Kanadehon Chûshingura Antecedents with Relevant Plot Summaries

T?san eiga no butai: (kabuki) 3.1702. Contents included a sword attack. Set within the sekai of Oguri hangan.

Akebono soga yo-uchi: (kabuki) 14.2.1703. Contents supposedly included a night attack. Set within the sekai of the Soga Brothers. Forced to shut down after only 3 days by government censors. Evidence that this play existed is scant.

Keisei mitsu no kuruma: (kabuki) 1703. Written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Contents included a night attack, a procession and a grave offering.

K?my? taiheiki: (sh?setsu ?) 1706. Written by Aoki Rosui. Alluded to a vendetta. Set within the sekai of the Taiheiki.

Fukubiki ura sh?gatsu: (?) 1708. Little is known about this. Supposedly identified Asano with Enya Hangan Takasada.

Goban taiheiki: (j?ruri) 1710. A one act play written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. It was the sequel to Kenk? h?shi monomiguruma, though the two have never been performed in sequence. Set within the Taiheiki sekai.

Okahei, a supposedly illiterate servant of Yuranosuke (called Yawata Rokur? in the prequel), pretends to be sending information to Moronao. When Rikiya discovers that Okahei's illiteracy is a pretense, he attacks first and asks questions later. As he lays dying, Okahei tells his story: his real name is Teraoka Heiemon and though his father had been dismissed as a foot soldier years ago, he had remained faithful to Enya and vowed to avenge his death. He eventually took up service at Moronao's estate, where he was ordered to spy on Yuranosuke and Rikiya. Okahei then proceeds to map out Moronao's mansion with stones on a Go board.

Oni kage musashi abumi: (j?ruri) 1713. A five act puppet play written by Ki no Kaion. Derived from a kabuki play of same name written by Azuma Sanpachi (1710, no longer extent). Set within the Oguri hangan sekai.

Oguri (Asano) is provoked by his father-in-law Yokoyama (Kira). Oguri attacks Yokoyama, fails to kill him and is forced to perform seppuku. Before he dies he informs one of his retainers of his grudge. In act three, Katagiri Genzaemon, an aged retainer of Oguri's, has become sick and his family poor. Gengo, Genzaemon's son, returns home, much to the pleasure of his wife and mother, only to kill his only son. Genzaemon sees through to the conviction behind this violent act and, understanding that Gengo is going to avenge their lord, attempts to give him a large sum of money that he had been saving. In act four, ?kishi Kunai (Kuranosuke), during one of his visits to a teahouse, notices the mutual attraction between Agemaki, a courtesan, and his son, Rikinosuke (Rikiya), and decides to buy out her contract to facilitate their relationship. Later on, however, worried over Agemaki's knowledge of their plans and the possible blunting of Rikinosuke's resolve, Kunai resolves to kill her.

Ch?shin kogane tanzaku: (j?ruri) 1.10.1732. Written by Namiki S?suke, Ogawa Matasuke and Yasuda Abun. Set within the Oguri hangan sekai.

In act one, before he is forced to perform seppuku, Oguri (Asano) tells Hara G?emon to inform ?kishi Yuranosuke of his grudge. In act two, a foot soldier of Oguri, Terazawa Shichiemon, steals the money his family had received from selling his wife into prostitution and leaves home with the intention of avenging his late master. When he enters in service at Moronao's estate, he meets Hayano Kanpei's wife, Utagi, who is also working as a spy, and Kanpei, who is working as a fisherman nearby. Although Shichiemon attempts to kill Moronao, he ultimately fails and is barely rescued by the Kanpei family.

In act three, Yuranosuke refuses to allow Rikiya to enter the league for fear that the love he feels for his mother would cause him to quail in the heat of battle. Rikiya then proves himself by slicing his only portrait of his mother. At the teahouse where Shichiemon's daughter, Kokonoe, works, a retainer of Yokoyama, Daita Takeday?, looks to buy off Kokonoe's contract. In the course of their conversation, Kokonoe takes the opportunity to question him thoroughly on the interior of Moronai's mansion. After doing so, she takes his sword and stabs him. Yuranosuke, Rikiya and Kokonoe's mother enter and divulge that Takeday? was, in fact, Kokonoe's real father. Takeday? then confesses that in the course of their conversation he had learned of Kokonoe and Rikiya's feelings for each other and, wanting to set them up, purposely spoke of his master's estate.

In act four, Yuranosuke's mother and wife journey to Yamashina, dismayed at what they hear of Yuranosuke's behavior. At Yamashina, a mute messenger arrives with a message written on his back. After writing their reply, Rikiya happens to see the man reading their response (also written on his back) in a mirror and slashes him. Afterwards, they learn the mute is really Kanpei, who had come in secrecy to learn of Yuranosuke's intentions. Yuranosuke allows Kanpei to sign his name in blood on the pact.