Sengaku-ji: where the 47 ronin of Ako rest, in Takanawa (Tokyo)

A few minutes from Shinagawa station, in a district of offices and apartment blocks in Minato ward, a wooden gate opens onto a courtyard that most foreign tourists cross the city without ever seeing. Sengaku-ji is a Zen temple of the Soto school, founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1612 near Edo Castle, destroyed by fire in 1641 and rebuilt on this hill in Takanawa. Its architecture is plain, almost modest. What brings the Japanese here, queueing in silence with a stick of incense in hand, is not the temple itself: it is the cemetery at the back, where the 47 ronin of Ako are buried.

The story

The story is one of the best known of feudal Japan. In 1701 the lord of Ako, Asano Naganori, drew his sword and wounded a high-ranking official, Kira Yoshinaka, inside Edo Castle. For unsheathing a weapon in the shogun's palace he was sentenced to seppuku the same day; his lands were confiscated and his samurai became ronin, warriors without a master. For almost two years, led by the counsellor Oishi Kuranosuke, they feigned resignation and dissipation to lull suspicion. Then, on a snowy night in December 1702, they stormed Kira's residence in Edo, killed him and carried his head all the way here, washing it at the temple fountain and laying it on their lord's tomb. Knowing that death awaited them, they gave themselves up to the authorities: sentenced to seppuku, they were buried beside Asano. This tale, known as Chushingura, has become kabuki theatre, novel and film.

What to see

What you see on arrival is tangible. Beyond the main gate (the Sanmon) the courtyard opens up with the main hall. To the right a path climbs towards the cemetery: dozens of stone tombstones in rows, each bearing the name of a ronin, and almost always a thin column of smoke rising from the incense left by visitors. At the cemetery entrance a 300-yen offering is requested, in exchange for which you receive the sticks to light. Then there is the Ako-Gishi Museum (Ako Gishi Kinenkan), with weapons, letters and objects connected to the plot: admission to the two museums costs 500 yen, but photography is not allowed inside.

The most intense moment of the year is 14 December, the day of the Gishisai, when a costumed procession re-enacts the ronin's final march and the temple fills with stalls and visitors. In spring the cherry trees in the courtyard blossom. On other days the atmosphere stays hushed: few organised groups, mostly Japanese pilgrims and the occasional history enthusiast.

How to get there

Getting there is simple. The most direct way is the subway: Toei Asakusa line, Sengakuji station, exit A2; turning right, the gate is a couple of minutes away, beyond the pedestrian crossings. Alternatively you can reach it on foot from JR Takanawa Gateway station on the Yamanote (less than ten minutes), or from Shinagawa or Tamachi with a fifteen-minute walk. The temple grounds are open every day from 7 to 5 (until 6 from April to September); the museum opens at 9. Address: 2-11-1 Takanawa, Minato. An hour or two is enough for the visit. It is worth checking the official website for up-to-date times before you go.

Related guides: Unusual Japan: destinations and itineraries off the tourist trail.

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