Asano Naganori (September 28, 1667 – April 21, 1701) served as the daimyō of the Akō Domain in Japan from 1675 to 1701, holding the title of Takumi no Kami. He is chiefly remembered for his role in the events that inspired the well-known tale of Chūshingura, involving the legendary 47 ronin. This story has become a beloved theme in kabuki performances, jōruri puppet theater, as well as various Japanese literature and films.
Born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano Nagatomo, he hailed from a branch of the Asano clan, with the main lineage based in Hiroshima. His grandfather Naganao was appointed the daimyō of Ako, presiding over a domain with an allocation of 50 thousand koku. Following Naganao's passing in 1671, Nagatomo took up the position, but sadly passed away three years later in 1675. This led to Naganori inheriting his father's role at the tender age of nine.
In 1680, he received the honorary title of Takumi no Kami, which signified his position as the head of carpentry at the imperial court. However, such titles were largely ceremonial during that period and held little substantive authority. As a daimyō governing a relatively small domain, he was periodically assigned minor, temporary positions within the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1683, he was first appointed as one of the two officials responsible for receiving envoys from the imperial court to the Shogunate. This occasion marked his initial encounter with Kira Yoshinaka, the highest-ranking kōke overseeing ceremonial affairs at the Shogunate, who provided guidance on proper etiquette for hosting esteemed guests from Kyoto.
In 1694, he fell gravely ill and, with no biological heir, faced the prospect of his house being dissolved by the shogunate, resulting in the confiscation of his lands and the displacement of his retainers as rōnin. To avert this, he formally adopted his younger brother Asano Nagahiro, also known as Daigaku, who was duly recognized as his successor by the shogunate.
By 1701, he found himself reappointed to the same office. It's documented that his relationship with Kira Yoshinaka had deteriorated, escalating the tension between them. Tragically, on the day of his demise, he unsheathed his sword and endeavored to strike down Kira within the Corridor of the Pines at Edo Castle, located in present-day Tokyo. Although he managed to wound Kira, he ultimately failed to deliver a fatal blow. On that very day, the fifth Tokugawa shōgun Tsunayoshi decreed his sentence of seppuku, which he dutifully carried out.
Upon the shogunate's confiscation of his fief, his loyal retainers found themselves without a lord and thus became rōnin. Under the leadership of Ōishi Kuranosuke, however, they sought retribution for their master's death by assassinating Kira at his residence in Edo on December 15, 1702. These devoted former retainers gained renown as the forty-seven rōnin, their vendetta standing as one of Japan's most celebrated tales of honor and loyalty.
See also
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Otomo Sorin
Ōtomo Yoshishige came from a noble lineage, being the eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, the ruler of Funai Province. The roots of the Ōtomo family traced back to Fujiwara Hidesato, the adopted son of Nakahara Chikayoshi. Fujiwara served Minamoto Yoritomo during the Genpei War and took part in battles in Mutsu Province in 1189. In 1193, he was appointed shugo of Buzen and Bungo Provinces, after which he adopted a new surname—Ōtomo.
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Okudaira Sadamasa
Sadamasa was the son of Okudaira Sadayoshi and took part in several battles under Tokugawa Ieyasu, distinguishing himself in the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, where he took two heads. Around 1572 he was forced to enter the service of the Takeda clan, but after the death of Takeda Shingen in 1573 he returned to Tokugawa, leaving Tsukude Castle together with his men. As a result of this defection, Takeda Katsuyori ordered the execution of Sadamasa’s wife and brother, who were being held as hostages.
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Okubo Tadatika
Tadatika, the son of Okubo Tadayō, entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the age of eleven, and took his first head in battle when he was sixteen. After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, he was appointed as a rōjū — a senior bakufu official — and was regarded as one of Ieyasu’s most trusted advisors, alongside Honda Masanobu. He is also known for his military chronicle Mikawa Monogatari, which describes Ieyasu’s rise to power and the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Okubo Nagayasu
Nagayasu was the second son of Okura Nobuyasu, a sarugaku theater actor from the Takeda clan. Takeda Shingen recognized the young man’s potential and took him into service, appointing him as a vassal to his general, Tsuchiya Masatsugu. During this period, Nagayasu changed his family name to Tsuchiya. He was entrusted with developing the Takeda clan’s gold mines as well as handling matters related to taxation.
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Nitta Yoshisada
Nitta Yoshisada was a loyal soldier of Emperor Go-Daigo, who in the 1330s attempted to restore direct imperial rule in Japan. The Nitta family was related to the Ashikaga house and was older in lineage. However, they did not join Minamoto Yoritomo at the start of his war with the Taira, as the Ashikaga did, and therefore did not receive high positions in the Kamakura shogunate. This may have been one of the reasons why Yoshisada rose against the Hōjō clan in 1333.
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Natsume Yoshinobu
Yoshinobu, a long-time vassal of the Matsudaira and Tokugawa clans, governed Hamamatsu Castle on behalf of the Tokugawa house. During the clashes between the Imagawa, Takeda, and Matsudaira clans, he served in the garrison of Nagasawa Castle and in 1562 took part in raids under the command of Itakura Shigezane. When, in 1563, a revolt of the Sōtō-shū sect followers broke out in Mikawa Province, Yoshinobu joined the rebels together with Honda Masanobu and Hachiya Sadatsugu.
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Nambu Nobunao
The Nambu clan was an ancient and powerful family that traced its lineage back to the Minamoto shoguns and had controlled a significant part of the Tohoku region in northern Honshu since the 12th century. Nobunao was born in Ikatai Castle, located in what is now the city of Iwate. He was the second son of Ishikawa (Nambu) Takanobu, the 22nd head of the Nambu clan. In 1565, Nobunao’s uncle, Nambu Harumasa, adopted him, brought him to Sannohe Castle, and named him his heir, later giving his daughter in marriage to him.
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Naito Ienaga
Ienaga was the son of Naitō Kiyonaga and served Tokugawa Ieyasu from an early age. Like his father, he was exceptionally brave, and thanks to his remarkable skill with the bow, he earned the nickname “the unrivaled archer.” Although both the elder and the younger Naitō belonged to the Jōdo Shinshū (“True Pure Land”) sect, during the Ikkō-ikki uprising in Mikawa Province in 1565, Ienaga did not support his fellow believers and instead sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu, earning his special trust. He later took part in the battles of Mikatagahara, Nagashino, and many other engagements while accompanying Ieyasu.
