The Pacific Commercial Advertiser

SCENES FROM

OLD JAPAN

Glimpses of a Great

Play For This

City.

Among the thousand and one stories

of valor and love which thrill

the

hearts of the people of Japan that of

the forty-seven Samurai stands very

near the front. All persons who have

read much about the Sunrise Empire

have heard how, some 200 years ago,

Asano, Lord of Takumi, was appoint-

ed Master of Ceremonies at the Castle

of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, then

the

Ruler of Japan. Lord Asano was a

brave high-spirited young man but he

had had no experience of the elaborate

details of the great Castle; so Kira,

Lord of Kozuke, one of the most pow-

erful nobles in the Empire was reques-

ted to teach him. Lord Kira hated Asano

and took pains to expose his inexperi-

ence to ridicule. This was a mortal

offence in the code of honor of the

Samurai and was a direct challenge to

Asano. The young Lord knew that to

draw his sword and attack Kira in

the Castle of Shogun, was a crime

punishable with death, but there was

no alternative. Brave man that he

was, he did not hesitate, but imme-

diately accepted Kira's insult as a

challenge to mortal combat. In a few

moments the battle was over, Kira lay

apparently mortally wounded and Asa-

no retired to his own estates to die.

He was allowed the privilege of expiat-

ing his crime by committing harakiri.

The appointed day came, the messen-

gers of the Shogun arrived, his best

beloved retainer stood behind with

drawn sword to complete the work if

death should not be instantaneous and

Asano with solemn ceremony took his

leave of life.

His retainers

now became ronin,

knights without a lord. Strangely

enough Kira did not die but recovered

from his severe wounds, so Asano's

work was not complete. By the code

of ethics in Old Japan, the retainers

must finish the task or else their mas-

ter would ever live in history dishon-

ored. Lord Kira knew this well and

kept a strict watch upon these wand-

ering knights. Their leader Oishi Ku-

ranosuke knew that while thus watch-

ed he could do nothing. He therefore

advised his fellow samurai to separate

and pretend to be abandoned char-

acters. For more than one year these

men, forty-seven in number, gave

themselves up to riotous living until

Kira became satisfied that they were

worthless fellows lacking entirely the

spirit of the true knight. So the spies

were recalled.

Oishi had waited for this. Gathering

his forty-six comrades at dead of night

in Tokyo they attacked the stronghold

of Kira, overpowered the guards and

finally found the craven-hearted Lord

of Kozuke in a closet where Oishi soon

dispatched him giving the death stroke

with the same sword with which Asa-

no had taken his own life.

The whole Empire was profoundly

stirred by this event. Everywhere the

praise of these 47 men was sung and

the strongest efforts were made to

pardon them because of their faithful-

ness. But it was argued by Japan's

leading wise men that inasmuch as the

law against such attacks in the capital

city had been violated they must die.

When Tokugawa Tsunayoshi came to

sign the death warrant he was moved

to tears. At first the condemnation

was to execution as criminals but the

famous statesman Ogiu Sarai advised

that they be allowed the privilege of

harakiri because they had been true

to the Samurai code of honor and

must ever be considered shining ex-

amples of chivalry. This advice was

followed. One by one they took their

lives rejoicing to seal their faithfulness

to their lord by their death.

Their

bodies were interred beside that of

their master in the temple yard of Sen-

gakuji. From that time to the present

this has been Japan's dearest shrine.

Millions visit it every year. No for-

eigner thinks of leaving Tokyo with-

out going to Sengakuji.

Out of this story the greatest drama

of the nation has been built. Facili-

ties for its presentation on the Boys'

Field tonight are not available. Indeed

it requires a whole day to give the

entire play. But in order to illustrate

certain features of the life of Old

Japan a company of young men has

been trained to exhibit in pantomime

the three most striking episodes of the

story. First the quarrel of Lords Asa-

no and Kira will be exhibited. Second

the ceremony of harakiri will be shown

and third the gathering of the band of

avengers just previous to the attack

upon the house of Kira. This part of

the evening's performance is given by

young amateurs.