The Japanese legend of the 47 Ronins

Once upon a time, there was a young lord who was called to the Shogun's palace. When passing through the halls he met a rival lord. The other lord provoked the young lord into drawing his sword. To do this in the palace was a capital offense. The young lord was allowed to save face by committing Seppuku (ritual suicide). All of his lands and holdings were confiscated. His loyal samurai retainers were now Ronin (lordless samurai).

The 47 Ronins vowed vengeance against the lord who caused their lord’s downfall, but they knew the time wasn't right. They decided to wait for the proper time for their revenge. The 47 separated in order to travel to the other lord’s province without raising too much suspicion. They traveled individually, in pairs, and in small groups, each having different experiences and stories to tell when they re-unite.

Then, as agreed, they met in the home province of the lord they vowed to kill and enacted their revenge. They were successful, but they were also captured. Impressed with their loyalty to their dead lord they were allowed to commit Seppuku.

Their story lives on today with several movies and television series produced in Japan. Also their story is told in the recent movie "Ronin".