Thank you for choosing The East Garden of the Imperial Palace on Nov 15th,2025
We welcomed 34 guests from USA , Poland, Israel, Canada, Italy, Australia, Austria, Netherlands, and Chile. I was happy to see so many drop-in guests. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had.
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The day of the Chushingura raid was December 14th, 1702 (Genroku 15). Today I will tell you the story of Chushingura. In this tour, we explained Matsu-no-o-roka Corridor. Every Japanese knows that the corridor was the locus of the unfortunate event when Lord Asano Takumi no-Kami Naganori attacked and wounded Lord Kira Kozuke-no-Suke Yoshinaka in 1701. The Story of the Forty-seven Loyal Ronin. Matsu-no-o-roka Corridor was named after the long corridor decorated with paintings of pine (matsu) trees and plovers. It was the second longest corridor with tatami-mats in Edo Castle.
Chūshingura is one of Japan’s most famous samurai stories. It is based on a real historical event called the Akō Incident, which happened in 1701 during the Edo period. The story is about 47 samurai, known as rōnin, who lose their master, Lord Asano Naganori, after he is forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). The samurai decide to avenge their master’s death, which represents a symbol of loyalty, honor, and resolution.
The story begins with Lord Asano, a young samurai lord, being insulted many times by Lord Kira Yoshinaka, a government official. One day, Lord Asano loses his temper and attacks Kira inside the Edo Castle. This was a serious crime, so Lord Asano was ordered to commit seppuku immediately. His domain, Akō, was taken away, leaving his samurai without a master. These samurai became rōnin and decided to restore their master’s honor by planning revenge.
The story is loved because it shows the samurai spirit and traditional Japanese values.
It has been adapted into kabuki plays, movies and TV dramas. Even today, it inspires people worldwide. For example, “47 Ronin” was made famous by a movie starring Keanu Reeves.
Unfortunately I think it was a little bit different from real Chusingura story. Chushingura is a popular work in the kabuki “Kanadehon Chushingura series”. Why Chushingura was so popular? The reason is favoritism towards the judge, the aesthetics of the fallen, devotion, and rewarding good and punishing evil.
If you want to know Japanese samurai mindness, please read the book Bushido written by Inazou Nitobe. Bushido literally means “The Way of the Bushi” and refers to the Japanese warrior’s code of chivalry in the feudal ages. It looked like European chivalry. It also emphasized loyalty, courage and honor. In Nitobe Inazo’s “Bushido,” Japanese culture is described as a “culture of shame.” I believe that a lack of cooperation is also “shameful.” In order to maintain cooperation, I believe that prioritizing others and people before oneself and finishing one’s own affairs last leads to “humility.” At the heart of Bushido are righteousness, courage, and benevolence.
And self-control, patience, and shamefulness are three important for self-discipline and character development. The spirit of Bushido became the basis for social cohesion and national unity in the development of modern Japan.
If you understand Japanese mindness like humility or moral we are very happy. Regarding Chusingura and Kabuki, I wrote an blog on 8th Feb,2025. Please read this article.
Once again, thank you so much for joining us on our tour. We always make efforts to improve our tours and highly appreciate your feedback on our TripAdvisor/Facebook etc. Your comments motivate us to continue our volunteer activities. Please tell your family and friends about how you enjoyed our tour. Next time you’re in Tokyo, please join another one of our tours that are Asakusa, Meiji Shrine/Harajuku and Ueno Park. We’d love to see you.
(Posted by Yonehara)