Sengakuji Temple and the 47 Ronin

The story of the 47 Ronin (a ronin is a leaderless samurai) was one that I was aware of but did not know very much about.  Thankfully, I had not watched the Hollywood movie of the same name as it floats around the real story and includes quite a bit of fantasy and creative licence!  I decided to take the opportunity recently to read more about the story.  What I found was a story that has since become legend in Japanese culture.  Some people see it as the ultimate example of bushido, the samurai code of honour.  What it is is a story full of tragedy, a story of greed and power, a story of patience and revenge, of loyalty and respect, a story that many Japanese believe serves as the ultimate example of how to persevere life's troubles and pitfalls.  For those who do not know the story I will give a brief rundown on it. 

In 1701 a Daimyo (Feudal Lord), Asano was sentenced to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide for attacking a representative of the Emperor, whose name was Kira.  He did so as he felt he had been insulted by Kira and his honour as a samurai had been disgraced, however, any form of violence within the walls of Edo castle (where the attack took place) was considered a serious offence punishable by death.  47 of Asano's samurai, the 47 ronin banded together and vowed revenge.  They knew that Kira would be on guard for just such an attack so they laid low, getting regular jobs and living normal lives so as to avoid arousing suspicion.  Two years later, when Kira had finally let down his guard, the 47 Ronin lead by Ooishi struck.  They attacked Kira's mansion in Edo (now Tokyo), overwhelmed his security and tracked him down.  They finally found him hiding in a small building in a secret courtyard.  They told him why they were her and demanded that he take his own life as a true samurai should.  Kira refused so Oishi got some of the other Ronin to pin Kira down as he beheaded the man to finally exact their revenge on Kira for what had been down to their master 2 years before.  The Ronin fully realised that they too would be sentenced to die for their actions.  Sending 1 of the 47 away to Asano's hometown to report what had happened, the other 46 marched across Edo carrying the head of Kira to the grave of Asano where they lay down the head and the dagger used in the killing.  They then turned themselves in.  The Shogun was initially uncertain as to what to do with the 47, after-all, they had followed the principles of Bushido by exacting revenge on behalf of their dead master, but they had broken the law.  So instead of sentencing the 47 to death, the Shogun demanded that they commit seppuku, thereby maintaining their honour.  The 47th Ronin eventually returned to Edo but was pardoned by the Shogun.  When he finally passed away at the age of 87, he too was buried alongside the other 46 Ronin.

The above is a shortened version of the story of the 47 which can be found on Wikipedia here.  What a story!  As I read the story, I discovered that, hidden away unassumingly in a quiet little neighburhood in the Minato ward of Tokyo , was Sengakuji Temple, the final resting place of the 47 Ronin and their master Asano.  I quickly decided that a visit was in order!

Sengakuji Temple was built in 1612 by Ieyasu Tokugawa, the Shogun at the time.  It was considered one of the 3 principle Buddhist Temples in Edo and was, and still is a place where young Monks come to study and train.

The Temple is located only a couple of hundred metres away from the Subway station of the same name on the Asakusa line.

Just inside the Temple gate were a few souvenir shops that looked like they were having a quiet day.  It was, after-all a Monday.

I walked up to the main Temple gate

and inside the complex where the main Temple building was.

Walking around, I was struck by how spacious the inner courtyard was.  

It was a peaceful place indeed.  But I was here to see the Ronin so I continued walking around in search of them.  I found a couple of places that were off-limits to the public so i kept searching, guessing that they did not lay in rest there.  Moving along, I felt that I was getting closer.

Finally, I found them.

I stepped inside and was flooded with emotion.  Here lay the 47 Ronin. If you count, there are actually 48 graves.  Not too many people know the secret of the 48th grave.  Do you?

The place was so peaceful and silent.  The only noise to be heard was the footsteps of those who shuffled quietly around, hands clasped together whispering prayers for the souls of the 47.  A tear or 2 rolled just as silently down my cheeks.

Incredible.

Feeling quite solemn I made my way back out to the courtyard where I found some incense.

I lit them and stood them up in the incense burner to pay my respects.

I turned around and walked out.  I had not expected to be so overwhelmed by the experience.  What a day!

But the day was not yet over......

Stepping back on the train, I made my way over to Kanda.  I had recently seen a video about a spicy ramen place called Kikanbo that I wanted to check out.  This was not the first time I had heard about Kikanbo, it had been recommended to me by a friend, Saeko, but I had never gone to try it.  Walking out of the station I followed my (usually) trusty Google maps and soon found it.  First, I saw it

next, I heard it, the beating of taiko (Japanese drums) coming from inside the restaurant.  Finally I smelled it, the pungent aroma of tonkotsu ramen soup!  Kikanbo's ramen is a spicy concoction made using a tonkotsu base, with miso and fiery hot spices used to flavour it.

The ticket machine had no pictures

but there was an English guide above which made selecting my ramen very easy.

After a good 5 - 10 minute wait my bowl arrived.  A lot of the ingredients are prepared and cooked fresh which explains the wait.  One guy burned his thumb as he stir fried my beansprouts and baby corn in miso paste just in front of me!

I had ordered the spicy ramen with coriander.  When you order you can specify what spice levels you want.  None, less, regular, more and devil spice!  This being the first time here, I ordered the regular spice levels.  As I was soon to find out, the spice consists of chili mixed in with the ramen soup and also some ominous looking black oil.  This is serious stuff as it is numbing spice oil, similar to the numbing peppercorns used in Sichuan Chinese cooking.

With the sounds of the taiko drums beating in the air, I took my first mouthful.  Mmmm, very warming indeed.  After 3 or 4 mouthfuls, the numbing spice kicked into gear and I felt my tastebuds stand up and start dancing away to the beat of the demonic drums.  Haflway through and I was feeling the heat, literally, not figuratively.

With the frenzied beating of the taiko drums increasing in ferocity I pushed on.  I was sweating profusely now, a small wet spot appearing on the front of my t-shirt where my soaking chest had come into contact with it.  One of the guys working glanced over at me with a knowing grin on his face.  Forging on, I finally made it to the bottom of my bowl.

Now, I love spicy food, and even though I sweat buckets eating it, I just can't stop!  I was now experiencing a euphoric high as the chili and spices raced around my body, setting everything alight!

Time to cool off, and what better way than with an ice cold beer!

Yep, that did the trick.  All that was left in my body now were glowing embers, and I could deal with them.  That was nice!!  Next time I'm going with the next level up!  Should I take photos of that too?

Well, that's it for another post.  Thanks again for reading.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did going to Sengakuji Temple and finishing the day with a bowl of ramen.  I thoroughly recommend a trip to the Temple if you are a fan of the story, and even if you don't know much about it, I recommend a visit too, so you can learn about this legendary story.  Please leave a comment below, and until next time, bye.