[Footnote 2:  The word Ronin means, literally, a “wave-man”; one who is tossed about hither and thither, as a wave of the sea.  It is used to designate persons of gentle blood, entitled to bear arms, who, having become separated from their feudal lords by their own act, or by dismissal, or by fate, wander about the country in the capacity of somewhat disreputable knights-errant, without ostensible means of living, in some cases offering themselves for hire to new masters, in others supporting themselves by pillage; or who, falling a grade in the social scale, go into trade, and become simple wardsmen.  Sometimes it happens that for political reasons a man will become Ronin, in order that his lord may not be implicated in some deed of blood in which he is about to engage.  Sometimes, also, men become Ronins, and leave their native place for a while, until some scrape in which they have become entangled shall have blown over; after which they return to their former allegiance.  Nowadays it is not unusual for men to become Ronins for a time, and engage themselves in the service of foreigners at the open ports, even in menial capacities, in the hope that they may pick up something of the language and lore of Western folks.  I know instances of men of considerable position who have adopted this course in their zeal for education.]

And now for the story.

At the beginning of the eighteenth century there lived a daimio, called Asano Takumi no Kami, the Lord of the castle of Ako, in the province of Harima.  Now it happened that an Imperial ambassador from the Court of the Mikado having been sent to the Shogun[3] at Yedo, Takumi no Kami and another noble called Kamei Sama were appointed to receive and feast the envoy; and a high official, named Kira Kotsuke no Suke, was named to teach them the proper ceremonies to be observed upon the occasion.  The two nobles were accordingly forced to go daily to the castle to listen to the instructions of Kotsuke no Suke.  But this Kotsuke no Suke was a man greedy of money; and as he deemed that the presents which the two daimios, according to time-honoured custom, had brought him in return for his instruction were mean and unworthy, he conceived a great hatred against them, and took no pains in teaching them, but on the contrary rather sought to make laughing-stocks of them.  Takumi no Kami, restrained by a stern sense of duty, bore his insults with patience; but Kamei Sama, who had less control over his temper, was violently incensed, and determined to kill Kotsuke no Suke.

[Footnote 3:  The full title of the Tycoon was Sei-i-tai-Shogun, “Barbarian-repressing Commander-in-chief.”  The style Tai Kun, Great Prince, was borrowed, in order to convey the idea of sovereignty to foreigners, at the time of the conclusion of the Treaties.  The envoys sent by the Mikado from Kioto to communicate to the Shogun the will of his sovereign were received with Imperial honours, and the duty of entertaining them was confided to nobles of rank.  The title Sei-i-tai-Shogun was first borne by Minamoto no Yoritomo, in the seventh month of the year A.D. 1192.]