Are you ready for some Japanese history...I know you are :)

The Forty Seven Ronin

The revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin (四十七士, Shi-jū Shichi-shi), also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the Genroku Akō incident (元禄赤穂事件, Genroku akō jiken) took place in Japan at the start of the eighteenth century. The tale has been described by one noted Japanese scholar as the country's "national legend." It recounts the most famous case involving the samurai code of honor, bushidō.

The story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (became ronin) after their daimyo (feudal lord) 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 over a year to kill Kira. In turn, the ronin were themselves forced to commit seppuku — as they had known they would be — for committing the crime of murder. With little embellishment, this true story was popularized in Japanese culture as emblematic of the loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honor 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 many people in Japan longed for a return to their cultural roots. (Thank you Wikipedia)

If you're into Japanese culture or history I encourage you to read the true story of these men, it's really good and encapsulates the mindset of Bushido and shows just how far the Samurai were willing to go to stay committed to it. Even till this day, the tale of the 47 Ronin has a profound effect on the Japanese people. I took a day and went to Shinagawa to visit their graves. It's located at Sengaku-ji. Here you can go to a museum that gives a brief history of the 47 Ronin and shows the actual weapons and armor that were used during the attack to avenge their masters death. While I was there, many Japanese people burning incense and leaving food and flowers on the graves of the Samurai. I tried to get a good picture that included most of the graves that were there. It was cool to stand in the same spot where all of this took place.