Produced by Ronald Grenier (This file was produced from
images generously made available by The Google Books Library
Project/American Libraries.)
CHUSHINGURA,
OR, THE
TREASURY OF LOYAL RETAINERS
BY
TAKEDA IZUMO,
MIYOSHI SHORAKU, and NAMIKI SENRYU
TRANSLATED BY
JUKICHI INOUYE
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ILLUSTRATED
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_THIRD EDITION_
TOKYO
NAKANISHI-YA
1917.
All Rights Reserved
[Woodblock print: The
frontispiece image is a large wood-block fold-out by
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川 國芳) attached to the inside
cover of the book. The Japanese text is ‘The Treasury of
Loyal Retainers: The Faithful Ronin Withdraw to Takanawa
(忠臣蔵義士高輪引取之図). It has no English caption]
PREFACE.
Seventeen years ago appeared a translation of the
_Chushingura_, in which I omitted three acts of the play
with the object of making the thread of the story
continuous. The edition, which was a small one, was soon
exhausted. I was lately asked by Messrs. Nakanishiya to
touch up my old translation for republication. I have,
however, taken this opportunity to make a new and complete
translation of the play; and I may say that the omissions in
the present translation do not exceed ten lines, if so many,
such omissions being unavoidable as where the passages
convey no coherent meaning or where, notably in the
bantering of Yuranosuke with Okaru in the seventh act, they
are too indelicate for translation. In spite of its numerous
defects, I trust the present work will at least give the
reader some idea of the most popular version of the most
famous vendetta in Japanese history.
With a view to assist the reader to understand the spirit of
the play, I have prefaced it with a lengthy introduction, in
the preparation of which I received valuable assistance from
Mr. Sosaku Nomura, of the Meiji Gakuin, Tokyo, to whom my
best thanks are due.
JUKICHI INOUYE.
Tokyo, Japan,
September, 1910.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE.
INTRODUCTION................................ i.
CHUSHINGURA.
ACT I.................................... 1