The anecdote first appeared in 'Hannichi kanwa (A Half-Day of Leisurely Talk)' (1749) by Nanbo OTA (Shokusanjin), and it was written after "Kanatehon Chusingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers)" (first performed in 1748), which contains an episode of Wakasanosuke MOMOI (Korechika KAMEI) and Honzo KAKOGAWA (Sanekake TAKO), so there is a strong possibility that it was created through posterity.
その逸話の初出は、大田南畝（蜀山人）の「半日閑話」(1749年)であり、さらに桃井若狭之助（亀井玆親）と加古川本蔵（多胡真蔭）のエピソードが登場する『仮名手本忠臣蔵』(1748年初上演)の後に書かれているので、後世の創作の可能性が高い。