47 RONIN 47 RONIN

A samuri Story from Japan Una historia samuri de Japn

The story of the forty-seven ronin is a very famous
one in Japan. It is a true story about real people,
but many of the facts are now lost in time. Soon
after the ronin took their revenge, the history was
retold in plays, known as Chushingura.
Since then the story has been retold in song, story,
drama, television plays, visual art, and many films.
Each time the story is retold, the details change. But
one thing does not change this story is still as
famous in Japan today as it 300 years ago.
The story begins in Edo (now moder Tokyo) in
spring 1701, in the Shoguns palace. Lord Asano is
taking lessons in palace ceremony from Lord Kira,
one of the lords in the Shoguns palace.
Kira has only hard words for Asano, and by the end
of that terrible day, lord Asano is dead. Asanos
samurai are now ronin-samurai whithout a lord or
master. They have no home, no place in the world.
They have no home, no place in the world.
The have only loyalty to their dead lord.
La historia de los cuarenta y siete ronin es muy famosa
en Japn. Es una historia verdadera sobre la gente real,
pero muchos de los hechos ahora se pierden en el
tiempo. Poco despus de que los ronin tomaron su
venganza, la historia fue contada en juegos, conocido
como Chushingura.
Desde entonces, la historia se ha vuelto a contar en
canciones, la historia, el drama, las obras de televisin,
el arte visual y muchas pelculas. Cada vez que se vuelve
a contar la historia, los detalles cambian. Pero una cosa
no cambia: esta historia sigue siendo tan famosa en
Japn hoy como hace 300 aos.
La historia comienza en Edo (ahora la madre Tokio) en la
primavera de 1701, en el palacio del Shogun. Lord Asano
est tomando lecciones en la ceremonia del palacio del
seor Kira, uno de los seores en el palacio del shogn.
Kira slo tiene palabras duras para Asano, y al final de
ese terrible da, el seor Asano est muerto. Los
samurais de Asano son ahora ronin-samurai sin seor o
maestro. No tienen hogar, ni lugar en el mundo. No
tienen hogar, ni lugar en el mundo.
Slo tienen lealtad a su seor muerto.

This is the true story of the forty-seven ronin Esta es la verdadera historia de los cuarenta y siete
ronin.
PEOPLE IN THIS STORY PERSONAS EN ESTA HISTORIA

En el viejo dice, los hombres importantes en Japn

In the old says, import men in Japan were often
fueron llamados a menudo por sus ttulos de la corte, no
called by their court titles, not by their real names. por sus nombres verdaderos. En esta historia se usan
In this story real names are used. nombres reales.

Lord Kira Yoshinaka, a lord in the Shoguns palace Lord Kira Yoshinaka, un seor en el palacio del Shogun
(court title: Kira Kosuke-no-suke Yoshinaka) (ttulo de la corte: Kira Kosuke-no-suke Yoshinaka)

Lord Asano Naganori, the daimyo of Ako Castle Lord Asano Naganori, el daimyo de Ako Castillo (ttulo de
(court title: Asano Takumi no-Kami Naganori) la corte: Asano Takumi no-Kami Naganori)

Oishi Yoshio, captain of Lord Asanos samurai (court Oishi Yoshio, capitn del samurai de Lord Asano (ttulo
de la corte: Oishi Kura-no-suke Yoshio)
title: Oishi Kura-no-suke Yoshio)

Daigaku, lord Asanos younger brother Daigaku, el hermano menor del seor Asano
Chikara, Oishis son Chikara, el hijo de Oishi
Riku, Oishis wife Riku, la esposa de Oishi
Ten of Lord Asano`s samurai (later, ronin) Diez de los samurai del seor Asano (ms adelante,
ronin)
Hayami, Kataoka, Hara, Mimura, Horibe, Okuda, Hayami, Kataoka, Hara, Mimura, Horibe, Okuda,
Yoshida, Isogai, Terasaka, Hazama. Yoshida, Isogai, Terasaka, Hazama.

Samurai Samurai

In the old days in Japan, the samurai were warriors,
fighting men. They served a saimyo, one of the
great Japanesse lords. They lived in his castle,
fought for him, and died for him. They fought with
long swords and short swords, spears, and bows
and arrows. They were brave, fierce men, famous
for their loyalty to their lord.
Chapter 1
The death of Asano
En los viejos tiempos en Japn, los samurai eran
guerreros, hombres de combate. Sirvieron un saimyo,
uno de los grandes seores de Japn. Vivan en su
castillo, lucharon por l y murieron por l. Lucharon con
largas espadas y espadas cortas, lanzas, arcos y flechas.
Fueron hombres valientes y feroz, famosos por su
lealtad a su seor.
Captulo 1
La muerte de Asano

Good morning Lord Asano Buenos das Seor Asano

The speaker was Lor Kira Yoshinaka, a tall man, in
black. He stood in the middle of a room in the
Shoguns palace. He watched Lord Asano, and
waited.
Lord Asano Naganori was a younger man,
thirtyfour years to Lord Kiras sixty years. He
walked slowly across the room from the door, and
stopped in front of Kira.
El orador era Lord Kira Yoshinaka, un hombre alto, de
color negro. Se par en medio de una habitacin en el
palacio del shogn. Observ a Lord Asano y esper.
Lord Asano Naganori era un hombre ms joven, treinta y
cuatro aos para los sesenta aos de Lord Kira. Camin
lentamente por la habitacin desde la puerta y se
detuvo frente a Kira.

Lord Kira, he said coldly. Good morning. And then Seor Kira, dijo framente. Buenos das. Y luego se
he bowed, just a small bow of the head. inclin, slo un pequeo arco de la cabeza.

Lord Kira se inclin tambin, un arco an ms pequeo.

Lord Kira bowed too, an even smaller bow. He
l sonri, pero tena los ojos fros.
smiled, but his eyes were cold.

Are you ready for your next lesson, Lord Asano? He Ests listo para tu prxima leccin, Lord Asano? l dijo.
said. You have much to learn abaout palace Tienes mucho que aprender en la ceremonia del palacio,
ceremony, and you are a very slow student. Shall y eres un estudiante muy lento. Deberamos empezar?
we begin?

Lord Asano bowed again, but did not speak. His
mouth was a thin, hard line. Every say Kira called
him slow, or stupid, or difficult, and he did not like
it.
In the Shoguns palace at Edo in the year 1701,
ceremony was very important. The right words, at
the right time of day. The right bow, small or deep,
for different people.
Lord Asano se inclin de nuevo, pero no habl. Su boca
era una lnea fina y dura. Todos dicen que Kira lo llam
lento, o estpido, o difcil, y no le gust.
En el palacio del Shogn en Edo en el ao 1701, la
ceremonia fue muy importante. Las palabras correctas, a
la hora correcta del da. El arco derecho, pequeo o
profundo, para diferentes personas.
The right clothes, at different hours of the day. The
right presents, for the right people This was the
way of life in the Shoguns palace, and Lord Kira was
the teacher of ceremony for this Shogun, and for
many Shoguns before him. After forty years as a
teacher, Kira knew everything about the ceremony
of the palace.
But Lord Asano knew nothing. He was a daimyo
from the country, from Ako Castle, a place
seventeen days journey by horse to the south-west
of Edo.
The daimyo were powerful men in Japan at this
time, and were rulers in their own part of the
country. But daimyo must also serve the Shogun,
and every year the Shogun called two of them to his
palace at Edo.
Every day is the same, said Asano angrily, at his
house in Edo that evening. Every day I must do this
ceremony, or that ceremony, I must stand here, or
there, bow to this person, or that person.
And I must do six months of this! Every day Kira Y tengo que hacer seis meses de esto! Cada da Kira me
calls me bad names! I make mistakes because he is llama mal nombres Cometo errores porque es un
a bad teacher! maestro malo!
Hayami, one of Asanos samurai, helped him with
his ceremonial clothes. Hayami was very good with
the bow and arrow, but not so good with words.
Lord, I heard something about Kira, he said.
What? Said Asano.
He likes presents, and money. The other daimio
gives him presents or money, and them Kira is
happy, and the lessons go well. Why dont you give
him a present?
No! shouted Asano. I am Lord Asano of Ako, and I
do not give presents to the Shoguns servants! His
job is the teach me ceremony, not to ask for
presents!
Hayami said nothing more, but he has afraid for his
master. Every day Asano came back from the palace
with and angry face, and angry words.
How is this going to end? Hayami said to Kataoka,
another of Asanos samurai. Four more months of
this. What can I do? We need Oishi here. Lord
Asano doesnt listen to me, but he listens to Oishi
sometimes.
La ropa adecuada, a horas diferentes del da. La derecha
presenta, para las personas adecuadas ... Esta era la
forma de vida en el palacio del Shogn, y el Seor Kira
fue el maestro de ceremonia - para este Shogun y para
muchos Shoguns antes que l. Despus de cuarenta
aos como maestra, Kira saba todo acerca de la
ceremonia del palacio.
Pero lord Asano no saba nada. Era un daimyo del pas,
del castillo de Ako, un lugar de diecisiete das de viaje a
caballo al suroeste de Edo.
Los daimyo eran hombres poderosos en Japn en este
momento, y eran gobernantes en su propia parte del
pas. Pero el daimyo tambin debe servir al Shogun, y
cada ao el Shogun llam a dos de ellos a su palacio en
Edo.
Cada da es lo mismo, dijo Asano enojado, en su casa en
Edo esa noche. Cada da debo hacer esta ceremonia, o
esa ceremonia, debo estar aqu, o all, inclinarse ante
esta persona, o esa persona.
Hayami, uno de los samurais de Asano, lo ayud con sus
ropas ceremoniales. Hayami era muy bueno con el arco
y la flecha, pero no tan bueno con las palabras.
Seor, he odo algo sobre Kira, dijo.
Qu? Dijo Asano.
Le gustan los regalos y el dinero. El otro daimio le da
regalos o dinero, y ellos Kira es feliz, y las lecciones van
bien. Por qu no le das un regalo?
No! -grit Asano. Soy el Seor Asano de Ako, y no doy
regalos a los siervos del Shogun! Su trabajo es
ensearme la ceremonia, no pedir regalos!
Hayami no dijo nada ms, pero tiene miedo por su amo.
Todos los das Asano regresaba del palacio con cara de
enojo y palabras enojadas.
Cmo va a terminar esto? Dijo Hayami a Kataoka, otro
de los samurais de Asano. Cuatro meses ms de esto.
Que puedo hacer? Necesitamos a Oishi aqu. Lord
Asano no me escucha, pero a veces escucha a Oishi.
But Oishi Yoshio was at Ako Castle, a long way
away. He was the captain of Lord Asanos three
hundred samurai. When Lord Asano came to Edo,
most of his samurai came with him, but Oishi
stayed behing at Ako to take care of everything
there.
It ended suddenly on a spring day in 1701.
The day began well, with a blue sky and the song of
birds in the palace gardens. Lord Asano arrived at
the palace, put on his ceremonial clothes, and went
for his lesson with Lord Kira.
Perhaps Kira was tired that say. Perhaps he was
angry because there were no presents from Lord
Asano. Perhaps he just did not like the young lord
from Ako.
You must wait, he told Asano. I have another, more
important meeting first. He turned his back on Lord
Asano. What a stupid man! Kira said. Usually, he
said things like this in a quiet voice, but today he
did not speak quietly, and everybody in the great
palace room could hear him. I hear Asanos wife is
stupid too, and his children, Lord Kira said to the
room.
Something broke inside Lord Asano. Lor Kira, stop a
moment, he cried.
Well, what is it? Said Kira, turning back to Asano.
People remembered this momento for many years.
Asano drew his sword, and attacked a Lord Kira.
With a cry, Kira put his hand to his head, but he did
not fall.
Asano lifted his sword again, but now there were
palace guards around him. They pulled him to the
floor, and held his sword arm. Lord Kira ran away.
There was a deep cut on his face.
The Shoguns palace was a place of ceremony, not a
place for fighting. It was a terrible thing to do to
draw a sword and attack someone inside the
palace.
The attack happened at about midday. At one
oclock the guards took Asano to the house of
another daimyo. At four oclock an order came
from the Shogun. Lord Asano must die, but because
he is a daimyo, he can die the samurai way, with
honour. He can commit seppuku.
Pero Oishi Yoshio estaba en Ako Castle, muy lejos. Era el
capitn de los trescientos samurai de Lord Asano.
Cuando Lord Asano lleg a Edo, la mayora de su
samurai vino con l, pero Oishi se qued mirando a Ako
para cuidar de todo all.
Termin de repente en un da de primavera en 1701.
El da comenz bien, con un cielo azul y el canto de los
pjaros en los jardines del palacio. Lord Asano lleg al
palacio, se puso sus ropas ceremoniales y fue a la leccin
con lord Kira.
Tal vez Kira estaba cansada ese da. Tal vez estaba
enojado porque no haba regalos de Lord Asano. Tal vez
simplemente no le gustaba el joven seor de Ako.
Tienes que esperar, le dijo a Asano. Tengo otra reunin
ms importante primero. Le dio la espalda a Lord Asano.
Qu hombre estpido! Dijo Kira. Por lo general, deca
cosas como sta con voz tranquila, pero hoy no hablaba
en voz baja, y todos en la gran sala del palacio lo oan.
Oigo que la mujer de Asano es estpida tambin, y sus
hijos, Lord Kira dijo a la habitacin.
Algo quebr dentro de Lord Asano. Lord Kira, para un
momento, l grit.
Bien, qu es esto? Dijo Kira, volviendo a Asano. La
gente record este momento durante muchos aos.
Asano sac su espada y atac a un Lord Kira. Con un
grito, Kira se llev la mano a la cabeza, pero no cay.
Asano levant de nuevo la espada, pero ahora haba
guardias de palacio a su alrededor. Lo tiraron al suelo y
sujetaron su brazo de espada. Lord Kira huy. Haba un
corte profundo en su rostro.
El palacio del shogn era un lugar de ceremonia, no un
lugar para la lucha. Era una cosa terrible de hacer:
dibujar una espada y atacar a alguien dentro del palacio.
El ataque ocurri alrededor del medioda. A la una de la
tarde, los guardias llevaron a Asano a la casa de otro
daimyo. A las cuatro de la tarde lleg una orden del
Shogun. El Seor Asano debe morir, pero porque es un
daimyo, puede morir de manera samurai, con honor.
Puede cometer seppuku.
And so it happened. At six oclock that same day
Lord Asano of Ako commited seppuku. He took out
his long knife, and cut into his stomach from left to
right.
Outside the palace Lord Asanos samurai, Kataoka,
knew nothing of this. He waited for his master lo
leave the palace at the end of the day, but Asano
never came. At last another daimyo told Kataoka
the terrible news.
Kataoka ran back to Asanos house in Edo, and
called for Hayami and the other samurai. Our lord is
dead, he cried. Get the horses ready! We must ride
to Ako at once!
Y as sucedi. A las seis de la maana del mismo da Lord
Asano de Ako se comprometi seppuku. Sac su largo
cuchillo y le cort el estmago de izquierda a derecha.
Fuera del palacio, el samurai del Seor Asano, Kataoka,
no saba nada de esto. Esper a que su amo saliera del
palacio al final del da, pero Asano nunca lleg. Por fin
otro daimyo le dijo a Kataoka la terrible noticia.
Kataoka corri de regreso a la casa de Asano en Edo, y
llam Hayami y el otro samurai. Nuestro seor est
muerto, grit. Prepara los caballos! Tenemos que ir a
Ako a la vez!

