Kelly Osterbrink
History 152
Professor Cassity
16 February 2015
47 Ronin takes place in 1701, and it is about one hundred years after Tokugawa
Shogunate was formed. The Tokugawa Shogunate is the Japanese government founded by
Tokugawa Ieyasu that lasted from 1602 until 1867; is also called the Edo period because the shogunate was located at Edo. During the beginning of this new government, there was a lot of peace. It brought many positive impacts on the society. The laws that were made so the people wouldn’t step out of line were clear and concise. For example, Nobles, "were strictly forbidden to go sauntering, whether by day or by night, through the streets or lanes in places where they had no business to be.”(Mckay 632). The Daimyo was prohibited from moving troops outside their frontiers, and coining money, amongst other things. With these rules enforced among the people, the Tokugawa Shogunate would be protected from any daimyo attacks and help ensure peace. The Story 47 Ronin is very interesting because the setting and the time it takes place, their are many changes going on in Japanese society and culture. This included the influence of the merchant class, the change in values that have been around since the beginning of the Tokugawa
Shogunate, and the declining importance of the Samurai. This story has made a huge impact of
Japanese society and the how the events described in the story can inspire a nation, and somewhat define them.
In order for the Shogunate to keep the peace and maintain their superiority the used many different methods of controlling their daimyo. The Alternate Residence System, which forced the

Daimyo to live in Edo every other year forcing them to leave their wives and children hostage.
This method gave them the advantage to control their finances. The Shogun being strict kept peace and financial stability. But many underemployed Samurai left to the cities. This was against the Bushido; which is the described as being “ the way of the warrior.” An example from the story is when Oishi hears about men and how they had been seen in the kabuki theater. These extra curricular activities that the samurai were spending their money on made them become poor. Becoming poor made them desperate for money, so the turned to the merchant class. The merchant class is suppose to be considered the lowest in society but during the transition we notice that in some parts in the story we can find that the samurai were borrowing money from them. This was a huge sign of declining samurai. Declining samurai means their loyalty to the rules of the bushido. They were putting those morals aside, it led them to do things that a normal samurai would never do. These changes show in the first few chapters of the book. The character
Kira is not of Daimyo rank and yet he is given the prestigious authority to be the Master of
Ceremonies. The emperor gave him power and he used it to his own advantage by taking bribes.
Not only was that a huge issue but even the way he dressed his style, dressing in silks and nice clothing. Also Kira’s perspective towards Lord Asano, he wanted Lord Asano to accept the fact that now in modern times that bribes a would do more good than harm him and the loyalty of the
Shogun. With these changes happening the sword of samurai seemed more of a badge of rank rather than a tool. Another sign that proved to be true was the lack of faith Yoshidas had in
Oishis plan on the road to vengeance. As time went by and certain things began to unfold the original 300 who pledged their alliance, came down to 47. This proves that that there was literally a decline in the samurai.

Now the merchant class is on the rise, they are taking bribes from samurai’s and expanding their horizons in society. Underemployment rate was growing and this gave men a pathway to the Japanese economy. A lot of men pursued the big cities to find business and become wealthy, with all