Bushido

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Bushidō, or "Way of the Samurai," was the warrior code of samurai in feudal Japan. In modern times, the same warrior code's values would be synthesised with traits from the West to form Japan's own unique work ethic of modern times. One running tradition of bushido was the act of seppuku or ritual suicide in the face of failure or disgrace to preserve ones honour.[1]

Bushidō had seven virtues[2]:

  • Gi: Righteousness
  • Yūki: Courage
  • Jin: Benevolence
  • Rei: Respect
  • Makoto: Honesty
  • Meiyo: Honour
  • Chūgi: Loyalty

It should be noted that a sizable number of historians hold that most of what is now understood as bushidō was invented in the late 19th and early 20th century, after the Meiji Restoration and especially during the pre-war Shōwa period.[3] This re-imagined version of bushidō figured heavily into the propaganda of the militarist Japanese government in World War II, inspiring many Japanese pilots to conduct kamikaze suicide attacks against enemy vessels so as to die gloriously for their country, and also influencing the outcome of the war by inspiring the Japanese leadership to refuse any surrender or compromise, thus prompting the U.S. to drop atomic bombs on Japan.

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sugihara/readings/bushido.html
  2. [1]
  3. E.g., Storry, R. (1982) A History of Modern Japan. Penguin Books.
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