Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao

Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao

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Title: Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka (Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others), Circa 1670-1703. An Extraordinary Collection of Twenty-One Letters Written by Members of the 47 Ronin, with Several Kao
Author: Attributed to Ōishi Chikara Yoshikane; Kaiga Yazaemon Tomonobu; Akabane Genzō Shigekata; Okuda Sadaemon Yukitaka; Other Members of the Ronin
Condition: Very Good

An extraordinary, Early Edo Period, 17th to very early 18th century collection of manuscripts in handscroll format, entitled Ako Gishi Shokan Oishi Chakara-Gai Tanaka, or Letters from the Ako Gishi including Oishi Chikara and Others. As the title would entail, the manuscripts are a collection of twenty-one different letters written by members of the Ako Roshi, or the 47 Ronin, with several bearing the Kao, or signatures of those respective members, comparing favorably to other digitized and sold examples.

While attempting to kill Kira Yoshinaka, Lord Asano Naganori failed in his attempts, and for this, the clan was brought to ruin and Naganori was made to comitt seppuku as punishment for his failed attempt.

As a result, Oishi Yoshio (1659-1703), Chamberlain of the Ako Clan Harima, led the charge with 46 other Ako ronin, and raided the Kira residence in Edo in January 1703, taking the head of Yoshinaka, avenging his lord. He was placed in the custody of the Hosokawa family by order of the shogunate, and the following year, he was ordered to commit seppuku alongside his fellow ronin.

Each letter is attributed to the following figure, in order:

Horibe Yahei Kanamaru/Akizane (1627-1703), Yakokawa Kanbei Munetoshi (1667-1703), Yoshida Chūzaemon Kanesuke (1640-1703), Ōishi Chikara Yoshikane (1688-1703), Hazama Kihei Mitsunobu (1635-1703), Hazama Jūjirō Mitsuoki (1678-1703), Okano Kin'emon Kanehide (1680-1703), Muramatsu Sandayū Takanao (1677-1703), Kaiga Yazaemon Tomonobu (1650-1703), Nakamura Kansuke Masatoki (1659-1703), Hayami Tōzaemon Mitsutaka (1664-1703), Katsuta Shinzaemon Taketaka (1680-1703), Sugaya Hannojō Masatoshi (1660-1703), Horibe Yasubei Taketsune (1670-1703), Yatō Emoshichi Norikane (1686-1703), Akabane Genzō Shigekata (1669-1703), Ushioda Matanojō Takanori (1669-1703), Kimura Okaemon Sadayuki (1658-1703), Ōtaka Gengo Tadao/Tadatake (1672 -1703), Okuda Sadaemon Yukitaka (1678-1703), and Tominomori Sukeemon Masayori (1670-1703).

Of note is a letter by a young Ōishi Chikara Yoshikane (1688-1703), a samurai from the early Edo period. Born in the first year of Genroku, he was the eldest son of Oishi Yoshio, leader and member of the 47 Ronin of Ako in Harima.

During the raid on Kira Yoshinaka’s residence, Chikara led the attack on the back gate. After the incident, he was entrusted to the Matsudaira family of the Iyo Matsuyama domain and committed seppuku on February 4, 1703. He was 16 years old.

Although I have seen individual letters attributed to members of the Ako Roshi, as well as small selections sold in the past, this is the first time I have ever seen such a scroll, with so many Ronin letters collected.

The last notable ownership of this scroll of letters was Tanaka Torasaburo (1867-1935), a businessman who was distantly related to the Japanese entrepreneur Ichimura Kiyoshi, with his name labelled to the front of the scroll. It seems rather likely that he may have been the individual to put down identifying labels for each letter, or the individual he acquired it from.

All the letters have been laid down and bound in handscroll format, with a brocade decorated cover of blue and white flowering designs. There is a rather battered and damaged wooden box to accompany the box, although the lid is falling apart.

One collection of 21 calligraphic letters bound into handscroll format, 28.4 x 730 cm

These letters are in very good shape, with minor rubbing and wear to the brocade cover. There is some wear and creasing to the scroll backing paper throughout, and some general wear and minor margin loss to some of the letters. Two of the letters have some damage, with text loss. There is some scattered staining to some of the letters.