Chapter 2 Capitulo 2
The plan El plan
At that time, it was usually a journey of seventeen En ese tiempo, usualmente era un viaje de diecisiete
days from Edo to Ako, but Kataoka and Hayami did das de Edo a Ako, pero Kataoka y Hayami hicieron el
viaje en diez das. Cuando llegaron al castillo de Ako,
the journey uin ten days. When they arrived at Ako
estaban cansados, sucios, hundry y sedientos.
Castle, they were tired, dirty, hundry, and thirsty.
Oishi Yoshio, el capitn del samurai Ako, no estaba
Oishi Yoshio, the captain of the Ako samurai, was contento con ellos. Mrate, dijo. Qu clase de samurai
not pleased with them. Look at you, he said. What eres? Ropa sucia, caballos sucios ...
kind of samurai are you? Dirty clothes, dirty horses
But Oishi forgot about that when he heard the Pero Oishi se olvid de eso cuando oy la terrible noticia
terrible news of Lord Asanos death. de la muerte de Lord Asano.

And thats not all, said Hayami. He pushed the hair
out of his eyes. The Shoguns government is goint
to take Lord Asanos castle, his land, his money
everything! Can they do that, Oishi?
Y eso no es todo, dijo Hayami. Se apart el pelo de los
ojos. El gobierno del shogn va a tomar el castillo de
Lord Asano, su tierra, su dinero ... todo! Pueden hacer
eso, Oishi?

Yes, said Oishi. They can. To draw a sword in the
Shoguns palace is a crime. But why did Lord Asano
attack Kira? What happened? Did they fight?
We dont know, said Kataoka, we werent there!
But Lord Asano was angry every day because of
Lord Kira. But Asano didnt kill Kira? Said Oishi.
S, dijo Oishi. Ellos pueden. Sacar una espada en el
palacio del shogn es un crimen. Pero, por qu Lord
Asano atac a Kira? Qu pas? Lucharon?
No sabemos, dijo Kataoka, no estbamos all! Pero Lord
Asano estaba enojado todos los das por el Seor Kira.
Pero Asano no mat a Kira? Dijo Oishi.

No, said Hayami. Kira is alive and well. People say No, dijo Hayami. Kira est vivo y bien. La gente dice que
that he just has a cut on his head. slo tiene un corte en la cabeza.

And where is Lord Asanos body now? Asked Oishi.

Theyre taking in to the temple of Sengaku-Ji, said
Kataoka, just outside Edo. Some of our samurai
went with the body. Then they are coming back to
Ako.
Y ahora donde est el cuerpo de Lord Asano? Pregunt
Oishi. Estn entrando al templo de Sengaku-Ji, dijo
Kataoka, a las afueras de Edo. Algunos de nuestros
samurai fueron con el cuerpo. Entonces estn
regresando a Ako.
During the next days, Lord Asanos samurai made
the journey down to Ako. Some of them brought
news.
Lord Asanos younger brother, Daigaku, is hunder
house arrest in Edo, Yoshida told Oishi were old
friends.
Did you see Daigaku? Asked Oishi.
Yes, just for two minutes. Theyre going to send him
away, to Hiroshima, to the Asano family there.
Soon there were nearly three hundred of Asano`s
samurai at Ako, and Oishi Yoshio called a meeting.
It was a noisy, angry meeting.
Durante los das siguientes, el samurai de Lord Asano
hizo el viaje a Ako. Algunos de ellos trajeron noticias.
El hermano menor de Lord Asano, Daigaku, est
detenido en Edo, Yoshida le dijo a Oishi que eran viejos
amigos.
Viste a Daigaku? Pregunt Oishi.
S, slo por dos minutos. Lo van a enviar a Hiroshima, a
la familia Asano.
Pronto hubo casi trescientos samurai de Asano en Ako, y
Oishi Yoshio convoc una reunin. Fue una reunin
ruidosa y enojada.

Horibe was a famous swordsman. He was a fierce Horibe era un famoso espadachn. Era un luchador feroz,
fighter, and a brave man, but he did not often stop y un hombre valiente, pero a menudo no se detena a
to think before he spoke. He was the first to speak. pensar antes de hablar. Fue el primero en hablar.

Lord Asano is dead because of Kira, he shouted toi Lord Asano est muerto por causa de Kira, le grit la
the meeting. Kira is a killer. A man cannot live under reunin. Kira es un asesino. Un hombre no puede vivir
the same sky as the killer of his lord. This is the bajo el mismo cielo que el asesino de su seor. Este es el
code of the samurai! When do we attack Kira? cdigo del samurai! Cundo atacamos a Kira?

The samurai began to talk, but Oishi held up his El samurai comenz a hablar, pero Oishi levant la
hand. Nobody questions your honour as a samurai, mano. Nadie cuestiona tu honor como un samurai,
Horibe. But we are not samurai now, we are ronin. Horibe. Pero no somos samurai ahora, somos ronin. No
We have no master, no lord. tenemos maestro, ni seor.

El gobierno del Shogun mat al Seor Asano por un

The Shoguns government killed Lord Asano
crimen, el delito de sacar una espada en el palacio. Y
because of a crime the crime of drawing a sword por qu ocurri este crimen?
in the palace. And why did this crime happen?

