О, Изток е Изток и Запад е Запад — и вечно ще бъде така,дордето за Съд над Небе и Земя Бог не простре ръка.Но няма ни Изток, ни Запад, ни Юг; Граница, Род и Баща —Застане ли Мъж срещу истински Мъж — даже накрай света. /Ръдиард Киплинг/Историята и културата на Страната на изгряващото слънце стават все по-популярни по целия свят. Интересното в „Историята на 47-те ронини“ е, че освен че ни запознава обстойно с тях, книгата представлява едно обширно и пълнокръвно изследване и на японската психика.Даймио Асано Такуми но Ками е жестоко обиден от церемониалмайстора Кира по време на ритуал в палата на шогуна Цунайоши. Асано избухва и отговаря на обидата по подобаващ начин...Авторът Джон Алин има характерен поетичен стил. Неговите думи са наслада за окото и мозъка. Нещо повече - по-голямата част от изреченията в книгата са толкова красиви и поетични, че силно наподобяват японския жанр хайку.Сепукуто е нещо доста странно и непонятно за нас европейците. Въпреки това за японците то е древен обичай и част от тяхното мислене: "А щом настъпеше времето, когато самоубийството му би постигнало целта си, той щеше да е готов."Лично за мен беше малко объркващо колко много начини има да опозорят името си японските благородници и рицари. И също така трудно разбрах тяхната постоянна и ежедневна готовност за саможертва:"Дали неговият господар Оиши да предаде без бой замъка, или би поискал от него да остане под обсада и да се бие до последния човек? Или просто трябва да коленичат пред замъка и всички колективно да извършат сепуку в знак на протест срещу нечестната присъда?"От „Историята на 47-те ронини“ можем да научим кои са четирите класически вида японски театър; как се наричат петте главни пътя в Япония; как се именуват храмовете посветени съответно на Буда или Конфуций, а също така много и най-различни забележителни подробности характерни за Страната на изгряващото слънце в началото на оесмнайсети век.Отново бих желал да ви предложа като цитат една заповед на шогуна, която без никакво съмнение е абсолютно неразбираема за съвременния европеец:"Първо на внука на господаря Х., Сахьои, неспособен да се бие до смърт в защита на собствения си родственик, се заповядва да се изкорми собственоръчно веднага щом стане физически способен на това."Бих желал да формулирам всичко, което научих от тази книга по следния начин:Този, който е абсолютен злодей, без значение дали е мъж или жена, и през по-голямата част от живота си прави зло на хората само за да удовлетвори неутолимата си алчност, рано или късно си получава заслуженото./РЕВЮ НА РАДИ РАДЕВ/http://colibri.bg/knigi/842/dzhon-ali...
Rating: 2/5 Summary: 47 Ronin seek justice for their executed lord.Review: There are certain aspects of this story that I liked such as the plot and the cultural details of the time period. The author has studied the Japanese culture extensively and it shows. However, the characters, style of writing, and emotional connection/passion just wasn't there.The feudal Japanese culture is vastly different from the modern Western way of thought, it was hard to understand some of the actions, and the reasoning and state of mind of the characters that led to the decisions they made. The author did not provide any insight into the state of mind, instead the characters were just there to propel the plot forward. With the exception of Oishi, all the other Ronin were very cookie cutter *inset stereotypical Ronin here*. There were also some fascinating issues just waiting to be explored regarding loyalty, consequences of actions, justice, suicide... so much potential for deep exploration lost.Additionally, the style of writing was as simplistic as the characters, without any stylistic elaborations. It added emotional distance between the story and the reader, and contributed to the lack of passion. I don't think I have ever read a story with so much potential for emotional connection and pain that so completely missed the mark. I admit, I am a huge crier. So it is quite sad when such a story as this didn't elicit as much as a shudder. The style of writing, the development of characters, everything just seems to contribute to this distance between story and reader which seems to grow as the story progresses ending with the most disappointing and anti-climactic battle scene I've ever read. This novel was ok. It had some moments, like the duel in the theatre, that amused and connected me with the characters. It also had an interesting plot based on a true story with fascinating feudal Japanese cultural details that I loved. But overall, it just didn't do it for me.And... click for a spoilery rant: (view spoiler)[Lord Asano is a selfish idiot. The guy let a bastard get under his skin and didn't even think once about the hundreds of lives he was about to ruin with his actions before taking a sword to him. All because he was offended (or that is my understanding of the matter). I can't seem to understand their loyalty to someone like that. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about The 47 Ronin Story (2006)?
