内容紹介
忠臣蔵の英文版。1701年、江戸城内で、播州赤穂の浅野内匠頭が、吉良上野介を切りつけるという事件が起こりました。喧嘩両成敗の鉄則に反し、浅野は切腹を命じられてしまい、その家来たちは1年9ヶ月かけて、仇討ちを計画します。末長く日本人に愛される47人の浪人達の活躍を英文でご堪能ください。
The 47 Ronin Story is the unforgettable saga of a band of samurai who defined the Emperor’s laws and faced certain destruction to avenge the disgrace and death of their master.
The story begins in 1701, when Load Asano is goaded into lashing out at a corrupt court official. Although the wound Asano inflicts is minimal, the Emperor’s punishment is harsh-Load Asano is ordered to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide. His lands are confiscated and his family dishonored and exiled. His samurai now become ronin, or masterless, and are dispersed.
The ronin are not trusted by their enemies, and live under the watchful eyes of spies for months. They seem to be adapting to their new circumstances, some more gracefully than others, by taking on the roles of simple tradesmen and teachers. Their leder, Oishi, appears to have lost his path in life, and become a hapless drunk.
In fact, the ronin only appear to accept their fate. They are making careful plans for revenge, and counting the minutes until the moment is right to strike. Their acts are source for Japan’s most celebrated story of bravery, cunning, and loyalty. It has been told and retold in plays, in print, in books, in movies and on television-ever since the news first swept through feudal Japan.
While many of the historical details are lost to time, John Allyn does a masterful job of presenting The 47 Ronin Story as a compelling and suspenseful tale-one that remains ture to the spirit of an age when the samurai was an icon and honor and loyalty were worth dying for.