What is Bushido?
Bushido, the samurai code, is a code of behaviour and a philosophy of life according to which the Japanese samurai warriors acted. The term bushido is made up of the two Japanese words "bushi" (German: "warrior") and "dō" (German: "way"). It thus translates as "way of the warrior".
The core of the bushido code is the absolute loyalty of the warrior to his daimyō (lord) and the willingness to sacrifice one's own life to the lord. Its basic principles originate from the teachings of Buddhism, Shintō and Confucianism.
Bushido was first written down in English in the book "Bushido - the Soul of Japan" by Inazo Nitobe in 1899, a book that made Bushido famous and popular outside the borders of Japan.
It was a matter of course for every samurai warrior to train not only in the craft of war, but also in the humanities such as philosophy, religion and art. In addition to his life as a warrior, every samurai also had to observe the code of behaviour in his "private life". Any violations of the samurai code were considered dishonourable and were therefore to be avoided at all costs.
Bushido - The 7 virtues of a warrior
According to Inazo Nitobe, among the virtues that a samurai should always follow, the following 7 play a particularly important role:
- 1. Gi: Making right and honourable decisions, honesty & justice
- 2. Yu: Courage
- 3. Jin: Kindness & benevolence towards all people
- 4. ReiPoliteness
- 5. Makoto: Truth and truthfulness
- 6. Meiyo: Consciousness of honour
- 7. Chugi: Faithfulness, duty & loyalty
What is Hagakure?
Hagakure (German: "Behind the leaves") is a collection of writings by the former samurai and later Zen monk Tsunetomo Yamamoto, written between 1710 and 1716. The original version has not yet been found. There are only around 30 handwritten copies, each with minor differences.
The writings deal with the life of the samurai and their loyalty to their masters. Some philosophical wisdom, moral guidelines and rules of behaviour were written down.
Harakure became famous in particular through the 1999 film "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" by director Jim Jarmusch. It also inspired several works by Japanese author Yuki Mishima.
Text source: www.oldsite.kiaicham.ch/Club/Lexikon_kiaicham/PDF/Bushido.pdf
