The 47 Ronin: A Story of Samurai Loyalty and Courage

This book is about the 47 Ronin but does not tell their story in detail. It is about the artwork, in this case woodblocks, based on the scenes from the plays which were made to show the tale of the 47 Ronin. So after the book gives you a very, very short version of the life of a samurai, the tale of the 47 Ronin, and the plays made on it, which gives you a point of reference to work with, you then get to see the artwork based on the plays. Certain scenes and characters have been captured by the artists' skills and woodcraft. In other words, if you are looking for the complete, well written and detailed story of the 47 Ronin, look someplace else. If you are looking for something related to them, as in how they were seen in the eyes of history and immortalized in plays and artwork, this is the book for you.

The 47 Ronin is a truly great story. I keep looking for an outstanding illustrated version. I was hoping this was it, but I was a little disappointed. It uses authentic period images, but they are images of kabuki performances of the story, not images of the story itself. The book I wanted is still an outstanding niche...