In 1701, Asano Naganori, lord of Akō, drew his sword on the court official Kira Yoshinaka inside Edo Castle. Asano was made to commit seppuku the same day.
Early on December 15, 1702, forty-seven of his former retainers attacked Kira’s mansion in Edo. They then went to report to their lord’s grave at Sengakuji. On February 4, 1703, they committed seppuku on the shogunate’s orders. The story lives on as Chūshingura, which differs in many ways from the historical events.