Because of Lord Kira. We want revenge for our
lords death, and that means kira must die. But he
knows that, and he has many friends in the
government. So we must be careful, we must be
clever.
Careful? Clever? Shouted Horibe. What kind of
samuri are you? We must attack Lord Kira at
once! In Edo, people in the streets are saying that.
They know we must take revenge for Asanos
death. People want us to do that! It is the samurai
way!
So you want to die a dogs death outside tha
palace? Called Yoshida. How many guards are there
at the palace? Eh? Tell me that! Hundreds! We
cant get near Kira he knows we want him, so he
has hundreds of guards around him, day and night.
Gracias al Seor Kira. Queremos venganza por la muerte
de nuestro seor, y eso significa que kira debe morir.
Pero l lo sabe, y tiene muchos amigos en el gobierno.
As que debemos ser cuidadosos, debemos ser listos.
Cuidadoso? Inteligente? Grit Horibe. Qu clase de
samuri eres t? Debemos atacar al Seor Kira
inmediatamente! En Edo, la gente en las calles est
diciendo eso. Saben que tenemos que vengarnos de la
muerte de Asano. La gente quiere que hagamos eso!
Es el camino del samurai!
Quieres morir la muerte de un perro fuera del palacio?
Llamado Yoshida. Cuntos guardias hay en el palacio?
Eh? Dime eso! Cientos! No podemos acercarnos a Kira
- l sabe que lo queremos, as que tiene cientos de
guardias a su alrededor, da y noche.
The government is going to take Ako Castle away El gobierno va a tomar Ako Castillo lejos de la familia
from the Asano family, called another samurai. Asano, llamado otro samurai. Cuando los soldados del
When the government soldiers come here, can we gobierno vengan aqu, podemos luchar contra ellos?
fight them?
Podemos mantener el castillo de Ako para Daigaku?
Can we hold Ako Castle for Daigaku? He`s the head
Ahora es el jefe de la familia Asano.
of the Asano family now.
Kataoka respondi a estas preguntas. Por un da, tal vez.
Kataoka answered this questions. For a wrrk, Pero no ms. No est terminada la familia Asano en Ako.
perhaps. But not longer. No the Asano family at Ako Debemos abandonar el castillo de Ako y comenzar las
is finished. We must leave Ako Castle and begin noticias como ronin.
news lives as ronin.

So what do you want? Said Oishi. Do you want Entonces qu quieres? Dijo Oishi. Quieres venganza?
revenge? Revenge has a price, and the price is La venganza tiene un precio, y el precio es la muerte. No
podemos esperar vivir despus de que nos vengamos de
death. We cannot hope to live after we take our
Kira. Debemos cometer seppuku - cada uno de nosotros.
revenge on Kira. We must commit seppuku
everyone of us.

We are samurai! Cried a man called Hara. Death Somos samurai! -grit un hombre llamado Hara. La
with honour is always better tan a life without muerte con honor es siempre mejor que una vida sin
honour. That is the samurai code! honor. se es el cdigo del samurai!

Oishi smiled. There are brave hearts in this room.
Now go away, and think. Think abaot the samurai
way. Where is the road to honour? Can you live
under the same sky as the killer of your daimyo?
Oishi sonri. Hay corazones valientes en esta habitacin.
Ahora vete y piensa. Piensa en la manera samurai.
Dnde est el camino al honor? Puedes vivir bajo el
mismo cielo que el asesino de tu daimyo?

Think long and carefully. Talk to your families, and Piense largo y cuidadosamente. Habla con tus familias y
come back here in three days. Or leave Ako and regresa aqu dentro de tres das. O dejar Ako y comenzar
begin a new life. una nueva vida.

In the next two days many ronin left the castle.
They took their families and went away, perhaps to
serve a new daimyo, perhaps to work in the cities,
perhaps to go hungry. The life of a ronin was not
easy.
En los dos das siguientes muchos ronin abandonaron el
castillo. Se llevaron a sus familias y se fueron, tal vez
para servir a un nuevo daimyo, tal vez para trabajar en
las ciudades, tal vez para pasar hambre. La vida de un
ronin no fue fcil.

After three days Oishi called the next meeting. He

and Yoshida stood at the door and watched. Horibe,
Okuda, and their friends arrived first, of course.
Then more came, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty sixty-
two.
Despus de tres das Oishi llam a la prxima reunin. l
y Yoshida se quedaron en la puerta y observaron.
Horibe, Okuda, y sus amigos llegaron primero, por
supuesto. Entonces llegaron ms, veinte, treinta,
cuarenta, cincuenta ... sesenta y dos.

