Bushido or the way of the samurai introduces samurai as both men of culture and as warriors. The art and culture of samurai encompasses more than 800 years of Japans history as well as its creative past. From the 12th century through the modernization of Japan.
Bushido is art because art can be interpreted as in many ways such as art is something people create to express something or ideas, or it can be interpreted as another form for the art of war, or perhaps as a fine art in of itself. Samurai have many connections to art such as calligraphy, painting, their armor which was meant to show their power and evoke fear, their swords which instantly identified them as a samurai and a follower of Bushido, and poetry most famous were the death poems
…show more content…
Just as Tsunetomo wanted to harmonize the ways of the first samurai with the more aristocratic samurai in the Tokugawa period Inazo Nitobe attempted to harmonize Bushido overall with western civilization. Nitobes new version of bushido draws parallels between Bushido as code of ethics to that of chivalry in Europe and Christianity. “Bushido, then, is the code of moral principles which the knights were required or instructed to observe.” (Nitobe 1). Nitobe later describes Bushido as a force in Japan, that it is the “motor force of our country, he says that it was Bushido that guided Japan forward. This further solidifies the position that just as how Western civilization can be based off Christianity, Japanese society is based off Bushido thus Japans society and identity itself is and always has been …show more content…
Mishima states that absolute loyalty to death must be worked on every day. This view of Bushido is very distinct apart from Nitobe’s version of Bushido that acts as a ‘motor’ for Japan. The translator for Mishima’s Hagakure (bushido) writes “ Mishima draws parallels between the moral decay of Jocho’s day and that of postwar Japan explaining how bushido advice has helped him live an anachronistic and therefore worthwhile life.” (Sparling ix). Mishima saw bushido as a reason to live in anarchy but Nitobe saw Bushido as a social entity that drives Japan forward. The difference between these interpretations shows the change of how Bushido is viewed over time and changing
In The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, a young man is thrown from his established world, left in a new, confusing realm that holds more than meets the eye. In the midst of a violent and ferocious war between the Chinese and Japanese in mid 1937, this young man, Stephen, contracts tuberculosis, and is sent to his family’s summer house in Japan. There he meets the house’s caretaker, Matsu, a simple and reserved man who holds back all but the most necessary speech. This meeting will come to define many of Stephen’s interactions with others throughout the novel: reserved and limited. In this odd land filled with subtle secrets and unspoken uncomfortability, Stephen is prepared for a very quiet and restful period, marked with healing and growth.
In the ancient Japanese culture, one great aspect was on how they emphasized on the intrinsic themes of loyalty and honor. They had fierce warriors known as samurai’s. A samurai was a traditional warrior who would protect and be loyal to their masters no matter what. They were known to be skilled soldiers, benevolent men, self-sacrifice, sense of shame, along with other major characteristics that embodied them as a samurai. While this class of warrior no longer exist today, the remembrance of a samurai is present in the minds of the characters in the novel, The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. Tsukiyama does a fascinating piece of work by really elaborating and describing the great attributes that Matsu possess of a true samurai. In the
As learners of Europe and Japan, the question “ who would win a battle-a samurai or knight” is commonly kept in mind. A samurai and knight are similar in many ways. A samurai would mostly win the battle because they have better weapons, armor, and training. While knights and samurai have many similarities, in a one on one battle, the advantage would be to the samurai and this can be seen in weapons, armor, and training.
The movie shows Samurai as warriors in the Edo period, during the 1800’s. They used a sword called a Kataran and a wakizashi which is a smaller sword, much like a dagger, that was used as a samurai's "honour blade" and never left the samurai's side, this was to protect them from harm and they were all taught a martial art called koryū, (which the character’s practice and some are being taught the martial art) which is the way of the Samurai people. The harakiri is a form of ritual that involves suicide, which was shown in the final battle and the last samurai had to
In this essay, the contents will be discussing the samurai in two different situations. One is geared for a western audience while the other is geared towards the eastern. The western will portray the pros of while the eastern will depict its cons. Living as a samurai all depends on everyone’s specific situation, and because of that it is easy to manipulate people’s feelings into thinking a certain way about the samurai.
...the Japanese military in World War II and the spontaneous atrocities that occur in most other. There is much of the blame on the Japanese society and its interpretation of bushido that had virtually no concept of individual human rights, which found its epitome in the Japanese military, to whom the concept had no semantic value whatsoever.
The first topic is the characteristics of the samurai. The question is: what were the characteristics of the samurai and samurai culture? The thesis is: the samurai were a warrior culture that was unique in Japan. The samurai follow a code of conduct known as ‘‘Bushido’’. A good and true samurai was loyalty, self sacrifice, justice, sense of shame, refined manners, purity, modesty, frugality, martial spirit, honor and affection. These are conducts that were being given emphasis in Bushido, the ‘‘way of warrior’’. Samurai had to devote their self to duty at all times. Samurai were soldiers who serve nobles to protect their lands. Samurai paid by their feudal lords, the Daimyo, in rice or land. Samurai would work for the employer to protect
One of the most fundamental philosophies of the samurai is that of detachment from the self. This detachment allows for a freedom from fear, which is essential to the samurai warriors. In the opening of Hagakure, Tsunetomo states that “the Way of the Samurai is found in death”. These rank among the greatest and most well known phrases in Japanese history, and in fact in the history of the world. Death is not to be feared by the samurai, it is to be embraced. The relationship between the samurai and his master is of the utmost importance, and only through detachment can the samurai fully and properly serve his master. These are two core, fundamental philosophies of bushido, and both can are reminiscent of similar ideologies in Buddhism, and Confucianism.
