THE SAMURAI AND THEIR USE OF BUSHIDO

In Japan the warrior class was known as samurai, also called bushi (hence
bushido). They formed a class in and of themselves during the 9th and 12th
centuries. They emerged from the provinces of Japan to become the ruling
class until their decline and later total abolition in 1876 during the Meiji Era.
The samurai were fighting men, skilled in the martial arts. Samurai had
extensive skills in the use of the bow and arrow and the sword. They could
just as likely have killed you with their bare hands. Samurai were also great
horsemen.
These warriors were men who lived by Bushido; it was their way of life. The
samurai's loyalty to the emperor and his overlord, or daimyo, was
unsurpassed. They were trustworthy and honest. They lived frugal lives with
no interest in riches and material things, but rather they were interested in
honor and pride. They were men of true valor. Samurai had no fear of death.
They would enter any battle no matter the odds. To die in battle would only
bring honor to one's family and one's lord.
Samurai usually would rather fight alone, one on one. In battle a samurai
would call out his family name, rank and accomplishments. Then he would
seek out an opponent with similar rank and do battle. When the samurai has
killed his opponent he severs his head. After battle he takes the heads of his
enemies back to show proof of his victory. Heads of generals and those of
high ranks were transported back to the capital and displayed for the
officials and others. The only way out for a defeated samurai was death or
ritual suicide: seppuku.
Seppuku--or disembowelment or hara-kiri (belly slicing)--is when a samurai
stabs a knife into his abdomen and literally disembowels himself by cutting
out his guts. After the samurai disembowels himself another samurai, usually
a kinsman or friend, slices his head off. This form of suicide was "performed
under various circumstances: to avoid capture in battle, which the samurai
did not believe to be dishonorable and degrading, but generally bad policy;
to atone for a misdeed or unworthy act; and perhaps most interestingly, to
admonish one's lord" (Varley, 32). A samurai would rather kill himself than
bring shame and disgrace to his family name and his lord. This was
considered an act of true honor.
The samurai became the ruling class during the 1400s and the 1500s. In the
1600s there was a time of unification; warring in Japan had ceased. Then
toward the end of the Tokugawa Era (the late 1700s), Japan began to move
towards a more modernized and Western way of life. There was no need for
fighting men, for warriors, for samurai. The samurai and their way of life
was officially abolished in the early 1870s, but it was not forgotten.
I have no parents; I make the Heavens and the Earth my parents.
I have no home; I make the Tan T'ien my home.
I have no divine power; I make honesty my Divine Power.
I have no means; I make Docility my means.
I have no magic power; I make personality my Magic Power.
I have neither life nor death; I make A Um my Life and Death.

I have no body; I make Stoicism my Body.

I have no eyes; I make The Flash of Lightning my eyes.
I have no ears; I make Sensibility my Ears.
I have no limbs; I make Promptitude my Limbs.
I have no laws; I make Self-Protection my Laws.

I have no strategy; I make the Right to Kill and the Right to Restore Life my
Strategy.
I have no designs; I make Seizing the Opportunity by the Forelock my Designs.
I have no miracles; I make Righteous Laws my Miracle.
I have no principles; I make Adaptability to all circumstances my Principle.
I have no tactics; I make Emptiness and Fullness my Tactics.

I have no talent; I make Ready Wit my Talent.

I have no friends; I make my Mind my Friend.
I have no enemy; I make Incautiousness my Enemy.
I have no armour; I make Benevolence my Armour.
I have no castle; I make Immovable Mind my Castle.
I have no sword; I make No Mind my Sword.
BUSHIDO AFTER THE SAMURAI
After the time of the samurai, Japan went through many changes. However,
Bushido values could still be seen. During W.W.II, Japanese suicide pilots,
known as kamikaze, looked to the samurai and Bushido for their inspiration.
The word kamikaze means "divine winds." During the 11th century when
the Mongols were trying to invade Japan a series of storms stopped their
invasion. These were thought to be divine winds which were sent by the gods
to save Japan. The Japanese again believed that these pilots were sent to save
Japan. Kamikaze pilots had no fear of death. Their loyalty to their country
made them willing to die.
After W.W.II, the Japanese army was disbanded. A new type of warrior
evolved: those who wanted modernization and industrialization. Huge
companies called zaibatsu formed. They were more like families rather than
companies. Loyalty for one's company and company name was great. Even
today within these companies workers have great respect for their bosses and
for the heads of the companies. To be unjust or commit a misdeed would
bring shame to their company and themselves. Today Japanese have a term,
"Business is War."
Bushido values can still be seen today in Japan. The Japanese have the
utmost respect and loyalty to their country, and they would not do anything
to bring shame upon their family.
Today the two most popular religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism.
Both were great influences on Bushido. Zen Buddhism which was also an
origin of Bushido, is a doctrine followed by many today.
Excerpt from The Hagakure :

When Lord Takanobu was at the Battle of Bungo, a messenger came from the enemy camp
bearing sake and food. Takanobu wanted to partake of this quickly, but the men at his side
stopped him, saying, "Presents from the enemy are likely to be poisoned. This is not something
that a general should eat."
Takanobu heard them out and then said, "Even if it is poisoned, how much of an effect would
that have on things? Call the messenger here!" He then broke open the barrel right in front of the
messenger, drank three large cups of sake, offered the messenger one too, gave him a reply,
and sent him back to his camp.

Very few [people] know what budo really is. Persons of high learning, not those who are directly connected
with budo, do most of the writing about it. Theory reigns in most of these writers' minds, but their bodies
lack experience, and therefore, there can be no understanding of budo among them... Budo is not a sport. It
rests in bu, the polished skill needed in martial hand-to-hand techniques, raised to the level of a do, which
is a way a man should follow... Budo aims through bu to determine a man's final destination in life. Bu,
however, is only the first step towards satori, the final goal. This satori cannot be revealed by words, but
only through actions... It is only the kind of experience noted by Miyamoto Musashi in his Go Rin no Sho
that is meaningful. This is tanren, the secret of successful training, an expression that implies that active
training made throughout one's life is the way to mastery of the self.

Sahashi Shigeru
Shin no Budo [The True Budo]
1972