Yoshida closed the doors, and Oishi began to speak. Yoshida cerr las puertas y Oishi empez a hablar. Ests
You are here because you want revenge for the aqu porque quieres venganza por la muerte de nuestro
death of our daimyo. You are true samurai, loyal to daimyo. Eres un verdadero samurai, leal a tu seor en la
your lord in life and in death. vida - y en la muerte.
We must make a league together a league for
revenge. But for now, we must be silent, we must
be secret, we must wait for months, maybe years,
before we can move.
We cannot attack Kira now, because he and his
guards are waiting for us. But when he forgets
about us, then we can move. Brcause we, the ronin
we do not forget. We can wait a long, long time
for revenge.
Chapter 3
The long wait.
And so it was. The soldiers of the Shogun's government
came to Ako, took the castle and the land. And then the
sixty-two ronin left Ako to go their different ways. Oishi
talked to every ronin in the league before they left Ako,
and every man had a plan.
Some of the ronin went to Edo. There, they found jobs
as workmen, guards, or gardeners. Other ronin went to
live in Osaka or other cities.
'Live very quietly,' Oishi told them. 'Don't talk about
revenge, don't talk about anything to anybody. Meet
secretly, and be careful of spies. Kira's men are going to
be everywhere, watching and listening, all the time.'
Oishi took his family, his wife and three children, to live
near Kyoto. Three of the ronin went with him
Kataoka, Mimura, and Hara. Kataoka and Mimura lived
in Oishi's house, and Hara found a job.
'What kind of job?' said Oishi.
Hara laughed. 'I'm teaching boys how to shoot with bow
and arrows,' he said.
'That's not a job for a samurai!' said Kataoka. But we're
not samurai now, we're ronin, remember?' said Hara.
And a ronin needs rice to cat.'
Weeks went past, and weeks turned into months. Oishi
began to live a very different life now from his old life as
Tenemos que hacer una liga juntos una liga para la
venganza. Pero por ahora, debemos estar en silencio,
debemos ser secretos, debemos esperar meses, quizs
aos, antes de que podamos moverse.
No podemos atacar a Kira ahora, porque l y sus
guardias nos estn esperando. Pero cuando se olvida de
nosotros, entonces podemos moverse. Porque nosotros,
los ronin - no lo olvidamos. Podemos esperar mucho,
mucho tiempo para vengarnos.
Captulo 3
La larga espera.
Y as fue. Los soldados del gobierno del shogn llegaron
a Ako, tomaron el castillo y la tierra. Y entonces los
sesenta y dos ronin dejaron a Ako para seguir sus
diferentes caminos. Oishi habl con cada ronin de la liga
antes de que salieran de Ako, y cada hombre tena un
plan.
Algunos de los ronin fueron a Edo. All, encontraron
trabajo como obreros, guardias o jardineros. Otros ronin
fueron a vivir a Osaka u otras ciudades.
-Vive muy tranquilamente -les dijo Oishi-. No hables de
venganza, no hables de nada a nadie. Conoce en
secreto, y ten cuidado con los espas. Los hombres de
Kira van a estar en todas partes, observando y
escuchando, todo el tiempo. Oishi llev a su familia, su
esposa y sus tres hijos, a vivir cerca de Kyoto. Tres de los
ronin fueron con l - Kataoka, Mimura, y Hara. Kataoka y
Mimura vivan en la casa de Oishi, y Hara encontr un
trabajo.
'Qu clase de trabajo?' dijo Oishi.
Hara se ech a rer. -Estoy enseando a los nios cmo
disparar con arco y flechas -dijo-.
-Eso no es un trabajo para un samurai! dijo Kataoka.
Pero ahora no somos samurais, estamos ronin,
recuerdas? dijo Hara. Y un ronin necesita arroz para el
gato.
Pasaron semanas, y las semanas se convirtieron en
meses. Oishi comenz a vivir una vida muy diferente
captain of the Asano samurai. Every day he went into
the town, to the old houses down by the river. He made
new friends, and spent his time with had people. Often,
he was out all night.
Kataoka and Mimura watched this, and they were not
happy about it.
`Why does he go to these places?' said Mimura.
`Why don't you ask him?' Kataoka said.
`Not me!' Mimura said. 'He gets angry when you ask
questions. He gets angry at had news too. You
remember when the news came about the seven ronin?'
Seven of the ronin from Ako did not want to be in the
league against Kira any longer. The numbers were now
down to fifty-five.
One day more news arrived from one of the ronin in
Edo. This man, Isogai, worked in the Shogun's palace
gardens. He could watch government workers when
they came and went, and sometimes he heard things.
He sent this message to Oishi.
Lord Kira does not work in the palace now. His job is
finished. People say that the Shogun is not pleased with
him. Kira is living in his dairnyo house, a big mansion
near the Sumida river. Horihe says, can we attack him
now?
Oishi suddenly came alive again. 'No, no, no! Not yet!'
he said. 'I must go to Edo and talk to them. Kataoka,
come with me. Mimura stay here with my family.'
In Edo, Oishi met secretly with some of the ronin in the
league. 'Listen,' he said. 'Kira's wife is from the Uesugi
family, and they are very rich and powerful. There are
many Uesugi guards around Kira's mansion, because
he is still afraid of us. We can never get past all those
guards with just fifty-five men. We must wait.
' But how long?' said Hod be. 'Kira is an old man, and he
could die any day! Where is our revenge then?'
Begin planning,' said Oishi. 'Everybody has swords, but
we need armour, spears, and bows and arrows. You can
begin to find them, but secretly And hide them well!'
ahora de su vieja vida como capitn del samurai Asano.
Todos los das se diriga a la ciudad, a las viejas casas
junto al ro. Hizo nuevos amigos, y pas su tiempo con la
gente. A menudo, estaba fuera toda la noche.
Kataoka y Mimura observaron esto, y no estaban
contentos.
-Por qu va a esos lugares? dijo Mimura.
Por qu no le preguntas a l? Dijo Kataoka.
-No yo! Dijo Mimura. Se enoja cuando haces preguntas.
Tambin se enoja con noticias. Recuerdas la noticia de
los siete ronin?
Siete de los ronin de Ako no queran estar en la liga
contra Kira por ms tiempo. Los nmeros eran ahora de
cincuenta y cinco.
Un da ms noticias llegaron - de uno de los ronin en
Edo. Este hombre, Isogai, trabajaba en los jardines del
palacio del shogn. Poda ver a los trabajadores del
gobierno cuando iban y venan, ya veces oa cosas. Envi
este mensaje a Oishi.
Lord Kira no trabaja ahora en el palacio. Su trabajo ha
terminado. La gente dice que el shogn no est
contento con l. Kira vive en su casa dairnyo, una gran
mansin cerca del ro Sumida. Horihe dice, podemos
atacarlo ahora?
Oishi de repente cobr vida de nuevo. 'No no no! An
no!' l dijo. -Debo ir a Edo y hablar con ellos. Kataoka,
ven conmigo. Mimura - qudate aqu con mi familia.
En Edo, Oishi se reuni secretamente con algunos de los
ronin de la liga. -Escucha -dijo-. La esposa de Kira es de
la familia Uesugi, y son muy ricas y poderosas. Hay
muchos guardias Uesugi alrededor de la mansin de
Kira, porque
todava tiene miedo de nosotros. Nunca podremos
superar a todos esos guardias con slo cincuenta y cinco
hombres. Debemos esperar.
Pero cunto tiempo? dijo Hod. Kira es un anciano y
podra morir cualquier da! Dnde est nuestra
venganza entonces?
Comienza a planificar -dijo Oishi. Todo el mundo tiene
espadas, pero necesitamos armadura, lanzas, arcos y
flechas. Puedes empezar a encontrarlos, pero en secreto
Oishi and Kataoka went hack to Kyoto, and again, Oishi
spent his nights in the town with all kinds of bad men.
People began saying that Oishi was a samurai without
honour. Hara came to visit one day, and was angry.
'This is not good!' he said fiercely to Oishi. 'Where is
your honour as a samurai?' '
Get out!' shouted Oishi. 'Get out of my house!'
Kataoka walked with Hara down the street.
`What's happening to him?' said Hara. 'Why is he doing
this?' '
It's all right,' said Kataoka. 'Just go home, and wait.' It
was not a happy house. When he was there, Oishi
shouted at everyone his wife, his children, Kataoka,
Mimura, the house servants.
Mimura often went out walking in the town, to get
away from the house and all the shouting. One dark
night he saw the cook from Oishi's house at a street
corner, talking to two men. When they saw him, they
stopped talking, and the cook walked quickly away.
Mimura crossed the street to look at the two men, but
they turned away and went into a house. And in the
light from the house doorway, Mimura saw something
very interesting . . . He ran home at once with his news.
`Oishi, I think your cook is a spy for Kira! Those men had
on their coats the sign of the Uesugi family. It was very
small, but I saw it clearly in the light!'
`Ha!' cried Kataoka. 'What shall we do with this spying
cook, Oishi? Kill him?'
Oishi smiled. 'Nothing,' he said.
`Nothing?' said. Kataoka. 'We can't do "nothing"!'
`Oh yes, we can,' said Oishi. 'This is very good. We want
this spy to send news back to Kira the right kind of
news. We know the cook is a spy, but the cook doesn't
know that we know. So this is good for us. He can tell
Kira that I am now a samurai without honour.
And who is afraid of a samurai without honour?'
y esconderlos bien! Oishi y Kataoka fueron a Kioto, y
otra vez, Oishi pas sus noches en la ciudad con todo
tipo de hombres malos. La gente comenz a decir que
Oishi era un samurai sin honor. Hara vino a visitarme un
da, y se enoj.
'Esto no est bien!' -le dijo con ferocidad a Oishi. -
Dnde est tu honor como samurai? '
Sal!' -grit Oishi. 'Sal de mi casa!'
Kataoka camin con Hara por la calle.
-Qu le pasa a l? dijo Hara. -Por qu est haciendo
esto? '
Est bien -dijo Kataoka-. Slo vete a casa y espera. No
era una casa feliz. Cuando estuvo all, Oishi grit a todos
- su esposa, sus hijos, Kataoka, Mimura, los sirvientes de
la casa.
Mimura a menudo sala caminando por la ciudad, para
alejarse de la casa y todos los gritos. Una noche oscura
vio al cocinero de la casa de Oishi en un rincn de la
calle, hablando con dos hombres. Cuando lo vieron,
dejaron de hablar y el cocinero se alej rpidamente.
Mimura cruz la calle para mirar a los dos hombres,
pero se volvieron y entraron en una casa. Y en la luz de
la puerta de la casa, Mimura vio algo muy interesante. . .
l corri a casa inmediatamente con sus noticias.
Oishi, creo que tu cocinera es una espa para Kira! Esos
hombres tenan en sus abrigos el signo de la familia
Uesugi. Era muy pequeo, pero lo vi claramente en la
luz!
Ja! -exclam Kataoka. -Qu vamos a hacer con este
cocinero espa, Oishi? Mtalo?'
Oishi sonri. -Nada -dijo-.
-Nada? dijo. Kataoka. No podemos hacer nada!
Oh, s, podemos -dijo Oishi. 'Esto es muy bueno.
Queremos que este espa le enve noticias a Kira - el tipo
correcto de noticias. Sabemos que el cocinero es un
espa, pero el cocinero no sabe que lo sabemos. As que
esto es bueno para nosotros. l puede decirle a Kira que
ahora soy un samurai sin honor.
Y quin teme a un samurai sin honor?
`Aaahr said Mimura. 'I think I begin to understand.'
`Good,' said Oishi. 'At last.'
Kataoka laughed.
`So,' Oishi said, 'when you talk in the house, be careful.
Remember who is listening.' Suddenly, he began to
shout at them. 'Get out! I'm going out into town, and
nobody is going to stop me!'
Kataoka and Mimura left the room, smiling.
Time passed. Spring 1702 came, and then summer. The
