Is 47 Ronin based on true events?
The film is based on an actual historical event during the Edo Period known as “Chushingura.” It involved a lord who was wrongfully put to death and his followers — ronin — who sought revenge. Rinsch said he took on the film subject and sat down with Keanu Reeves about two years ago.
Is Kai a real character in 47 Ronin?
Keanu Reeves as Kai, a half-Japanese, half-English outcast adopted by the household of Lord Asano who joins the Ronin. The character was created for the film.
Who raised Kai in 47 Ronin?
Lord Asano (Min Tanaka) is a feudal lord who rules the Ako province with a strong-yet-fair fist. He and his samurai came upon 13-year-old Kai in the forest and took Kai in when the half-blood was but a child.
Where is the graves of the 47 Ronin?
Sengakuji Temple
Sengakuji (泉岳寺) is a small temple near Shinagawa Station in Tokyo. The temple is famous for its graveyard where the “47 Ronin” (also known as Akoroshi, the “masterless samurai from Ako”) are buried.
Is seppuku still practiced?
Seppuku, the ancient samurai ritual of suicide by self-stabbing, was long considered an honorable act of self-resolve such that despite the removal of cultural sanctioning, the rate of suicide in Japan remains high with suicide masquerading as seppuku still carried out both there and abroad.
Was there a half breed in 47 Ronin?
In this variation, the ronin are joined by a half-breed named Kai (Keanu Reeves), who is discovered as a young refugee in the forest and taken in by the feudal lord Asano (Min Tanaka).
Are ronin still samurai?
A rōnin (浪人, “drifter” or “wanderer”) was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period (1185–1868) of Japan. A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master’s favor or privilege.
What do Japanese think of seppuku?
Nonetheless, despite the abolishment of the samurai class, the prohibition of carrying swords, and the outlawing of seppuku in the 1870s as Japan adopted a Westernized form of government and military, seppuku has continued to be viewed as an act of courage, honor, and self-sacrifice within modern Japanese culture.