This is a great book and an enduring piece of literature. While many seemingly do not believe so, I think that's a case of cultural bias. If you read the book from the Samurai viewpoint, you'll see that's it's very much in keeping with their traditions: the book is not overly long nor is it profuse with flashy words or verbose passages. What it is is simple, elegant, and (I assume) true to the source material. While I believe many readers do not like the book due to the seemingly fanatical and heartless actions taken by Oishi-dono, such as divorcing his wife or taking in Okaru-san, if one looks through the Samurai lens one may see the beautiful, yet tragic singularity of their purpose: Their highest calling is to serve their master, even at the cost of their own existence. Read this book.
—Brandon Wish
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book . The story as you would guess revolves around the revenge taken by the 47 Ronin of the Asano clan. The book in a whisper is about Lord Asano who is sentenced to death for striking a man who provoked him. As a result of this, his followers are stripped of everything that they own. Later the ronins find out that the man who provoked their Lord is still alive and they seek revenge. The story takes a while to get to the actual revenge, due to that it took them two years to avenge. The facts in the book are very realistic to the real events at the time.Overall the story is very well written and is suitable for most ages. The book may not be the longest but at 240 pages long, it is still a noble read.
—George
The 47 Ronin Story by John Allyn is a Japanese story about Lord Asano of Ako and what is known as one of the bloodiest campaigns in Japanese feudal history. It’s an intricate and extremely well-written story about a group of men who became ex-samurais when their master was executed for drawing his sword in the court of the Shogun. There are many wonderful aspects to this novel, but there are also just a couple of things that got under my skin.Things that I loved about this book? Well, the storytelling for one was very good. The culture of feudal Japan is extremely different from the Western cultures, especially in comparison to modern times. The book shows us a sense of sophistication in the loyalty and honor that is displayed by the ronin and the respect they had for their master. I believe that Allyn does a phenomenal job at illustrating this culture and the beliefs of the Japanese society, both of the samurai who become ronin, as well as the higher up, wealthier men in this era to his audience rather well. The novel really touched issues of loyalty, justice, suicide (especially when trying to understand seppuku, or ritual suicide), as well as consequences of ones actions, but didn’t explore them as much as I was hoping it would. They were left as very simplistic images in this story of vengeance. Because of this, I felt that the reader’s connection to the characters was diminished somewhat. Even though I was enjoying the reading process, I felt as if something was missing, almost like a small bit of emptiness in my interest. The story is slow. I was told ahead of time not to expect a story full of action, blades clanging, and blood splattering. I’m glad that I was forewarned otherwise I would not have been able to continue reading it. As the events unroll to the climactic ending, I found that a great deal of patience was needed to push myself through the book. This is where all of that attention to detail in relation to Japanese culture came in handy. I found it enlightening and I loved how much of that cultural history was being revealed to me. When I finally got to the epic finale, I felt that it was utterly stolen from right beneath me. Before I could even wrap my mind around it, it just came and went so abruptly. Almost 200 pages of careful anticipation for this battle, and I was left with a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth, only because I wanted so much more. But I will confess, that the quick action of the climax was a very nice ending to the story overall. Even if the plot was slow, the buildup to that particular scene inching excruciatingly closer, the battle was felt just perfect for what it was. I think it did a nice job of illustrating to the audience the realistic aspects of revenge. We spend so much time plotting and waiting, and when that moment finally arrives it ends before we even have the chance to blink. It was lovely. Overall, The 47 Ronin Story was a spectacular read, especially if you can be patient with it. It’s a short book and can easily be read in one day, one sitting even. If you’re a fan of Japanese history, then I highly suggest you check this book out. It will definitely give you something to think about. I give it 4.5 of 5.
—Nek0 Baka Books
