The Bushido Code

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The Japanese were a prominent warrior group in the Heian Era (794-1185) who started off as tax collectors for the emperor. Warlords, called daimyos, quickly rose to power as the royals drifted further away from reality and loosened their grip on the empire. In order for the daimyos to have more control they required more soldiers, in which the Samurai came in. A Samurai’s worth was determined by how well he followed the rigid lifestyle, called the Bushido Code. It was essential for a Samurai to exert absolute power, “People dropped their eyes out of respect—and fear—because a Samurai had the right to kill anyone who showed him disrespect” (Ramirez, Stearns, Wineburg 517). The Bushido Code that closely monitored a Samurai’s life caused …show more content…

Various documents confirmed the Samurai’s attitude towards death. In “the Daily life in Japan at the Time of the Samurai”, the modern historian L. Frederic talks about the brutal suicides of the Samurai. He says, “[the Samurai] stabbed himself under the left breast, plunging the blade in so deeply it all but came out again in his back; then he made three further incisions, disemboweling himself and wiping the dagger on the sleeve of his robe” (Frederic 190). Samurai could take their lives in any way, yet they chose to do it in possibly the most brutal fashion. This exemplifies the domineering presence in which the Bushido Code held in a Samurai’s life. The strict guidelines of the Bushido Code forced Samurai to kill themselves in an extremely traumatic way. Other sources also reinforce this abhorrent way of death. Frederic is again quoted depicting the Samurai’s appalling choice of death. He claims, “he thrust a dagger into his white skin. He cut in a straight line from the right to the left, cast his entrails onto the handrail, placed the point of the sword in his mouth and flung himself headlong towards the ground” (Frederic 190). This quote again enforces the fact that Samurai voluntarily chose to commit suicide in one of the most horrendous ways. The Samurai were an incredibly intelligent group, they were fully

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