Which 1701–1703 incident involved 47 masterless samurai avenging Lord Asano?

The Forty-seven Rōnin incident involved masterless samurai who avenged Lord Asano between 1701 and 1703.

In 1701, Asano Naganori attacked Kira Yoshinaka inside Edo Castle after a dispute. Asano was ordered to commit seppuku, and his domain was confiscated, leaving his retainers without a lord. These former retainers became rōnin, a term for masterless samurai.

Led by Ōishi Kuranosuke, the group planned their revenge over a long period. On 14 December 1702, they attacked Kira’s residence and killed him. They then carried his head to Asano’s grave at Sengaku-ji.

The shogunate ordered the rōnin to commit seppuku in February 1703. Their story became one of Japan’s best-known examples of loyalty and revenge, inspiring plays, novels, films, and the famous Chūshingura tradition. Historical retellings often dramatize details beyond the surviving record.