There are various theories about it (as follows), but none is certain: he worried about being attacked and was anxious about his wife; they came to be on bad terms because Tomiko said, 'Asano committed hara-kiri, so why don't you do that too?'; or, because the new residence was small, he could not take a lot of maid-servants.
討ち入りを懸念して妻の身を案じたため、また、富子が「浅野も腹を切ったのだからあなたも切ったらどうです？」と言ったため不仲になった、新屋敷が狭くて大勢の女中を連れることができないため等、諸説があって定かではない。