(?–November 11, 1751) was the chief retainer of the Banshū Ako Domain, held by the

Asano family The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan, and the Emperor Seiwa (850-881), the 56th Emperor of Japan. The Main Lineage (''sōke'', 宗家) were Lords (daimyō) of the Hiroshima Domain in Aki Province and another fa ...

. His annual earnings were 650 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

''.

Biography

He was a bureaucrat specializing in economic affairs. He demonstrated skill in managing the domain's finances and the development of reclaimed land for rice cultivation. He was eventually promoted to ''karō'' (executive) as a result of his distinguished service. In 1701, his lord

Asano Naganori was the ''daimyō'' of the Akō Domain in Japan (1675–1701). His title was ''Takumi no Kami'' (). He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as ''Chūshingura'' (involving the forty-seven rōnin), ...

wounded Kira Kōzuke no Suke, and was sentenced to commit ''

seppuku , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

'', which resulted in the elimination of Asano control of the domain. Ōno consulted his principal retainer,

Ōishi Yoshio 24 April 1659 – 20 March 1703 was the chamberlain ('' karō'') of the Akō Domain in Harima Province (now Hyōgo Prefecture), Japan (1679 - 1701). He is known as the leader of the Forty-seven Rōnin in their 1703 vendetta and thus the he ...

. Ōno insisted on surrendering to the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

, whereas Ōishi and other retainers insisted on defending the castle. However, Ōno insisted on the necessity of distributing remaining money according to annual earnings, while Ōishi insisted on favoring those with lower incomes. It was distributed according to Ōishi's wish. In the matter of exchange of domainal paper currency (''

hansatsu During the Edo period, feudal domains of Japan issued scrip called for use within the domain. This paper currency supplemented the coinage of the Tokugawa shogunate. Most scrip carried a face value in silver coinage, but gold and copper scrip a ...

''), Ōno was opposed to Okajima Yasōemon, and ran away by ship, putting household effects on his house. Since he panicked, he kept his young daughter placed in the house. Afterwards, he lived near the

Ninna-ji is the head temple of the Omuro school of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. Located in western Kyoto, Japan, it was first founded in AD 888 by Emperor Uda, and was later reconstructed in the 17th century. It is part of the Historic Monuments of ...

, a temple in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, and he was called Bankannshō. It is unknown for certain when he died, but in Matsugishi Temple located in

Annaka file:The remains of the Usui Magistrate’s office.jpg, 240px, Edo-period Usui Magistrate's office in Annaka is a Cities of Japan, city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 47,911 in 24,749 households, and ...

Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...

, a gravestone dates his death to the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, 1751. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ono, Kurobei 1751 deaths Samurai Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown