Bushido

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Bushidō (武士道), 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 bushidō was the act of seppuku or ritual suicide in the face of failure or disgrace to preserve one's honour.

Bushidō had seven virtues:

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

A sizable number of historians hold that most of what is now understood as bushidō was largely invented in the late 19^th and early 20^th century, after the Meiji Restoration and especially during the pre-World War II Shōwa period. This re-imagined version of bushidō initially was a way to reconcile Japanese culture with the Western cultures that the Japanese leaders hoped to emulate in their efforts to modernize, intentionally conflating bushidō with chivalry. However, the concept was soon subsumed and figured heavily in the propaganda of the militarist Japanese government in in the run-up to World War II, inspiring many Japanese pilots to conduct kamikaze suicide attacks against enemy vessels so as to die gloriously for their country preferring death to surrender, seen as dishonourable, and also influencing the outcome of the war by inspiring the Japanese leadership to refuse any surrender or compromise, thus prompting the United States to drop atomic bombs on Japan.

See also

• Chivalry
• Martial arts

References

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