The story of the 47 rōnin, also known as the Akō Incident, is one of Japan's most famous historical tales. It took place in the early 18th century during the Edo period. In 1701, Lord Asano Naganori of Akō was assigned to entertain and instruct envoys from the imperial court at the shogun's castle in Edo (modern day Tokyo). Lord Asano clashed with a higher-ranking official, Kira Yoshinaka, who was also at court. Kira was reportedly rude to Lord Asano, which infuriated Asano. In a fit of anger, Asano drew his sword and attacked Kira inside the castle, wounding him. Drawing a sword inside the shogun’s castle was a grave offense, and as a result, Asano was ordered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) on the same day, and his domain was confiscated.
This left Asano's samurai without their lord. Now known as rōnin, (masterless samurai), they were determined to avenge their lord's death. Led by Ōishi Kuranosuke, the group secretly plotted revenge on Kira. For nearly two years, they scattered, pretending to move on with their lives to avoid suspicion, many becoming vagrants or beggars, while Ōishi even feigned drunkenness and dissolution to assuage any fears that they might seek revenge. On the night of December 14, 1702, they gathered and stormed Kira's mansion in Edo.
After a well executed attack, the 47 rōnin found Kira and beheaded him, placing his severed head at Asano's grave to honor their fallen master. Rather than flee, the rōnin turned themselves in to the authorities. The shogunate was impressed by their loyalty and adherence to the samurai code of bushidō by avenging their lord's death and not attempting to avoid punishment, but could not ignore the law. The rōnin were sentenced to commit seppuku, which they did willingly, becoming immortalized as symbols of loyalty and righteousness. Their graves at Sengakuji Temple in Tokyo remain a place of veneration to this day.