The samurai were a warrior class that gained immense power during feudal Japan. They held high status positions in society and exemplified the power of the shoguns. Samurai often faced death on the cruel battlefield of medieval Japan. However, most interesting about the samurai is their conception of death. The samurai not only faced death much more frequently than the average man but they also had a practice of hara-kiri or seppuku, in which they took their own life. In this paper, I will look at the notions surrounding death for a samurai. I will begin by first by discussing the origins and rise of both the samurai class and Zen Buddhism in Japan. Thereupon, I will look at the samurai philosophy of bushido and in specific the notion of seppuku. My main interest will be to delve deeper into the samurai practice of ritual suicide and how Zen Buddhism may have affected the samurai ideology. Finally, I will look into if these cultural constructs emphasized in medieval Japan, can still be made relevant to Japanese suicide during World War II.
Throughout the novel, The Sound of Waves, Mishima illustrates his views on the Japanese social class, Bushido code, and going after what one believes. He illustrates this all through Shinji’s actions. Tradition plays a huge role in Japan, and it revolves around the lives of the Japanese people. Although tradition is a belief or custom that has gone on for generations, it can be broken if one truly believes that something or someone is the best thing for them. The world consists of numerous traditions of different cultures, and one’s tradition is usually shown through their actions.
Be it Chivalry or Bushido, if one was to become a warrior in a feudalistic society one had to first agree to a set of rules about fighting and how to behave. Some of these rules might include protecting weakness, or defending ones church, and always backing up justice. However, one of the more important teachings from this code was to follow the feudalistic system. As long as knights and other chivalrous people followed this code, the higher up leaders like the lords and shōgun could easily keep order. Speaking of lords and shōgun, each of these two regions had simil...
Japan is a fascinating and multifaceted culture; as in one hand it is rich and deep in tradition dating back thousands of years like the heritage of ancient Samurai warrior which can be seen in great castle, a carefully planned garden or a beautifully preserved samurai residences. To the geisha’s, a professional entertainers who attends the guests and are well versed in various traditional Japanese arts, while on the other hand it Japan is a society which is constantly developing in fashion to technology and are constantly pushing the impossible. Yet in Japan it is a land known for order and discipline, one of the most socially and ethnically homogenous groups in the world but for ever social custom and rule there are those who seek to break
I believe we can all agree that Japanese samurais and European knights are two of the most skilled and famous forms of warriors in history, right? Well both warriors began their trade at a very young age, and went through multiple stages of training throughout their lives. They both had a code of honor basically, but they differed from one another in quite a few ways. The big question is, “Were the similarities greater than the differences?”. Right off the bat I began to ponder the technicalities of the answer to this question. Before I get too scrambled up in the technicalities, let’s discuss some these differences and the similarities and figure out how this plays out. Before we conduct this discussion, let’s review our key terms. A clan is a group of close-knit and interrelated families. Feudalism was a political and economic system that flourished in Europe from the 9th to the 15th century, based on higher classes giving random services and items in exchange for something else. Knights were men who served their lord as a mounted soldier in armor. Samurai’s were members of a powerful military social class in feudal Japan. A shogun was a hereditary commander-in-chief in feudal Japan. Chivalry was the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. Bushido was the code of honor and morals developed by the Japanese samurai.
There are many historical aspects of the Japanese, but the most interesting is the history of the Samurai. In Japans history war played a large role in the country. Controlling clans fought for parts of the land and overall control of the country. These clans were powerful families that resided in the country and who all wanted power and control of Japan for themselves. The families that would be in control were known as Shoguns. These shoguns would have warriors that fought for them if any of the other clan families would try to attack him in order to overthrow him and take his power from him. The Samurai followed a code that developed from Chinese beliefs when in battle. The Samurais code was known as the Bushido. This code was also known as “The Way of The Warrior” which was the main belief s...
Several characteristics of the “classical” Heian period of Japan were the introduction and sophistication of several schools of Buddhism, literature focusing on court life and the associated intrigue, and a fascination with Chinese culture and its emulation. The political landscape of Japan was relatively stable during this period; there were several upsets, but power rested solely in the hands of the court nobles. There was very little class mobility, and power came through birth rather than by threat of violence. The introduction of the medieval period drastically changed this fairly benevolent situation with the rise of the samurai warrior class, and the fall of Japan’s aristocratic class and the power they held. Power was now determined by blade and fire instead of birth. During the medieval period Japan was subject to frequent warfare, not to mention a series of devastating natural disasters; both of these factors contributed to a mild religious movement and interest in alternative schools of Buddhism stressing asceticism. Japan’s people were living in a much harsher world than during the Heian period, and this was evident in their writing.