishi Kuranosuke, stormed the mansion of Kira Yoshinaka, killed him, and surrendered. After weighty debate the shogunate ordered the avengers' seppuku, carried out in early 1703. They were buried beside their lord at Sengaku-ji temple, where their graves draw visitors to this day.

## Background

In 1701 Asano, lord of Ako, drew his sword against Kira, the shogunal master of ceremonies, inside Edo Castle — a capital offense. Asano was ordered to commit seppuku the same day and his domain was confiscated, while Kira went unpunished.

## Consequences

The event became "Chushingura": dramatized for the puppet theater in 1748 and endlessly retold since, it remains Japan's defining story of loyalty versus law, still argued over by moralists and historians alike.