The Origins of the Samurai and Bushido Codes "Explain the meanings and discuss the concepts and origins of Samurai and Bushido code, then relate these concepts towards the modern Japanese Soldier and Leader during World War 2 and show evidence to support that the Japanese soldier treated enemy prisoners exploiting Samurai and Bushido traditions." Bushido - ???- the feudal-military Japanese code of behavior; the way of the warrior [samurai] Japanese chivalry [knighthood] In order to understand bushido and its traditions, a comparison must be made between the 'traditional' bushido (idealistic) and the bushido code which was adopted into the Japanese military during World War II. The Japanese justified that the reason they treated the prisoners in a form of such brutality is because it's a part of their way of life, the concept of 'no one surrenders'. However if so surrendered then your life is pretty much hell, and according to the Japanese custom your family back home is brought shame. With the evidence from source material though, it seems that the Australians and very likely other nations in there prison camps understood what was going on around them. Indeed the Japanese breached the Geneva convention but what is it exactly, did the other countries follow it accordingly? The Japanese method of dealing with Allied prisoners was seen through the 'western eyes' as brutality, scum and inhumane. Yet by the same according to source material some Australian soldiers recognized that the Japanese did what they did, and in some cases they exploited the true meaning of bushido or did they? To understand if the Japanese soldier and leaders in particular abuse the code of bushido, the traditional bushido must be looked at. "... ... middle of paper ... ...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. All orders were given "in the name of the Emperor", and so the leaders could never be questioned. Japanese soldiers tried as war criminals were genuinely shocked to have this defense set aside. Simply the fact that they would also attempt to kill themselves for the Emperor too. Either and Explotation of the Bushido code or the Japanese just saught revenge on the white race, due to race relations maybe because the Japanese were looked upon as yellow people from Asia like the Chinese and not capable to fight a 'western country'.
In 1864 the Geneva Convention was formed internationally. The Convention laid down rules concerning the treatment and protection of prisoners during wartime. The Japanese did not follow this Convention as they continuously mistreated many prisoners including Australian troops/soldiers and civilian prisoners. The Japanese saw the prisoners in camps as people who surrendered, therefore they were considered weak and cowardly because of a belief that the Japanese held that soldiers should die out respect for their emperor and country, known as the Bushido Code. A medical officer at the time was told by a Japanese commander,
"(Doc. A) The beliefs Japanese grew up with were that the Emperor was sublime and his empire should be followed everywhere nerveless by everyone. They were trained to be dedicated; willing to do anything to please their superior. “An old order... (European and American)... is now crumbling.
Americans and people around the world may wonder what caused President Bill Clinton to improve the economy in the United States of America, and actually work hard, be persistent, and have courage in the face of adversity. The majority of the American people would have thought that recently elected President Bill Clinton would have not been a “people’s president” and just wanted to be elected president to gain power, and get rich; but they were completely wrong. On the other hand, as soon as president Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were elected into office, they immediately launched their economic strategy, which was split into three sections. The first section contained, “establishing fiscal discipline eliminating the budget deficit and keeping interest rates low”. Equally important, the second section included, “investing in people through education, training, science, and
This film over glorifies bushido which leads to the misconception that bushido was the representation for all of Japan. At the start of the film, the narrator said, “and yet to know the story of 47 ronin is to know the story of all Japan.” (47 Ronin) Although the legend of forty-seven ronin was often used as an example to illustrate the samurai’s ethics and code of conduct, the narrator was speaking as if
His New Deal programs caused a tranquil peace of mind among many Americans, considering the programs were designed to progress America’s situation after the Depression. However, several Americans opposed Roosevelt, and objected his New Deal laws. This group of Americans believed that the government was doing too much, and was taking away their personal freedom. Others believed that the government was not doing enough, and should have played an even greater role within the American society. Roosevelt’s New Deal not only brought prosperity to America after the Great Depression, but it also brought division among Americans. His New Deal had, and still does have, an impact on America, and it is still pondered today whether or not his New Deal laws were successful or
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
The fundamental philosophy of the samurai is that of detachment from the self. In the opening of Hagakure, Tsunetomo states that “the Way of the Samurai is found in death”. 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 are influenced heavily by two other prominent schools of thought of the time, Zen Buddhism and Confucianism.
