Kira Yoshinaka

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This monument marks the former location of the Great Corridor of Pines at Edo Castle, where Asano Naganori attempted to kill Kira Yoshinaka.

Kira Yoshinaka (吉良義央, Kira Yoshinaka^?) (October 5, 1641 – January 30, 1703) was a kōke (a samurai ranking below the daimyo) in Japan during the Edo period. He held the honorary title of Kōzuke no Suke (Vice-governor of Kozuke Province). He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the Forty-seven Ronin.

Born in 1641, he was the eldest son of Kira Yoshifuyu. His mother was a member of the high-ranking Sakai family. On the death of his father in 1668, Yoshinaka became the 17th head of the household, inheriting lands evaluated at 4200 koku. His wife was from the Uesugi clan, and his eldest son was adopted by Uesugi Tsunakatsu, the head of the Dewa Yonezawa han, taking the name Tsunanori; subsequent heads of the han descended from Tsunanori. Yoshinaka named his second son as his heir, but when that heir died, Yoshinaka adopted Tsunanori's second son, strengthening the connection between the Kira and the Uesugi.

As a kōke, Kira oversaw matters of protocol. In 1701, he was assigned the task of tutoring Asano Naganori in matters of protocol in preparation for an upcoming visit by representatives of the Emperor. On the day when the envoys were scheduled to meet the shogun, at Edo Castle, Asano drew his short sword and attempted to kill Kira. For this, he was sentenced to commit seppuku. On January 30, 1703 (December 14, 15th year of Genroku according to the Japanese calendar), Asano's retainers broke into Kira's mansion and killed him in revenge.