Photos of historic significance
Okay, so the photos themselves aren't that significant, but I visited a place of fairly great significance this weekend and thought I'd share the photos while I take a short study break.
The story of the 47 Ronin is one of the most famous incidents in Japanese history. The curious can Wiki an article about it, or find another source they deem more reliable, but I'll give a brief accounting here. The 47 samurai were originally employed by a feudal lord, Asano, who lived in Edo (now called Tokyo). The lord had his own master, Kira that he answered to, and Kira was notoriously rude, and once insulted Asano in one of the Shogun's castles. Asano was so angry he drew his sword and tried to attack his master. The attack was unsuccessful, and Asano was arrested for the crime of drawing a weapon in the Shogun's castle. He was sentenced to commit suicide. The 47 samurai, now masterless and disgraced, spent a year plotting revenge. When they were sure Kira had his guard down, they snuck into his home in the middle of the night, captured and beheaded him. They then brought the head to their master's grave as an offering of atonement, then turned themselves in for punishment. They, too, were sentenced to commit suicide, and were buried alongside their lord at Sengaku Temple. This story is particularly famous for embodying the Japanese tradition of the warrior spirit and loyalty to one's master; the samurai took revenge to restore honor to their lord, even though they knew they would have to die for committing murder. (Those who are knowledgeable of Japanese history, please forgive any elisions on my part. I'm just trying to give the Cliff Notes version.)
The temple where Asano and the 47 ronin are buried is about 15 minutes' walk from my apartment, so I decided I should head on over and take a look. It's still an active temple today, dedicated to one of the Zen sects, so there were a number of monks walking around the temple and in the neighborhood. It's actually quite easy to overlook unless you specifically seek it out. It's down a little side street, surrounded by typical city buildings like apartments and shops, with only the gate to make it's location known. Still, due to its historic significance there were a fair number of people, Japanese and foreign, who had made the effort to get there. Also, perhaps because they are seen as paragons of Japanese values, there were a lot of people offering incense at every one of the graves, which made for a very smoky atmosphere. The temple is, unfortunately, a copy, the original having been destroyed in World War II. Many of the artifacts of the 47 Ronin, as well as their gravestones, are intact, however. The pictures I took can all be seen here.
I should get back to studying, so enjoy! 'Til next time.
The story of the 47 Ronin is one of the most famous incidents in Japanese history. The curious can Wiki an article about it, or find another source they deem more reliable, but I'll give a brief accounting here. The 47 samurai were originally employed by a feudal lord, Asano, who lived in Edo (now called Tokyo). The lord had his own master, Kira that he answered to, and Kira was notoriously rude, and once insulted Asano in one of the Shogun's castles. Asano was so angry he drew his sword and tried to attack his master. The attack was unsuccessful, and Asano was arrested for the crime of drawing a weapon in the Shogun's castle. He was sentenced to commit suicide. The 47 samurai, now masterless and disgraced, spent a year plotting revenge. When they were sure Kira had his guard down, they snuck into his home in the middle of the night, captured and beheaded him. They then brought the head to their master's grave as an offering of atonement, then turned themselves in for punishment. They, too, were sentenced to commit suicide, and were buried alongside their lord at Sengaku Temple. This story is particularly famous for embodying the Japanese tradition of the warrior spirit and loyalty to one's master; the samurai took revenge to restore honor to their lord, even though they knew they would have to die for committing murder. (Those who are knowledgeable of Japanese history, please forgive any elisions on my part. I'm just trying to give the Cliff Notes version.)
The temple where Asano and the 47 ronin are buried is about 15 minutes' walk from my apartment, so I decided I should head on over and take a look. It's still an active temple today, dedicated to one of the Zen sects, so there were a number of monks walking around the temple and in the neighborhood. It's actually quite easy to overlook unless you specifically seek it out. It's down a little side street, surrounded by typical city buildings like apartments and shops, with only the gate to make it's location known. Still, due to its historic significance there were a fair number of people, Japanese and foreign, who had made the effort to get there. Also, perhaps because they are seen as paragons of Japanese values, there were a lot of people offering incense at every one of the graves, which made for a very smoky atmosphere. The temple is, unfortunately, a copy, the original having been destroyed in World War II. Many of the artifacts of the 47 Ronin, as well as their gravestones, are intact, however. The pictures I took can all be seen here.
I should get back to studying, so enjoy! 'Til next time.