(英会話リスニングスクリプト)
Drawing weapons in this place was strictly
forbidden, so the Shogun had the young lord arrested.
His lands were confiscated and he was ordered
to commit ritual suicide (seppuku).
His samurai were forced to become ronin,
meaning warriors with no master.
On hearing of their lord's fate, Oishi Kuranosuke
and 46 other loyal warriors decided to avenge their master,
and went straight to Kyoto to prepare for their revenge.
For the following two years, Oishi and his
comrades gave the impression that they were only interested
in drinking and behaving as though they had forgotten their
master.
However, on the night of December 14th,
1702, guided by the lights of neighbours who disliked Kira,
they crept into the house of the man responsible for the
death of their master.
They offered him the chance to commit seppuku,
but Kira lacked the courage, so they killed him and placed
his head at Asano's tomb.
Oishi and his men then surrendered to officers
of the law and, as a punishment, all 47 were ordered to
commit seppuku, which they did in Tokyo on February 14th,
1703.
The men became famous as the 47 faithful
samurai of the Lord of Ako.
|