LOVE, LOYALTY AND BLOODY PICTURES

The 30^th January brings up two historical events which have become legend in the countries in which they occurred as well as throughout the world.

Grave of Lord Asano

The first incident, perhaps less well known in the west, occurred on the 30^th January 1703, which by the Japanese calendar was Genroku 15, on the 14th day of the 12th month (元禄十五年十二月十四日). On that day the Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke Yoshio, avenged the death of their master Lord  Asano Naganori.

Ōishi Kuranosuke Yoshio

Graves of the 47 Ronin

The story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (becoming ronin) after their daimyo (feudal lord) Asano Naganori was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka, whose title was Kōzuke no suke. The ronin avenged their master's honor after patiently waiting and planning for two years to kill Kira. In turn, the ronin were themselves forced to commit seppuku for committing the crime of murder. With much embellishment, this true story was popularized in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honour that all good people should preserve in their daily lives. The popularity of the almost mythical tale was only enhanced by rapid modernization during the Meiji era of Japanese history, when it is suggested many people in Japan longed for a return to their cultural roots. Fictionalized accounts of these events are known as Chūshingura. The story was popularized in numerous plays including bunraku and kabuki.

I used to work at a place called the Lytton Centre of the Visual Arts in Los Angeles. The centre had a small cinema and showed previews of films for invited audiences and the press. On one particular evening a film entitled Chūshingura (1962) directed by Horoshi Inagaki was being shown as part of a Japanese Evening. The main guest was the Japanese Consul, together with his entourage. Most of the entourage wore traditional Japanese costume; however, the Consul was dressed by Saville Row. As an usher and part of the reception staff, I was to ensure that all the party were kept happy and looked after. The film ran 207 minutes and at one point, late in the film, just before the revenge attack, the Consul went out into the foyer and lit a cigarette. I asked (after –on instructions -the appropriate bow) if everything was all right and he replied in very RP upper crust English “I can’t stand bloody pictures”. We both had a laugh.

The second incident occurred on the 30^th January 1889 when the Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austrian, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown was found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera ay Mayerling, in the Wienerwald.

Official engagement photo of Crown
Prince Rudolf and Princess Stéphanie
 of Belgium (1881)

In 1886 the Prince, only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria, acquired the manor at Myerling and transformed it into a hunting lodge. It was in this hunting lodge that, on 30^th January, 1889, he was found dead with his mistress, apparently as a result of suicide. Exactly what happened is clouded in mystery, but has formed the basis for many a romantic tale.

Mary Vetsera

After the deaths of Prince Rudolf and Baroness Vetsera, the Emperor Franz Joseph, who wanted to found a new church, had the building turned into a convent which was settled by nuns of the Discalced Carmelite Order. The position of the main cross in the chapel is supposed to be where the bed of Rudolf and his lover Mary Vetsera was situated. One of the versions of the story was the 1936 film Mayerling staring Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux in the lead roles. It was directed by Anatole Litvak. It was also performed as a ballet and many other versions.