history of japan - Library

River Sumida, in Honjō. Furthermore, Kira was
passionately fond of cha-no-yu, and he often visited, and
was visited in turn, by other votaries of the cult, so that
altogether his movements were very uncertain. Now, it so
fell out that in Honjō, there was a cha-jin, Yamada Sorin by
name, and he was intimate with Kira. One day a certain
merchant of Ōsaka called upon this Yamada, desiring to
become his pupil, and he was accepted as such. This man
was no Ōsaka merchant at all, but one of the confederates,
who, as luck would have it, had learned cha-no-yu in his
youth. He soon found out from Yamada that Kira was to
have a tea-party in his own house on 23rd November. The
date was, however, postponed to 6th December, and then
again to 14th December. Now, the 14th was the very day of
the month on which Lord Asano died, and the rōnin thrilled
with joy at the omen.
On the afternoon of that day, they set one of their number to
watch at Kira's gate, and he presently reported that several
visitors, including Yamada himself, had entered. Kira would
surely be found at home that night. So late in the evening,
the ronin assembled in a house near-by Kira's mansion,
and made all their preparations. [1] They dressed like
officers of fire brigades, only over this dress they wore
hoari, which they threw away at Kira's gate. Inside their
sashes they twisted iron chains. They all had white sleeves
to distinguish them in the darkness, and a piece of leather
with their real and assumed names on the right shoulder.