Forty-seven rōnin (depicted) attacked the home of Kira Yoshinaka and killed him in an act of revenge for Asano Naganori, their dead feudal lord.

The revenge of the forty-seven rōnin , also known as the Akō incident or Akō vendetta, was a historical event in Japan in which a band of rōnin avenged the death of their former master on 31 January 1703. The incident has since become legendary. It is among the three major vengeance incidents in Japan, along with the Revenge of the Soga Brothers and the Igagoe vendetta.

Kira Yoshinaka was a Japanese kōke. His court title was Kōzuke no suke (上野介). He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the forty-seven rōnin. Although his name (義央) has been long pronounced as "Yoshinaka" especially in dramas and novels, Ekisui Rembeiroku (易水連袂録), written by an anonymous contemporary in 1703, recorded that his name was "Yoshihisa".

Asano Naganori was the daimyō of the Akō Domain in Japan (1675–1701). His title was Takumi no Kami (内匠頭). He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chūshingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, jōruri, and Japanese books and films.