death of Lord Asano of Ako was now more than a Year
ago. In the streets of Edo, there was no talk of revenge
by the Asano samurai. They were just rosin, living here
and there in different cities in Japan. Their captain, Oishi
Yoshio, was without honour, and spent his time with
had men. Kira began to feel safer, and the Uesugi guards
around his home went hack to the Uesugi mansion
across the river.
At the end of the summer Oishi came home late one
night after an evening down by the river in Kyoto. When
he came into the house, he shouted noisily.
`Riku! Riku! Where are you? Come here!'
Riku, his wife of twenty years, came quietly into the
room, and Oishi began to shout at her.
`I'm tired of you I don't want to see your face again.
Go away! Leave my house! Go back to your father's
house our marriage is ended. I can find more
beautiful girls in the town. Go!'
Riku put her face in her hands and began to cry, very
quietly. From the other side of the room, Oishi shouted
some more. Riku did nor move.
Then site said, very quietly, 'Must I go?'
Oishi came and stood in front of her. He put his mouth
close to her ear, and spoke in a whisper. `
The time is coming. i don't want you here in this house
when it happens. You know why. So I must send you
away, back to your father. The government cannot do
anything to you when you live in your father's house.
That is best for you, and the children.'
Riku looked into his face. 'Yes, I understand. Do you
want me to take all the children with me?'
They still spoke in whispers, because in that house the
walls had ears.
`Aaahr dijo Mimura. Creo que empiezo a entender.
-Bien -dijo Oishi-. 'Al final.
' Kataoka se ech a rer.
-As que -dijo Oishi-, cuando hables en la casa, ten
cuidado. Recuerda quin est escuchando. De repente,
comenz a gritarles. 'Sal! Voy a salir a la ciudad y
nadie me va a detener!
Kataoka y Mimura salieron de la habitacin, sonriendo.
El tiempo pas. La primavera de 1702 lleg, y luego el
verano. La muerte de Lord Asano de Ako fue hace ms
de un ao. En las calles de Edo, no se hablaba de
venganza por parte del samurai Asano. Slo eran
colofonia, viviendo aqu y all en diferentes ciudades de
Japn. Su capitn, Oishi Yoshio, estaba sin honor, y
pasaba su tiempo con hombres. Kira empez a sentirse
ms segura, y los guardias de Uesugi alrededor de su
casa se fueron a la mansin de Uesugi cruzando el ro.
Al final del verano, Oishi regres tarde a casa una noche
despus de una noche en el ro en Kyoto. Cuando entr
en la casa, grit ruidosamente.
Riku! Riku! Dnde ests? Ven aca!'
Riku, su esposa de veinte aos, entr en silencio en la
habitacin, y Oishi comenz a gritarle.
Estoy cansado de ti, no quiero volver a ver tu cara.
Vete! Sal de mi casa! Vuelve a la casa de tu padre,
nuestro matrimonio ha terminado. Puedo encontrar
chicas ms hermosas en la ciudad. Ir!'
Riku puso su cara en sus manos y comenz a llorar, muy
calladamente. Desde el otro lado de la sala, Oishi grit
un poco ms. Riku no se movi.
Entonces el sitio dijo, en voz muy baja: -Debo irme?
Oishi se acerc y se par delante de ella. Puso su boca
cerca de su oreja, y habl en un susurro. ``
El tiempo est llegando. No te quiero aqu en esta casa
cuando sucede. Sabes por qu. As que debo enviarte de
vuelta a tu padre. El gobierno no puede hacer nada
cuando vives en la casa de tu padre. Eso es lo mejor para
ti y para los nios.
Riku lo mir a la cara. 'Si entiendo. Quieres que lleve
conmigo a todos los nios?
Todava hablaban en susurros, porque en esa casa las
paredes tenan orejas.
`The younger children, yes,' said Oishi. 'But Chikara is
fifteen, nearly sixteen now and a man. He is ready to be
a samurai. He can go with you, or he can stay with me.
Ask him. Tell him to come and see me in the morning.'
Riku looked into his face one more time, then turned to
go. Oishi put out his hand, and touched her face, just for
a second. Then he, too, turned away.
That night he did not sleep. He sat for a long time in the
dark, looking out at the stars in the night sky.
In the early morning his son Chikara found him there.
`Father, I want to stay here with you. I want to he a
samurai, and I am ready. I am a good swordsman now.'
Oishi put his hand on his son's shoulder. 'Good man,' he
said. 'The league needs strong swordsmen like you.' He
was silent for a minute. 'Did you say goodbye to your
mother?' he asked.
`Yes,' Chikara said. 'She left an hour ago. She . . .' He did
not finish.
`Yes. I know,' said Oishi. 'But this is the life of a samurai.
Come we have work to do.'
Chapter 4
The attack
Autumn came. The leaves turned yellow and gold, and
fell from the trees. Oishi sent messages to the ronin, and
one by one they began to arrive in Edo. They travelled at
different times, and went to different `safe houses' in
the city. Oishi made the journey in November 1702.
When he arrived in Edo, he called a meeting in a room
above a noisy restaurant.
`Now you must decide, for the last time,' he told his
men. `Do you want revenge for Lord Asano, or not?
Some of you, T know, have young children, or very old
parents. Do those men want to leave the league? You
can go with honour.'
Eight men left. There were now forty-seven ronin in the
league. There were young men and old men the
youngest was Chikara, now aged sixteen, and the oldest
was seventy-six. There were brothers, and some fathers
and sons, like Oishi and Chikara.
-Los nios ms pequeos, s -dijo Oishi. Pero Chikara
tiene quince aos, casi diecisis ahora y un hombre. l
est listo para ser un samurai. Puede ir contigo, o puede
quedarse conmigo. Preguntarle. Dile que venga a verme
por la maana.
Riku se mir a la cara una vez ms, luego se volvi para
irse. Oishi extendi la mano, y le toc la cara, slo por
un segundo. Entonces l tambin se volvi.
Esa noche no durmi. Se sent durante mucho tiempo
en la oscuridad, mirando las estrellas en el cielo
nocturno.
A primera hora de la maana, su hijo Chikara lo
encontr all. Padre, quiero quedarme aqu contigo.
Quiero ser un samurai, y estoy listo. Ahora soy un buen
espadachn. Oishi puso su mano en el hombro de su hijo.
-Buen hombre -dijo-. -La liga necesita espadachines
fuertes como t. Se qued en silencio un minuto. -
Dices adis a tu madre? pregunt.
S -dijo Chikara. Se fue hace una hora. Ella. . . ' l no
termin.
S. Lo s -dijo Oishi. Pero esta es la vida de un samurai.
Vamos, tenemos trabajo que hacer.
Captulo 4
El ataque
Lleg el otoo. Las hojas se volvieron amarillas y
doradas, y cayeron de los rboles. Oishi envi mensajes
a los ronin, y uno a uno comenzaron a llegar a Edo.
Viajaron en diferentes pocas, y fueron a diferentes
"casas seguras" en la ciudad. Oishi hizo el viaje en
noviembre de 1702. Cuando lleg a Edo, llam a una
reunin en una habitacin por encima de un restaurante
ruidoso.
-Ahora debes decidir por ltima vez -le dijo a sus
hombres-. -Quieres vengarse de Lord Asano, o no?
Algunos de ustedes, T saben, tienen hijos pequeos, o
padres muy viejos. Esos hombres quieren dejar la liga?
Puedes ir con honor.
Ocho hombres se fueron. Haba ahora cuarenta y siete
ronin en la liga. Haba hombres jvenes y ancianos; el
ms joven era Chikara, que ahora tena diecisis aos, y
el mayor tena setenta y seis aos. Haba hermanos, y
algunos padres e hijos, como Oishi y Chikara.
 In the weeks before the attack, many of the ronin wrote
letters home to their wives and families to say their
last goodbyes.
They began to get ready One ronin had a ground plan of
Kira's mansion, and Oishi studied this very carefully.
There were high walls around the house 132 metres
on the long side and 61 metres on the short side. There
were two gates, one in the east wall and one in the west
wall. Inside the walls, there was a long building, with
courtyards and gardens all around it.
`We need to go in at both gates at the same time,' said
Oishi. 'We must have two groups of men, one to attack
the front gate and one to attack the back gate.
' `Yes,' Yoshida said. 'And we must stop any servant from
leaving the mansion. We don't want them to run across
the river to the Uesugi and call for help.
' `How many people are living in Kira's mansion?' asked
Hayami. 'And how many of them are samurai?'
`There are more than a hundred and twenty people
inside those walls,' said Okuda. `Perhaps about fifty of
them are guards . . . We don't know how many samurai.'
`What about our weapons?' asked Oishi, looking at
Horibe.
`The weapons are ready,' Horibe said. 'Everybody has
their swords. We have spears for everybody too, and
many bows and arrows. And we have armour.
' `Good,' said Oishi. 'So now we wait for the right time
when Kira is at home.
' The right time came on December 14, 1702, a dark
night with snow falling from the sky. The people of Edo
slept quietly, warm in their houses, but the ronin put on
their armour, took their weapons, and waited for
midnight. Before they left, Oishi spoke to his men.
'At last we can finish our work for Lord Asano, and take
revenge for his death, now nearly two years ago. We are
here to kill Lord Kira Yoshinaka. We must fight his guards
and his samurai, yes, and kill them, but do not kill
women and children. We are not here to do that. And
remember, you all have a whistle. When you find Lord
Kira, blow your whistle.'
En las semanas previas al ataque, muchos de los ronin
escribieron cartas a sus esposas y familias para decir sus
ltimas despedidas.
Empezaron a prepararse. Un ronin tena un plano de la
mansin de Kira, y Oishi lo estudi muy
cuidadosamente. Haba altos muros alrededor de la casa
- 132 metros en el lado largo y 61 metros en el lado
corto. Haba dos puertas, una en la pared oriental y otra
en la pared oeste. Dentro de las paredes, haba un
edificio largo, con patios y jardines alrededor.
Tenemos que entrar a las dos puertas al mismo tiempo -
dijo Oishi-. "Debemos tener dos grupos de hombres, uno
para atacar la puerta principal y otro para atacar la
puerta trasera.
"S", dijo Yoshida. Y debemos detener a cualquier
sirviente de salir de la mansin. No queremos que
corran al otro lado del ro hacia Uesugi y pidan ayuda.
Cuntas personas viven en la mansin de Kira? -
pregunt Hayami. -Y cuntos de ellos son samuris?
"Hay ms de ciento veinte personas dentro de esas
paredes", dijo Okuda. Quiz unos cincuenta son
guardias. . . No sabemos cuntos samurai.
Y nuestras armas? -pregunt Oishi, mirando a Horibe.
-Las armas estn listas -dijo Horibe. Todo el mundo
tiene sus espadas. Tenemos lanzas para todos tambin,
y muchos arcos y flechas. Y tenemos armadura.
Bueno -dijo Oishi. "As que ahora esperamos el
momento adecuado cuando Kira est en casa.
"El momento adecuado vino el 14 de diciembre de 1702,
una noche oscura con nieve cayendo del cielo. El pueblo
de Edo dorma tranquilamente, calido en sus casas, pero
los ronin se ponan la armadura, tomaban sus armas y
esperaban la medianoche. Antes de marcharse, Oishi
habl con sus hombres.
Por fin podemos terminar nuestro trabajo para Lord
Asano y vengarnos de su muerte, hace casi dos aos.
Estamos aqu para matar al Seor Kira Yoshinaka.
Debemos luchar contra sus guardias y sus samuris, s, y
matarlos, pero no matar a mujeres y nios. No estamos
aqu para hacer eso. Y recuerde, todos ustedes tienen un
silbato. Cuando encuentres al Seor Kira, dispara tu
silbato.

