Bushido Shoshinshu by Taira Shigesuke

Bushidō is known as the way of the samurai, it started towards the end of the Heian period and evolved during the Medieval Period 1185-1573 but is still part of the Japanese culture during times of war. Though it was first written about eight hundred years after it became what it was, it evolved greatly throughout time to stay affective. Taira Shigesuke, in Bushido Shoshinshu, was the first to write on Bushido. Prior to then, bushido was a verbal understanding; it was a way of life, similar to a Knight and Chivalry. Sense Bushido Shoshinshu there have been many books and films related to the bushido way, one being “When the last sword was drawn” directed by Yojiro Takita. In this film we will examine bushido, and how people honored it during this time.

The long way of the samurai was morphed into what is known Bushido. Bushido was born from two main influences, Shinto and Buddhism. Samurai in Medieval Japan made up of less then 10% of population yet had a large influence in the Japanese culture. They were loyal to there lords, who are probably another samurai. They would fallow their lord into death, if disappointed their master they would conduct seppuku/hard-kin. This is the ultimate way of showing their faith. Though bows and arrows were popular during this era, Japanese swords were seen as the more bushido way to fight. In the beginning of bushido, females would even practice it, they would not go into fight or conduct seppuku, but they would end their own lives. This ended when Buddhism became more popular in Japan.

Shinto is the religion that comes from the Ko Fun period 300-600 C.E. it had people worshiping rocks, trees, people, ancestors. This was a powerful tool for Yamamoto to unify Japan, he claimed his blood was ...

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...or. A more recent time of a warrior fallowing the junshi way was General Noji (1849-1912), who was a known national hero in Japan for the Satsuma Rebellion and leading the capture of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese war, committed suicide on the day of Emperor Meiji’s funeral. Throughout history these man would bravely commit junshi, or seppuku by orders from their lord. The idea of bushidō was strong, and is an influence even after the Samurai period. General Noji helped revitalize the old Japanese tradition of ritual suicide.

The idea of committing Banzai or suicide is still popular in the Japanese culture instead of accepting defeat.

Works Cited

Taira Shigesuke, The Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushidō Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke . Trans. Thomas Cleary. Tuttle Publishing, 1999.

"Mibu Gishi Den." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 23 May 2014.