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The 47 Rônin are Introduced
to the World
James Murdoch
by Carlton Vann
James Murdoch, "The Forty-Seven
Ronin" in A History of Japan, vol. 3 (London: Kegan
Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1926), pp. 218-37.
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here]
In the third volume of his history of
Japan, James Murdoch includes an entire chapter on the Akô incident
and its historical context. Murdoch bases his account on sources provided
by Shigeno Yasutsugu, the first Japanese historian to analyze the incident
using the tools of modern scholarship. Murdoch is well aware of earlier
accounts in English of the story of the 47 rônin, and he attempts to
separate the historical incident from the literary and popular accounts
of the 47 loyal retainers. In addition, he analyzes the story within
the broader context of Tokugawa society.
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James Murdoch was born near Aberdeen Scotland in 1856. Although his
family were of moderate means, because of his intellectual abilities
he was admitted to Aberdeen University where he completed a bachelor's
and master's degree. Later he studied at Oxford and on the continent.
Murdoch had a incredible gift for languages, and after teaching in Scotland
for a time he emigrated to Australia to accept a position at a school
there. While in Australia he became active in the Labour Party, and
he often wrote newspaper articles that exposed the harsh living conditions
of the working class. He first traveled to Japan in 1889 and later found
work as a teacher in a series of high schools around the country, maintaining
his interest in journalism and social issues. In 1893 Murdoch left Japan
to join a socialist community in Paraguay, but he later returned to
Japan and began work on his three-volume History of Japan. Although
he did not begin to study Japanese until he was almost 50, he eventually
became proficient in both modern and classical Japanese. He returned
to Australia in 1917 and passed away in 1921. His unfinished history
was eventually published in 1926. The text was revised and edited after
Murdoch's death by Joseph H. Longford, and several of the explanatory
footnotes in the text were added by Longford.
Sources:
John L. Mish's foreword to James Murdoch's A History of Japan
vol. 3, 1964, Frederick Ungar Publishing Co.
Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan,
1983, Kodansha, Ltd.
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In writing the history of the events of 1701-03, Murdoch analyzes other
English-language accounts of the 47 rônin. In his short chapter on the
incident, Murdoch refers to the writings of Isaac Titsingh (Illustrations
of Japan, 1822), A. B. Mitford (Tales of Old Japan, 1871),
Rutherford Alcock (Capital of the Tycoon, 1863), and F. V. Dickens'
translation of Chûshingura. But rather than simply retelling
the story, Murdoch is interested in applying modern scholarship to the
famous story. Relying on sources provided by Shigeno Yasutsugu, the
first Japanese historian to analyze the incident using the tools of
modern scholarship, Murdoch attempts to separate the myth and subsequent
literary interpretations from the historical elements of the story.
Among the elements rejected by in the text include: the story of the
Satsuma man who spits on Ôishi as he lies in a drunken stupor and who
later commits suicide at Ôishi's grave in Sengakuji, the "relics" at
Sengakuji that were used by Mitford's in his account of the story, and
the notion, popular in kabuki versions of the story, that Ôishi led
a degenerate life in the teahouses in Kyoto while secretly plotting
revenge.
It cannot be suggested, however, that the text is the definitive interpretation
of the event. Many of Murdoch's observations are still debated by historians
of the period. Firstly, Murdoch questions the widely-held view that
that Genroku period was time of moral degeneracy. This belief was the
standard Meiji-era view of the period, and Murdoch was no doubt well
aware of this interpretation. Murdoch, however, suggests that "the general
moral degeneracy of the samurai of this age has been greatly exaggerated."
(p. 236) In addition, Murdoch's account is highly favorable towards
Tsunayoshi, the shôgun during the time of the incident. While some writers
have portrayed Tsunayoshi as a tyrant, Murdoch argues that the shôgun
respected the 47 rônin and was inclined to save them, but that he was
bound by the law to pass the death sentence. Murdoch's story of the
47th rônin is also open to debate. As is well known, Terazaka, the only
ashigaru in the group of 47, disappeared shortly after the attack on
Kira's mansion. Murdoch suggests that Ôishi dispatched Terazaka to deliver
the news of their success to Asano's widow and Daigaku, Asano's younger
brother and heir. Henry Smith finds this interpretation implausible
given Ôishi's caution to avoid involving the two in the planning and
execution of the revenge attack.
By treating the incident as history and not literature, Murdoch is able
to position the event within a historical context. Following his description
of the incident, Murdoch discusses the role of vendettas in Japanese
society and concludes that the action of the 47 was highly exceptional.
Murdoch also devotes space to the debates by Confucian scholars that
continued long after the incident. Finally, Murdoch describes how this
single event inspired numerous literary works. Although he does not
analyze the literature associated with the 47 rônin, he makes reference
to the two most famous versions--Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama and Takeda
Idzumo's Chûshingura.
Overall, Murdoch's account is the first serious attempt in the English
language to look at the event historically.
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