Chushingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers, a Puppet Play (First Edition)

New York: Columbia University Press, 1971. First edition. First printing. Hardcover. Quarter light blue cloth over white cloth with white spine lettering. Fine in a fine dust jacket (price clipped). Comes with archival-quality mylar dust jacket protector. A tight clean copy. Octavo, 183 pages. A landmark of Japanese dramatic literature, "Chushingura" retells the true story of the forty-seven ronin who avenged their master's forced seppuku in early 18th-century Japan. Originally written in 1748 for bunraku (puppet theater) and later adapted for kabuki, the play was a collaborative effort by three leading dramatists of the Edo period Takeda Izumo II, Miyoshi Shoraku, and Namiki Senryu. It became one of the most enduring and frequently performed works in Japanese theatrical history, celebrated for its themes of loyalty, honor, and sacrifice. This edition features a full English translation by Donald Keene, along with critical introduction and notes.