In feudal Japan, Lord Asano, the daimyo of Ako, attempts to kill Lord Kira, the chief master of ceremonies in the shogun's Edo castle. The shogun sentences Lord Asano to seppuku, ritual suicide, to be carried out that same day. This injustice drives Asano's loyal retainers to avenge his death. They vow to deliver the head of Lord Kira to the grave of their late lord.
Eiji Yoshikawa weaves this exciting historical tale of justice and betrayal, taking the readers through the conflicts and motivations of the players whose long-ago actions affect Japan today.
An early retelling of this incident was a puppet play titled Chushingura, which is translated as The Treasury of Loyal Retainers. Eiji Yoshikawa's The New Chushingura was serially published in Hinode magazine from January 1935 to January 1937.