Then the forty-seven ronin went silently through the
snow to lord Kira's mansion. Oishi and I lara took their
group to the front gate, and Yoshida with Oishi's son
Chikara took their group of men to the hack gate.
Outside the mansion they put signs in the streets: WE
THE RONIN FROM AKO CASTLE, ARE TAKING OUR
REVENGE ON KIRA YOSHINAKA TONIGHT, FOR THE
DEATH OF OUR DAIMYO, LORD ASANO NAGANOR1. WE
ARE NOT NIGHT THIEVES AND DO NOT PLAN TO ATTACK
OTHER PEOPLE. YOU ARE SAFE IN YOUR HOUSES.
Later, when the neighbours came out into the streets,
they saw the signs, and went back into their houses.
They did not like Lord Kira, and so did nothing to help
him.
At the front gate, four men climbed over the wall, and
went silently into the guardroom. They fought the
guards and tied them up. Then they broke down the
gate from the inside, and Oishi and his men came into
the courtyard. At the same time, at the back gate,
Yoshida and Chikara and their men climbed over the
wall into the back courtyard. They tied up the guards
there; then waited quietly in the snow.
Before the attack began, Oishi sent four men up onto
the walls with bows and arrows. The great mansion was
still dark and silent, and Oishi whispered his orders.
`Lord Kira's servants are going to try and run away to get
help,' he said. 'Watch carefully, and shoot them down at
once. Nobody must leave!'
Now everything was ready, and Oishi beat his drum
loudly. The sound of the drum told the men at both
gates to start the attack at the same moment. The ronin
ran through the courtyards and gardens, and broke into
the house at the front and the hack.
By now, everybody in the mansion was awake, and Lord
Kira's men, still in their nightclothes, came running with
swords and spears and Knives. Suddenly, the night was
full of noise - men shouting, the sound hi against
sword, the cries of women and children ...
Entonces los cuarenta y siete ronin fueron
silenciosamente a travs de la nieve a la mansin del
seor Kira. Oishi y yo Lara llevaron a su grupo a la puerta
principal, y Yoshida con el hijo de Oishi, Chikara, llev a
su grupo de hombres a la puerta de los hacks.
Fuera de la mansin ponen seales en las calles:
NOSOTROS EL RONIN DE AKO CASTLE, ESTAMOS
TOMANDO NUESTRA VENGANZA EN KIRA YOSHINAKA
ESTA NOCHE, POR LA MUERTE DE NUESTRO DAIMYO,
SEOR ASANO NAGANOR1. NO SOMOS LADRONES DE
NOCHE Y NO PLANO PARA ATABAR A OTRAS PERSONAS.
USTED ES SEGURO EN SUS CASAS.
Ms tarde, cuando los vecinos salieron a las calles,
vieron las seales y volvieron a sus casas. A ellos no les
gustaba Lord Kira, y por lo tanto no hicieron nada para
ayudarlo.
En la puerta principal, cuatro hombres treparon por la
pared, y entraron en silencio en la sala de guardia.
Lucharon contra los guardias y los ataron. Entonces
rompieron la puerta desde adentro, y Oishi y sus
hombres entraron en el patio. Al mismo tiempo, en la
puerta de atrs, Yoshida y Chikara y sus hombres
treparon por la pared hacia el patio trasero. All
amarraron a los guardias; luego esper en silencio en la
nieve.
Antes de que comenzara el ataque, Oishi envi a cuatro
hombres a las paredes con arcos y flechas. La gran
mansin todava estaba oscura y silenciosa, y Oishi
susurr sus rdenes. -Los sirvientes del seor Kira van a
tratar de huir para obtener ayuda -le dijo-. -Mira con
cuidado, y dispara a la vez. Nadie debe irse!
Ahora todo estaba listo, y Oishi golpe fuertemente su
tambor. El sonido del tambor les dijo a los hombres de
ambas puertas que comenzaran el ataque en el mismo
momento. El ronin recorri los patios y los jardines, y
entr en la casa del frente y del patio.
A estas alturas, todos los que estaban en la mansin
estaban despiertos, y los hombres de Lord Kira, todava
vestidos de noche, venan corriendo con espadas, lanzas
y cuchillos. De repente, la noche estaba llena de ruido -
hombres gritando, el sonido "hi contra la espada, los
gritos de las mujeres y los nios ...
In the great front room of the mansion, the lighting was
very fierce. Three of Kira's samurai, all famous
swordsmen, fought for a long time, and Oishi's men
could not get past them into the rooms behind. But the
ronin fought hard too, and in the and two other ronin
killed the three samurai. Then Oishi's men moved on
into the next rooms.
At the other end of the long mansion, the fighting was
also fierce. One of Kira's samurai attacked Yoshida, and
jumped in under Yoshida's sword arm with hi. knife.
Yoshida tell back, but I loribe was right behind the
samurai, and cut him down with his long sword. Hien the
two romn moved on into the next room.
Soon there was fighting in every room. lord Kira's men
fought bravely, but the ronin were fierce and deadly.
Many men died, and some were hurt, but not one of the
ronin died that night.
In every room Oishi and his men looked for Lord Kira.
but he was never there. At last the two groups of ronin
met in the middle of the mansion, and the fighting came
to a stop. Seventeen of Kira's guards and samurai were
dead, and the others ran ;may. Women and children sat
in the corners of rooms, crying.
Oishi called out to Yoshida, 'Kira? Where is he?'
`I don't know,' called Yoshida. 'He wasn't in the rooms at
the hack of the house when we came through.
' `What about the family living rooms?' called Horibe.
`Let's look in there again
.' `We can't lose Kira now!' shouted Okuda. 'Come on!'
The ronin began to feel afraid. Where was Lord Kira?
Was he still in the mansion somewhere? Or did he
escape when the fighting began? They ran through the
family rooms, looking everywhere. In Kira's sleeping-
room Oishi put his hand on the bed-clothes.
`They're warm!' he shouted. 'The bed-clothes are still
warm - he was here not long ago! Find him!'
En la gran sala delantera de la mansin, la iluminacin
era muy feroz. Tres de los samurai de Kira, todos los
espadachines famosos, lucharon durante mucho tiempo,
y los hombres de Oishi no pudieron pasarlos a las
habitaciones detrs. Pero el ronin luch duro tambin, y
en el y otros dos ronin mat a los tres samurai. Entonces
los hombres de Oishi se trasladaron a las habitaciones
contiguas.
En el otro extremo de la larga mansin, la lucha era
tambin feroz. Uno de los samurai de Kira atac a
Yoshida, y salt bajo el brazo de la espada de Yoshida
con hola. cuchillo. Yoshida me lo cont, pero yo loribe
estaba justo detrs del samurai, y lo cort con su larga
espada. Hien los dos romn se traslad a la habitacin de
al lado.
Pronto hubo peleas en todas las habitaciones. los
hombres de lord Kira lucharon con valenta, pero los
ronin eran feroces y mortales. Muchos hombres
murieron, y algunos fueron heridos, pero ninguno de los
ronin muri esa noche.
En cada habitacin Oishi y sus hombres buscaban al
Seor Kira. pero l nunca estuvo all. Por fin, los dos
grupos de ronin se encontraron en medio de la mansin
y los combates se detuvieron. Diecisiete guardias de Kira
y samurai estaban muertos, y los otros corrieron;
Mujeres y nios sentados en las esquinas de las
habitaciones, llorando.
Oishi llam a Yoshida, 'Kira? Donde esta el?'
No lo s -dijo Yoshida-. -No estaba en las habitaciones
de la casa cuando llegamos.
Y los salones de la familia? llamado Horibe. `Miremos
adentro all otra vez
No podemos perder a Kira ahora! -grit Okuda.
'Venga!' El ronin empez a sentir miedo. Dnde estaba
Lord Kira? Estaba todava en la mansin? O se escap
cuando comenz la lucha? Corrieron a travs de las
habitaciones familiares, mirando por todas partes. En el
dormitorio de Kira, Oishi puso la mano sobre la ropa de
cama.
Estn calientes! l grit. -La ropa de cama todava est
caliente, no estuvo aqu hace mucho tiempo!
Encontrarlo!'
 Chapter 5
The revenge
Oishi sent his men, in four groups, to look everywhere Oishi envi a sus hombres, en cuatro grupos, a buscar en
in the house, the kitchens, the gardens, the courtyards, todas partes: en la casa, en las cocinas, en los jardines,
the guardrooms, under the floors .. . en los patios, en los cuartos de guardia, bajo los pisos ....
In the courtyard by the north wall, three of the ronin
found a wood store. One of them, Hazama, went inside,
and pushed his spear deep into the wood. There was a
sudden cry, from under the wood. Immediately, the
three ronin began to pull the wood out, and very quickly
they found an old man, dressed in white nightclothes.
`Old man, what is your name?' said l lazama.
The old man said nothing. He sat on the snowy ground,
with his hands over his face.
`It's him,' said one of the ronin. 'Quick blow your
whistle.'
When they heard the whistle, all the ronin came
running, with Oishi at the front.
Oishi carried a light, and held it near the old man's face.
'Yes, its Kira,' he said to his men. 'See here, on his
head, that old cut. It was a cut made by a sword ... Lord
Asano's sword. It's in the right place.'
Oishi stood up, and bowed deeply to the old man.
`Lord Kira Yoshinaka, we are the samurai of Asano
Naganori. We are loyal men, loyal to our master, and so
we are here tonight to take revenge for his death. Lord
Asano committed seppuku, and so we ask you, Lord Kira,
to commit seppuku too to die bravely, with honour.'
On the ground in front of Kira, Oishi carefully placed a
long knife.
`Here, Lord Kira, is a knife. Lord Asano's knife.'
But the old man did nothing. lie sat on the ground,
shaking from head to toe, not speaking. Again and again,
Oishi asked him to commit seppuku. Again and again, he
showed him Lord Asano's knife. But Lord Kira did not
move or put out his hand to take the knife. He did not
want to take the road to death with honour.
Captulo 5
La venganza
En el patio junto a la pared norte, tres de los ronin
encontraron una tienda de madera. Uno de ellos,
Hazama, entr y empuj su lanza en el bosque. Hubo un
grito repentino, desde debajo de la madera.
Inmediatamente, los tres ronin comenzaron a sacar la
madera, y muy rpidamente encontraron un anciano,
vestido con ropas blancas.
Viejo, cmo te llamas? dijo lazama.
El anciano no dijo nada. Se sent en el suelo cubierto de
nieve, con las manos sobre la cara.
Es l -dijo uno de los ronin. - Rpido - dispara tu silbato.
Cuando oyeron el silbido, todos los ronin vinieron
corriendo, con Oishi en el frente.
Oishi llev una luz y la sostuvo cerca del rostro del viejo.
-S, es su Kira -le dijo a sus hombres-. Mira, aqu, en su
cabeza, ese viejo corte. Era un corte hecho por una
espada ... La espada de Lord Asano. Est en el lugar
correcto.
Oishi se levant y se inclin profundamente hacia el
anciano.
Lord Kira Yoshinaka, somos el samurai de Asano
Naganori. Somos leales, leales a nuestro amo, y por eso
estamos aqu esta noche para vengarnos de su muerte.
Seor Asano cometi seppuku, por lo que le pedimos,
Seor Kira, que cometan seppuku tambin - para morir
con valenta, con honor. En el suelo delante de Kira,
Oishi cuidadosamente coloc un cuchillo largo.
Aqu, lord Kira, es un cuchillo. El cuchillo de lord Asano.
Pero el viejo no hizo nada. se sent en el suelo,
temblando de la cabeza a los pies, sin hablar. Una y otra
vez, Oishi le pidi que cometa seppuku. Una y otra vez
le mostr el cuchillo de lord Asano. Pero Lord Kira no se
movi ni extendi la mano para tomar el cuchillo. No
quera tomar el camino de la muerte con honor.
 At last, Oishi Yoshio stood up. He bowed again to Lord
Kira; then he drew his sword and cut off Lord Kira's
head. The ronin put a coat around the head and tied it
to a spear. It was three o'clock in the morning, and their
long wait for revenge was finished.
'And now,' said Oishi, 'we must leave at once and take
the head to Lord Asano's grave at Sengaku-ji. We must
do this last thing for Lord Asano, and then we are ready
for death.
`But before we leave,' he said, 'we must put out the
house fires. We don't want to start a fire in the city.' The
house was full of dead bodies and crying women, and
there was no one to take care of things. Edo was a city
of buildings made Of wood, and fire was a terrible
danger.
They put out the fires, and forty-six ronin left the
mansion. The forty-seventh ronin, a young man called
Terasaka, was now on his way to Hiroshima. Oishi sent
him there to take the news of the attack to Daigaku, the
brother of Lord Asano.
Two of the ronin carried the spear with Lord Kira's head,
and Oishi walked in front, with Yoshida on one side and
Chikara on the other side.
They began their long walk to Sengaku-ji. And in the
streets of Edo, people came out of their houses to
watch.
Chapter 6
The punishment
The Asano family graves were next to the temple at
Sengaku-ji, and it was a ten-kilometre walk there from
Kira's mansion. The ronin were afraid of attack from the
Uesugi guards, so they kept away from Edo Palace and
walked on the eastern side of the Sumida River until the
Eitai bridge. Then they crossed the river. Oishi sent two
of the ronin to Edo Palace, to take the news of the
ronins' revenge to the government.
In the first light of day more and more people came out
into the streets talking and whispering about the
killing of Lord Kira and the revenge of the forty-seven
ronin. The news ran like fire through the city.
Por fin, Oishi Yoshio se puso de pie. Se inclin otra vez
ante lord Kira; entonces sac su espada y cort la cabeza
de Lord Kira. El ronin puso un abrigo alrededor de la
cabeza y lo at a una lanza. Eran las tres de la
madrugada, y su larga espera de venganza haba
terminado.
Y ahora -dijo Oishi-, debemos irnos de inmediato y llevar
la cabeza a la tumba de lord Asano en Sengaku-ji.
Debemos hacer esta ltima cosa para el Seor Asano, y
entonces estamos listos para la muerte
Pero antes de que nos vayamos -dijo-, debemos apagar
los fuegos de la casa. No queremos encender un
incendio en la ciudad. La casa estaba llena de cadveres
y mujeres llorando, y no haba nadie para cuidar de las
cosas. Edo era una ciudad de edificios hechos de
madera, y el fuego era un peligro terrible.
Apagaron los fuegos y cuarenta y seis ronin salieron de
la mansin. El cuarenta y siete ronin, un joven llamado
Terasaka, se diriga ahora a Hiroshima. Oishi lo envi all
para llevar la noticia del ataque a Daigaku, el hermano
de Lord Asano.
Dos de los ronin llevaron la lanza con la cabeza de Lord
Kira, y Oishi camin delante, con Yoshida en un lado y
Chikara en el otro lado.
Empezaron su larga caminata hacia Sengaku-ji. Y en las
calles de Edo, la gente sala de sus casas para vigilar
Captulo 6
El castigo
Las tumbas de la familia Asano estaban al lado del
templo en Sengaku-ji, y haba una caminata de diez
kilmetros desde la mansin de Kira. Los ronin tenan
miedo de ser atacados por los guardias de Uesugi, as
que se mantuvieron alejados del Palacio Edo y
caminaron por el lado oriental del ro Sumida hasta el
puente Eitai. Luego cruzaron el ro. Oishi envi dos de
los ronin al palacio de Edo, para tomar la noticia de la
venganza de los ronins al gobierno.
A primera hora del da, ms y ms gente sali a las calles
hablando y susurrando sobre el asesinato de Lord Kira y
la venganza de los cuarenta y siete ronin. Las noticias
corrieron como fuego por la ciudad.
And the people liked the news. 'What brave men!' they
said. 'What loyal samurai! These ronin waited nearly two
years to take their revenge! That is the samurai code!
They arc true samurai, like in the old days.'
The ronin passed Zojo-ji temple, and began to climb the
hill to Sengaku-ji. When they arrived at the temple, they
washed Lord Kira's head in the well (you can see the well
to this day at Sengaku-ji).
Then, slowly and carefully, Oishi placed the head in
front of Lord Asano's grave. The forty-six ronin kneeled
before the grave, and Oishi spoke these words: Tor
many years, Lord Asano, we served you, we are your
food, we lived in your castle. You tried to kill your
enemy, but you lost your life. We could not live under
the same sky as enemy. Last night we finished your
work, and took revenge for your death.
Young and old, we, the ronin of Ako, are your loyal
servants. We server you, by sword and by spear in life
and in death.'
For two days Kira's head lay on Lord Asano's grave at
Sengaku-ji. Then the temple priests took it away and
sent it back to his family.
The Shogun's officers arrested the forty-six ronin and
took them to the mansions of four different daimyo.
There, the ronin waited to hear their punishment. Oishi,
is it h sixteen of his men, went to the Hosokawa mansion
WM' Sengaku-ii. To honour them, 1,400 samurai walked
with them through the snowy streets, and the people of
the city watched.
Now came a difficult time for the Shogun and the
government. Killing was a crime, and in those days the
punishment for that crime was to cut off the head. But a
death like that was a death without honour.
Many people said this: The ronin are good samurai
brave men, loyal to their master. They were right to kill
Kira and to take revenge for their lord's death. They
followed the samurai code of honour, so they must have
a samurai death.'
Y a la gente le gustaban las noticias. -Qu valientes!
ellos dijeron. Qu leal samurai! Estos ronin esperaron
casi dos aos para tomar su venganza! se es el cdigo
del samurai! Son verdaderos samuris, como en los
viejos tiempos.
El ronin pas el templo Zojo-ji, y comenz a subir la
colina a Sengaku-ji. Cuando llegaron al templo, lavaron
la cabeza del Seor Kira en el pozo (se puede ver el pozo
hasta el da de hoy en Sengaku-ji).
Luego, lenta y cuidadosamente, Oishi coloc la cabeza
delante de la tumba de Lord Asano. Los cuarenta y seis
ronin se arrodillaron ante la tumba, y Oishi dijo estas
palabras: Durante muchos aos, Seor Asano, te
servimos, somos tu alimento, vivimos en tu castillo.
Intentaste matar a tu enemigo, pero perdiste la vida. No
podramos vivir bajo el mismo cielo que el enemigo.
Anoche terminamos tu trabajo y vengamos tu muerte.
Jvenes y viejos, nosotros, los ronin de Ako, somos sus
fieles sirvientes. Te servimos, por espada y por lanza en
la vida y en la muerte.
Durante dos das la cabeza de Kira estaba en la tumba de
lord Asano en Sengaku-ji. Entonces los sacerdotes del
templo se lo llevaron y lo enviaron a su familia.
Los oficiales del Shogun arrestaron a los cuarenta y seis
ronin y los llevaron a las mansiones de cuatro daimyo
diferentes. All, los ronin esperaron a or su castigo.
Oishi, es l diecisis de sus hombres, fue a la mansin de
Hosokawa WM 'Sengaku-ii. Para honrarlos, 1.400
samurai caminaron con ellos por las calles nevadas, y la
gente de la ciudad lo observ.
Lleg un momento difcil para el shogn y el gobierno.
Matar era un crimen, y en aquellos das el castigo por
ese crimen era cortarle la cabeza. Pero una muerte as
era una muerte sin honor.
Muchas personas dijeron esto: Los ronin son buenos
samurai-hombres de la lealtad, leales a su amo. Tenan
razn en matar a Kira y tomar venganza por la muerte
de su seor. Siguieron el cdigo de honor del samurai,
por lo que deben tener una muerte samurai.
 But other people thought differently, and said this:
'Lord Asano attacked Lord Kira in the palace, and Asano
died because of this crime. Lord Kira did not kill him, so
there was no need for revenge. This was not a revenge
killing, and the ronin are just killers. So they must die a
killer's death.'
The government could not agree on the punishment. For
weeks they talked and argued, asked this person and
that person, talked and argued again. The ronin waited
quietly in the four daimyo houses. They waited for
death, one way or another.
At last, one day in March 1703, many weeks after the
death of Kira, the order came from the Shogun's palace.
The ronin must die, but because of their loyalty to their
lord, they could die the samurai death. They could
commit seppuku and keep their honour as samurai.
That same day, in the four daimyo mansions, the ronin
got ready for death. One by one, in the courtyards of the
mansions, the forty-six ronin committed seppuku. Their
bodies were put in graves at Sengaku-ji temple, close to
their master, Lord Asano Naganori.
The forty-seventh ronin, Terasaka, arrived back from
Hiroshima after the death of the other ronin. He went at
once to Edo Palace, and asked for the same death as the
other ronin. But he was a young man, and the Shogun
felt sorry for him. So Terasaka did not commit seppuku.
le lived to the great age of eighty-three, but when he
died, he wanted to be with the other ronin. So his grave
is the forty-seventh grave at Sengaku-ji.
Sengaku-ji today
Three hundred years later, people in Japan are still
talking and arguing about the story of the Forty-Seven
Ronin. Every year, on December 14, there is a festival at
the Sengaku-ji temple to remember Lord Asano's death
and the revenge of his brave, loyal rosin. Thousands of
people come every year to this festival. The way of the
samurai is not forgotten.
Pero otras personas pensaron de otra manera y dijeron
esto: "Lord Asano atac al Seor Kira en el palacio, y
Asano muri por este crimen. Lord Kira no lo mat, as
que no hubo necesidad de venganza. Esto no era un
asesinato por venganza, y los ronin son slo asesinos.
As que deben morir la muerte de un asesino. '
El gobierno no pudo ponerse de acuerdo sobre el
castigo. Durante semanas hablaron y discutieron,
preguntaron a esa persona ya esa persona, hablaron y
discutieron otra vez. El ronin esper en silencio en las
cuatro casas de daimyo. Esperaban la muerte, de una
forma u otra.
Por fin, un da de marzo de 1703, muchas semanas
despus de la muerte de Kira, la orden vino del palacio
del shogn. Los ronin deben morir, pero debido a su
lealtad a su seor, podran morir la muerte samurai.
Podan confiar seppuku y mantener su honor como
samurai.
Ese mismo da, en las cuatro mansiones daimyo, el ronin
se prepar para la muerte. Uno por uno, en los patios de
las mansiones, los cuarenta y seis ronin cometieron
seppuku. Sus cuerpos fueron puestos en tumbas en el
templo Sengaku-ji, cerca de su maestro, el Seor Asano
Naganori.
El cuarenta y siete ronin, Terasaka, lleg de regreso de
Hiroshima despus de la muerte del otro ronin. Fue
inmediatamente al palacio de Edo, y pidi la misma
muerte que el otro ronin. Pero era un hombre joven, y el
Shogun sinti lstima por l. As que Terasaka no
cometi seppuku. vivi hasta la edad de ochenta y tres
aos, pero cuando muri, quiso estar con el otro ronin.
As que su tumba es la septuagsima sptima tumba en
Sengaku-ji.
Sengaku-ji hoy
Trescientos aos ms tarde, la gente en Japn todava
est hablando y discutiendo sobre la historia del
cuarenta y siete Ronin. Cada ao, el 14 de diciembre,
hay un festival en el templo de Sengaku-ji para recordar
la muerte de Lord Asano y la venganza de su resina
valiente y leal. Miles de personas vienen cada ao a este
festival. El camino del samurai no se olvida.
GLOSSARY

