What is 47 ronin?
The tale of the Forty-Seven Ronin, also known as the Forty-Seven
Samurai, the Ak? vendetta, the Ak? Wandering Samurai (, Ak?
r?shi?), or the Genroku Ak? Incident (, Genroku ak? jiken?), is a
prototypical Japanese story. Described by one noted Japan scholar
as the country's "national legend," it recounts the most famous
case involving the samurai code of honor, Bushid?. The story tells
of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (became ronin) after
their daimyo-master was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide)
for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka, whose title
was K?zuke no Suke. The ronin avenged their master's honor after
patiently waiting and planning for over a year to kill Kira. In
turn, the ronin were themselves forced to commit seppuku-as they
had known they would be-for committing the crime of murder. With
little embellishment, this true story was popularized in Japanese
culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and
honor that all good people should preserve in their daily lives.
The popularity of the almost mythical tale was only enhanced by
rapid modernization during the Meiji era of Japanese history, when
many people in Japan longed for a return to their cultural
roots.
from answers.com