Act One Summary

The Japanese puppet play Chushingura is a story of revenge. Moronao, a governor, pursues Lord Hangan's wife, leading Lord Hangan to violence against him. Lord Hangan is ordered to kill himself as punishment. Hangan's samurai, Yuranosuke, spends years destroying his reputation so that he can be in a position to take vengeance on Moronao.

As the play begins, the Ashikaga shogun, Lord Takauji, in recognition of his defeat over Nitta Yoshisada, builds a temple in Tsurugaoka. Deputy Ashikaga Tadayoshi, the shogun's younger brother, arrives to oversee the celebration of the temple's opening, where he is received by governor Ko no Moronao and the local lords Wakasanosuke Yasuchika and Enya Hangan Takasada.

The four lords discuss the shoguns recent order to add Nitta Yoshisada's helmet to the treasury. Moronao, with considerable arrogance, disagrees with the shogun's decision, insisting that the helmet is...