Argue: to talk angrily with someone because you do not Argumentar: hablar enojado con alguien porque no est
agree de acuerdo

Armour: metal 'clothes' to cover thy body when fighting Armadura: 'ropa' de metal para cubrir tu cuerpo cuando
peleas

Arrest: to take a person away because of a crime Detencin: llevar a una persona por un crimen

attack : to start fighting or hurting somebody or ataque: para empezar a pelear o lastimar a alguien o algo
something

beat : to hit something very hard many times golpear: golpear algo muy duro muchas veces golpear un

blow (a whistle): to send air out from your mouth silbato: para sacar aire de tu boca a travs de un silbato
through a whistle (a small musical instrument) (un pequeo instrumento musical)

bow and arrow: a weapon made of wood and string arco y flecha: un arma hecha de madera y cuerda que
which sends arrows ;thin wooden sticks with sharp ends) enva flechas, palos finos de madera con extremos
through the air afilados) a travs del aire

bow: to bend your head or body forward to show arco: para doblar la cabeza o el cuerpo hacia delante para
respect mostrar respeto

brave: ready to do dangerous or difficult things without valiente: listo para hacer cosas peligrosas o difciles sin
fear miedo

captain: the leader of a group of people capitn: el lder de un grupo de personas

castle: a large old building with high strong walls to keep castillo: un gran edificio antiguo con fuertes muros fuertes
people safe from attack para mantener a la gente a salvo del ataque

ceremony: a formal public event when things are always ceremonia: un evento pblico formal cuando las cosas
done in the same special way (adj ceremonial) siempre se hacen de la misma manera especial (adj
ceremonial)

code: a set of rules for a group of people code: un conjunto de reglas para un grupo de personas

commit: to do (used with words like suicide (seppulai), cometer: hacer (usado con palabras como suicidio
crime, etc.) (seppulai), crimen, etc.) patio un espacio abierto sin techo
courtyard an open space without a roof between entre edificios
buildings

crime: something that somebody does that is against crimen: algo que alguien hace que es contra la ley dainryo
the law dainryo see page iv ver pgina iv

draw: (a sword) to pull or take something from a place dibujar: (una espada) para tirar o tomar algo de un lugar

drum: a musical instrument that you hit with special tambor: un instrumento musical que golpeas con palos
sticks or with your hands especiales o con las manos
fierce: angry and wild feroz: enojado y salvaje

gate: a 'door' in a wall puerta: una "puerta" en una pared

government: the group of people who control a country gobierno: el grupo de personas que controlan un pas

grave: (n) the place where a person's dead body is put tumba: (n) el lugar donde se coloca el cadver de una
persona
guard: (n) a person who keeps somebody or something guardia: (n) una persona que mantiene a alguien o algo a
safe from attack by other people salvo del ataque de otras personas

honour: knowing and doing what is right, which causes honor: conocer y hacer lo que es correcto, lo que hace que
other people to respect you and hink well of you otras personas te respeten y hink bien de ti

kneel: to bend your legs and rest on your knees arrodillarse: doblar las piernas y descansar sobre las
rodillas

league: a group of people that work together to do liga: un grupo de personas que trabajan juntas para
something hacer algo

lift (t'): to move something to a higher place levantar (t '): mover algo a un lugar ms alto

lord: a title for a man who has an important position in Seor: un ttulo para un hombre que tiene una posicin
society importante en la sociedad

loyal: staying true and faithful to someone (n loyalty) leal: mantenerse fiel y fiel a alguien (n lealtad)

mansion: a very big, grand house mansin: una gran casa grande

master: a man who is the leader, or lord, of other people maestro: un hombre que es el lder, o el seor, de otras
personas
message: words that one person sends to another mensaje: palabras que una persona enva a otra persona

officer: a person who gives orders to other people oficial: una persona que da rdenes a otras personas

order: (n) words that tell somebody to do something orden: (n) palabras que dicen a alguien que haga algo

palace: a very large, beautiful house for a king, emperor, palacio: una casa muy grande y hermosa para un rey,
etc. emperador, etc.

