I’ve long loved the 1748 puppet play by Takeda Izumo et al. 1) The title means ‘the Chūshingura (treasury of loyal retainers) of the Genroku era,” but what does “Genroku” mean? Or is there no way of knowing what they meant by it back in 1688? Is this a case of warriors letting their hair down once they’ve achieved their goal, or is something else going on? As always, I will be grateful to those willing to share their knowledge.