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 ------------ ILLUSTRATED ------------ _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 ACT II................................... 15 ACT III.................................. 33 ACT IV................................... 65 ACT V.................................... 87 ACT VI.................................. 105 ACT VII................................. 135 ACT VIII (The Bridal Journey)........... 171 ACT IX.................................. 179 ACT X................................... 215 ACT XI.................................. 251 [Illustration: Spear] INTRODUCTION. THE PECULIARITIES OF THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE.