Kira Yoshinaka
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Kira Yoshinaka (吉良 義央) (October 5, 1641 – January 30, 1703)
Life
Family and early life
Born in 1641, he was the eldest son of Kira Yoshifuyu. His mother was a member of the high-ranking
Career
As a kōke, Kira oversaw matters of protocol. In 1701, he was assigned the task of tutoring Asano Naganori in matters of protocol in preparation for an upcoming visit by representatives of the Emperor. According to the stories, Kira was corrupt and demanded bribes for the tutoring, which Asano refused to pay. Kira then began to publicly insult Asano, calling him an ignorant and unmannered rural boor. On the day when the envoys were scheduled to meet the shōgun at Edo Castle, Asano drew his wakizashi and attempted to kill Kira in retaliation for the insults. For this, Asano was sentenced to commit seppuku, his house abolished, and his retainers branded rōnin, while Kira went unpunished.
Assassination
On the night of January 30, 1703 (14th day, 12th month, year
The Tokugawa shogunate condemned the grandson of Yoshinaka to death for being incapable of protecting his family like a samurai; the Kira were also dispossessed and lost the rank of koke. After the death of Uesugi Tsunakatsu, the revenues of the Uesugi were reduced from 300,000 koku to 150,000 koku. On the other hand, the brother of Asano Naganori was re–established, received a revenue of 5,000 koku and the rank of hatamoto.
Influence
Novelization
The story of Kira assassination was firstly written as Kanadehon Chūshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵) in 1703, and it has been told in kabuki, bunraku, Rōkyoku, Kōdan or Rakugo. In 1927, Jirō Osaragi serialized the story in the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun under the title of Ako Roshii (赤穂浪士) and the novel was made into a movie by Nikkatsu in 1929. The movie was remade at least 3 times in 1933, 1956, and 1961. The story has also been told in other stage plays, novels, television shows and other media as Chūshingura (忠臣蔵) until the 21th century.
In popular culture
The ghost of Kira appears in Episode 113 of the TV animation series
References
- ISBN 978-0-8161-8469-9.
Sources
- 新井政義(編集者)『日本史事典』。東京:旺文社1987(p. 115)
- 竹内理三(編)『日本史小辞典』。東京:角川書店1985(p. 314)