Honor was used as evidence or a symbol of distinction in this culture. The people remained the right to preserve their good name. This code that they emphasize in their country is denominated as the bushido. An example of applying this system to their lives is in the manner of how they conform to their classes. Each person received and exalted title or rank. A samurai warrior, for instance, could not surpass the law by marrying "a [mere] peasant girl" without the permission of his daimyo. In contrast, the samurai would ask the parents for her hand in marriage and they would respond with gratitude. The warrior is "a person of too a degree for [them] to consider refusing the honor of [his] request."
During the relatively peaceful Tokugawa period, the samurai were not as occupied with waging war as they had been in the past, and as such they had begun devoting their time to other things. The samurai spent more time in intellectual and artistic pursuits, and thanks in part to Tsunetomo himself, the culture of Bushido flourished. Bushido became a formal ideology and was pieced together by the samurai at the time (specifically Tsunetomo), similar to how chivalry had been formalized in Europe. Bushido was becoming a properly formalized code of conduct, a philosophy of loyalty, detachment and honor in death, where death is more highly revered than victory. Bushido is one of East Asia’s most influential schools of thought. What would Sun Tzu, the Chinese author of The Art of War, think of this death-oriented military ethos?
During the Second World War, Japan committed many heinous war crimes. Pearl Harbor, the Rape of Nanking, and the torturing of POW’s, are all high on the list of notable war crimes, but there is one that is often overlooked. For a ten year span (1935-1945), Japan was very keen on the idea of developing more diverse and destructive chemical and biological weapons. This may sound like every other Allied and Axis country, but Japan’s experiments would make even Josef Mengele cringe. The reason why I am saying this is because, Japan’s “Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department” (a.k.a Unit 731), was an excuse for human experimentation and torture. Even more sickening than this, is the fact that United States granted amnesty to all those involved in these unexcusable acts against humanity, in return for information on their research.
America’s well–entrenched racism against Asians resulted in enhanced levels of brutality against Japanese soldiers, when compared to the other enemy soldiers they encountered during World War II. Legislation in the United States demonstrated racism against Asians for decades. Asian immigrants and citizens fought these discriminatory rulings, only to receive opposition against their plight. Persistent racial discrimination towards the Japanese caused a sense of resentment of Japanese soldiers in the United States military. During several campaigns, American General Infantry displayed ruthlessness against Japanese conduct of war.
The economic growth during the 1990’s was a major thing President Clinton from being impeached, and he did play a large part in the growth. Through his leadership and the bills he passed, America experienced the largest economic boom in the nation’s history.
Bill Clinton who was impeached was the 42nd President of America. He was a famous leader and a politician. He was the Governor of Arkansas for five terms as well. He was also called as “Boy Governor” because of his youthful appearance. He was instrumental in peacetime economic expansion in American history for quite a long period and he was the first democratic president who was elected twice as president. During his presidency he passed many welfare reform, legislations and programs such as the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) which provided health coverage for millions of children, North American Free Trade Agreement which is a trilateral rules based trade, Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Foster Care Independence Act,
...t only in the code of chivalrous Honor does Loyalty assume paramount importance. The eighth and last virtue is character and self-control. Bushido teaches that men should behave according to an absolute moral standard, one that transcends logic. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. The difference between good and bad and between right and wrong are givens, not arguments subject to discussion or justification, and a man should know the difference. Finally, it is a man’s obligation to teach his children moral standards through the model of his own behavior: The first objective of samurai education was to build up Character. The subtler faculties of prudence, intelligence, and dialectics were less important. Intellectual superiority was esteemed, but a samurai was essentially a man of action. These are the eight virtues of the samurai code bushido.
The word Bushido dates back as far as 17th century in Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate, the word appeared in Koyo Gunkan which was a writing of military exploits. The term Bushido did not gain popularity until the late 19th century when Inazo Nitobe published Bushido: The soul of Japan. The Bushido code was an unwritten “samurai code”. It is said that a true warrior was to show loyalty, courage, veracity, compassion, and honor as important, above all else. An appreciation and respect of life was also imperative, as it added balance to the warrior character of the Samurai. The bushido code held major influence on Japanese soldiers and their military. It is said that when the United States invaded Japan during WW2, the