powerful: strong, able to do many things, control people, poderoso: fuerte, capaz de hacer muchas cosas, controlar
etc. a la gente, etc.

present :(n) something that you give to somebody presente: (n) algo que le das a alguien

price :how much money you pay to buy something precio: cunto dinero pagas para comprar algo

priest: a person who leads people in their religion sacerdote: una persona que lleva a la gente en su religin

punishment: something that is done to a person because castigo: algo que se hace a una persona porque ha hecho
they have done something wrong algo mal
revenge :something had that you do to somebody who venganza: algo que tenas que hacerte a alguien que ha
has done something had to you hecho algo te tena

ronin: see page it' ronin: vea la pgina,

ruler a: person who rules a country (e.g. a queen, an regla a: persona que gobierna un pas (por ejemplo, una
emperor, a president, etc.) reina, un emperador, un presidente, etc.)

samurai: see page it' samurai: vea la pgina,

seppuku: see page iv seppuku: vea la pgina iv

servant: somebody who works in another person's house sirviente: alguien que trabaja en la casa de otra persona

serve: to do work for other people servir: hacer trabajo para otras personas

Shogun: see page it' Shogun: vea la pgina,

Spear: a long stick, sharp at one end, used for fighting Lanza: un palo largo, afilado en un extremo, usado para
luchar

ACTIVITIES ACTIVIDADES

Before Reading Antes de la lectura

1 Read the hack cover of the book, and the introduction 1 Lea la portada del libro, y la introduccin en la primera
on the first page. How much do you know now about the pgina. Cunto sabes ahora de la historia? Marque una
story? Tick one box for each sentence. casilla para cada oracin.
YES NO SI NO

1 The story of the forty-seven ronin happened 3,000 1 La historia de los cuarenta y siete ronin sucedi hace
years ago. 3.000 aos.
____ ____
2 It is a story about revenge. 2 Es una historia sobre la venganza.
____ ____
3 One day in 1701 Lord Kira dies. 3 Un da en 1701 el Seor Kira muere.
____ ____
4 When a lord dies, his samurai become rosin. 4 Cuando un seor muere, su samurai se convierte en
____ colofonia.
5 Ronin are samurai without a lord or master. ____
___ 5 Ronin son samuris sin un seor o maestro.
___
6 People in Japan still remember this story today. CI 6 Las personas en Japn todava recuerdan esta historia
hoy. CI
___
___
2 What is going to happen in this story? Can you guess? 2 Qu va a pasar en esta historia? Puedes adivinar?
Choose one answer for each question. Elija una respuesta para cada pregunta.

1 What do the ronin use for fighting? 1 Qu es lo que el ronin usa para luchar?
a) Their hands. a) Sus manos.
b) Swords. b) Espadas.
c) Guns. c) Armas de fuego.

2 How long does the plan for revenge take? 2 Cunto dura el plan de venganza?
a) Two years a) Dos aos
b) Five years. b) Cinco aos.
c) Ten years. c) Diez aos.

3 What revenge do the ronin want? Do they want Lord 3 Qu venganza quiere el ronin? Quieren al Seor
Kira . Kira?
a) to leave Japan? a) salir de Japn?
b) to die? b) morir?
c) to pay them money? c) pagarles dinero?

4 The story begins with a death. Is it going to end with . . . 4 La historia comienza con una muerte. Va a terminar
a) one death? con. . . a) una muerte?
b) two deaths? b) dos muertes?
c) many deaths? c) Muchas muertes?

ACTIVITIES OCUPACIONES

While Reading Mientras leo

Read chapters 1 to 3, and then complete these sentences Lea los captulos 1 a 3 y luego complete estas frases con
with the right words. las palabras correctas.

ceremony, crime, loyal, revenge, spy ceremonia, crimen, leal, venganza, espa
1 Lord Kira was the teacher of ___________at the 1 Seor Kira era el maestro de ___________ en el
palace. palacio.

2 It was a____________ to draw a sword in the Shogun's 2 Fue a____________ a sacar una espada en el palacio
palace. del shogn.

3 It was the samurai way to take ____________ for a 3 Fue la manera samurai de tomar ____________ por la
lord's death. muerte de un seor.

4 The ronin were ____________ to their lord in life and 4 Los ronin fueron ____________ a su seor en la vida y
in death. en la muerte.

S The cook in Oishi's house was a ____________ for Lord 5 El cocinero de la casa de Oishi era un ____________
Kira. para el Seor Kira.
 ________________________________________

Read chapters 4 and 5. Read these short extracts, and Lea los captulos 4 y 5. Lea estos breves extractos y
answer the questions. conteste las preguntas.

I 'We must stop any servant front leaving the mansion.' Tenemos que detener a cualquier sirviente que
(page 26) Why was it important to do that? abandone la mansin. (pgina 26) Por qu fue
importante hacer eso?

2 'The bed-clothes are still warm.' (page 32) What did 2 "La ropa de cama todava est caliente." (pgina 32)
this mean? Qu significa esto?

3 On the ground in front of Kira, Oishi carefully placed a 3 En el suelo delante de Kira, Oishi cuidadosamente
long knife. (page 34) Why did Oishi do this? coloc un cuchillo largo. (pgina 34) Por qu hizo esto
Oishi?

Before you read chapter 6, can you guess what happens? Antes de leer el captulo 6, puedes adivinar qu sucede?

1 All the ronin die. 1 Todos los ronin mueren.

2 Forty-six ronin die. 2 Cuarenta y seis ronin mueren.

3 The ronin do not die; they go to prison. 3 Los ronin no mueren; van a la crcel

Before you read chapter 6, can you guess what happens? Before you read chapter 6, can you guess what happens?

1 All the ronin die. 1 All the ronin die.

2 Forty-six ronin die. 2 Forty-six ronin die.

3 The ronin do not die; they go to prison. 3 The ronin do not die; they go to prison.

After Reading

1 Match these parts of sentences together, and choose

the best linking word to join them.

1 Lord Asano was angry with Lord Kira ...

2 He drew a sword and attacked Kira, ...

2 The punishment for this crime was death, ...

4 Lord Asano's samurai were now ronin,

5 S They planned to attack Lord Kira and kill him, ...

6 Lord Kira was afraid of an attack by Asano's ronin,

7 On the night of the attack Oishi and his men looked for
Lord Kira everywhere in the mansion, ...

8 Lord Kira did not want to commit seppuku, . .

9 The ronin carried Kira's head on a spear to Sengaku-ji

10 when / and they wanted revenge for their lord's death.

11 and i but at last they found him in the wood store.

12 because Iso Lord Asano committed seppuku.

13 but I and it was two years before they could attack.

14 because / so Kira called him 'stupid' and 'slow'.

15 so I but he put many Uesugi guards around his

mansion.

16 and I but placed the head in front of Lord Asano's

grave.

17 because I so Oishi cut off his head with a sword. 18

and I but it was a crime to draw a sword inside the palace.

After Reading

1 Match these parts of sentences together, and choose the best linking word to join them. 1 Lord Asano was angry with
Lord Kira ... 2 He drew a sword and attacked Kira, ... 3 The punishment for this crime was death, ... 4 Lord Asano's
samurai were now ronin, S They planned to attack Lord Kira and kill him, ... 6 Lord Kira was afraid of an attack by Asano's
ronin, 7 On the night of the attack Oishi and his men looked for Lord Kira everywhere in the mansion, ... 8 Lord Kira did
not want to commit seppuku, . . 9 The ronin carried Kira's head on a spear to Sengaku-ji 10 when / and they wanted
revenge for their lord's death. 11 and i but at last they found him in the wood store. 12 because Iso Lord Asano
committed seppuku. 13 but I and it was two years before they could attack. 14 because / so Kira called him 'stupid' and
'slow'. 15 so I but he put many Uesugi guards around his mansion. 16 and I but placed the head in front of Lord Asano's
grave. 17 because I so Oishi cut off his head with a sword. 18 and I but it was a crime to draw a sword inside the palace.

2 Here is a conversation between Hara and Kataoka, when Hara visits Oishi in Kyoto. Put their conversation in the right
order, and write in the speakers' names. Hara speaks first (number 3). 'He sees a samurai without honour.' 2 ______
'This happens when Kira is no longer afraid of us ronin, what's he going to do?' 3 All:,7 'Why is Oishi spending all his
time in the town with all kinds of bad men?' 4 _ 'It's clever because it's hiding something. Think about it, Hara. What do
we ronin all want?' S ___ 'Clever? What do you mean, 'clever'? How is that clever, Kataoka?' 6 'Right again! And then,
when there's only a small number of guards round his mansion, we can ..' 7 'Nobody. Ah! I begin to understand! So
what happens next, Kataoka?' 8 'Because he's clever.' 9 'We want revenge on Lord Kira, of course. We're going to
attack his mansion, find him, and kill him.' 10 Hara! And who is afraid of a samurai without honour?' 11 . . attack! You're
right, Kataoka it is clever!' 17 '1-"cs, we are. And Lord Kira knows that. So he's watching Oishi, our captain. And what
does Kira see?' 13 'He's going to send the Uesugi guards home.'

50

ACT1WITIFS: After Reading

3 Complete this crossword with words from the story. Use the clues below to help you.

1 Oishi was the 2 In old Japan, the 3 The ronin wanted 4 A samurai was a

of the ronin. were famous fighting men. for Lord Asano's death. , a fighting man, and he served

one of the great Japanese lords. 5 The favourite weapon of the samurai was the 6 For a samurai, it was better to die
than to live a life without . 7 In the Shogun's palace Lord Asano wore special clothes. 8 Ronin were samurai without a
lord or 9 Lord Kira lived in a , a very big, grand house. 10 Oishi was at home in Ako on the day when Lord Asano died.

ACTIV1 IIES: After Reading

4 Look back at the crossword and find a hidden word of ten letters. What is it?

-rhe hidden word is

5 The hidden word from the crossword can mean different things to different people at different times. Talk about your
answers to these questions. I In Japan in 1702. after lord Kira's death, what did this word mean to the ronin? 2 In today's
world, what can this word mean to ... a) a murderer? h) a thief? c) a child in school? d) somebody parking their car in the
wrong place?

6 What did you think about the people in this story? Choose some names, and finish the sentences in your own words.
Lord Kira Lord Asano i Oishi Riku Chilzara

1 I felt sorry for because 2 I liked because 3 1 didn't like because 4 I was angry with when 5 I was afraid for when 6
was right to . was wrong to