from cover

Here at last is an entertaining account in English of the historical mass seppuku (disembowelment) of the forty-seven ronin, or masterless samurai, shortly after the turn of the 18th century in the feudal Tokugawa days of old Japan.

The forty-seven ronin were ordered to commit seppuku for their vindictive slaying of a corrupt court official whom they held utlimately responsible for bringing about the death of their master, Lord Asano. Asano was the brash young daimyo from the country whose ignorance of and unfamiliarity with the changing ways of the Edo court led not only to his own seppuku but also to the complete ruin and dissemination of his family and clan.

Though based on an actual incident, many details have been lost to history, and, as a result, several versions of the forty-seven ronin story have been told. But the fact remains that they were given the death penalty for their deed, which,at the time,so embodied the Japanese's ideals of the noble samurai's devotion to his lord that the forty-seven ronin were enshrined at Sengaku Temple beside their beloved master. Thus came to a dramatic close the final chapter of what has been acclaimed the most famous vendetta in the annals of Japan.

John Allyn is a film and music editor in the motion picture and television industries and also a writer/director of industrial films in the aerospace field.

Mr. Allyn attended the Army Specialized Trainning Program at Stanford University in 1944, majoring in the Japanese language, and also attended the Army Intaensive Japanese Language Schkool at teh University of Michigan in 1945, receiving a B.A. degree from the latter. During the first four years of the U.S. occupation of Japan, he worked as Pictorial Censor of the Civil Censorship Detachmante of G2, SCAP, in Osaka and Tokyo. After his return to the United States he entered UCLA in Los Angeles from where he received his master's degree in Theater Arts in 1951.

He is currently working toward a Ph.D degree in Theater History at UCLA, specializing in the modern Japanese theater. In addition to The Forty-Seven Ronin Story, Mr. Allyn is now preparing "The History of Modern Theater in Japan." He was born in Los Angeles where he now lives with his wife.

Loved the story, but the way the book is written is unusual.

Gives quite a good look into the historical Japanese traditions, especially about samurai. Will surely read other books based on Japanese history. ( )

Novel based on a famous Japanese legend. The Ako Vendetta was an actual event in the 18th century, although the story has since been much embroidered in Japanese popular culture.

Historical fiction around the infamous samurai who became ronin when their master, Lord Asano, was instructed by the Shogun to commit seppuku for having struck Kira, the Shogun's Master of Ceremonies. It didn't matter that Kira was a corrupt official. Lord Asano of Ako's castle and lands were turned over and his samurai became ronin, left to seek their own fortunes without a master. The ronin were bound together by their fierce determination to seek the justice against Kira and to restore the name of their master, even thought acts of vengeance were outlawed by the Shogun.

This is a story of loyalty, determination and vengeance. ( )