This book has been selected by the Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP), which is run by the Japanese Literature Publishing and Promotion Center (J-Lit Center) on behalf of the Agency for Cultural Affairs of JapanThis is the first translation into European the language of the famous historical epic by Jiro Osaragi “The Ronins of Ako”. This book, written almost a hundred years ago based on the heroic legend of the forty-seven ronins, forever won the hearts of Japanese readers and became the most popular folk novel. The countless editions of The Ronin of Ako totaled tens of millions of copies, far outstripping even such a bestseller as Miyamoto Musashi. Based on the novel, three feature films, four television series of the so-called “samurai drama”, radio plays, electronic games, cartoons and comics were created at different times. The fascination of a samurai action movie is combined in the novel with a detailed elaboration of the historical plot, colorful lyrical descriptions and relief portraits. Real historical characters - the shogun and nobles of the court, famous artists, poets, philosophers, masters of the tea ceremony and martial arts - are resurrected under the pen of Osaragi. The heroes of the epic, avenging the death of their overlord at the cost of their lives, embody the noble ideals of the samurai code of honor of Bushido: justice, humanity , loyalty to duty and contempt for death. Published in Russian for the first time. Translation from Japanese by Alexandra Dolin.