~Bushido~

The idea of bushido, the Way of the Warrior, is not easily encompassed in any document. It involves the concepts of honor, face, duty, personal courage, and self-esteem; but there is so much more. Whole tomes have been written that describe it, yet very few books or essays have captured its essence competently. As a result I will provide you with some basic guidelines to follow that will aid you in your becoming a samurai. You must also realize that those who are members of the lesser or greater houses also fall under the umbrella of bushido. A samurai need not be just a warrior: "samurai" is a catch-all term for a noble.

Honor in bushido is vastly different from traditional Western concepts of honor and nobility. The most striking contrast is its lack of morality. Bushido is not about being a good or moral person. It is about being an honorable person. The samurai sees no difference between life and death; death holds no fears for him. As a result, a samurai will not hesitate to fight a duel, even kill if he feels he has been offended. This does not make him evil; it makes him intensely jealous of his personal honor, which is as it should be. A samurai is nothing without honor. This does not mean that the Way of the Warrior is without ethics. Most samurai have families and people they love; they are not necessarily eager to deal in death, but they do it without hesitation, when necessary. Although female samurai are not allowed to participate in military campaigns or carry the two swords (katana and wakizashi), they are nonetheless figures of respect and keepers of honor.

The guidelines we will lay out in the following paragraphs provide room for a certain amount of interpretation and leeway. Nonetheless, the basic, core beliefs presented here are vital to the samurai's way of life and cannot be altered.

"There is no death. There is no life. There is only now."

The samurai makes no distinction between the states of life and death. That is, he can love life, but he must be willing to throw it away at a moment's notice, if need be. If a samurai's lord says "Kill", he must kill. Without hesitation. If a samurai's lord says "Die", she must commit seppuku at once. Samurai do not fear death or pain.

"Fear glides off a samurai like water from a duck's back."

The samurai may feel fear, but he would die rather than showing it. Personal bravery, courage, willpower: all are epitomized within the samurai. He may show concern for his lord or family, he may experience the bite of anxiety, but his actions are never motivated by fear. In a battle, he will never surrender. There is no reasonable challenge he will back down from. The samurai is a rock, an example to his family and subjects.

"Only God outranks the Daimyo."

The word "samurai" means, literally, "to serve." The samurai obeys his lord's orders completely. He may ask for clarification, he may make a token protest against a clearly poor judgment, but he will not disobey his lord under any circumstances. A samurai need not love or even like his lord, but he will obey him. A lord, though, would be a fool to waste the lives of his samurai; such troops are both precious and expensive.

"Unavenged insults become true sayings."

A samurai will not ignore an insult to himself, his house or his Daimyo. And, most often, the only way to avenge an insult is through a duel. A samurai will not back down from a challenge, nor will he refuse a duel if offered. Only fellow nobles are worthy of dueling. A commoner who challenges a samurai merely forfeits his life. Duels, by the way, need not be fought to the death. First blood, maiming or even whomever can get his katana from its scabbard first can be the terms of a duel. When the duel is over, it would be very dishonorable for either samurai to hold a grudge. The duel settles all disputes between individuals. Once insulted or dishonored, a samurai will not cease his pursuit for revenge until his honor has been satisfied. Vendetta (an extended feud), on the other hand, cannot be initiated except by a Daimyo. Usually, the logical end to a vendetta is a war, making such a thing very serious business.

"The samurai and his katana are of one body, one soul."

A samurai is not a samurai warrior without his katana (sword). Though a samurai will sometimes use other weapons (especially the daikyu, or bow), his katana is his right arm. His willingness to die at any time is symbolized by the shorter sword he must always carry, called the wakizashi. It is the blade used to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). For women, this is symbolized by the tanto (dagger). Only the male samurai are allowed to carry both a katana and a wakizashi at one time; indeed, it is his duty to do so. Any who carry the two swords and are not samurai are courting trouble in the name of death.

"He whose focus is on the point of a pin is but half a man."

A samurai who knows nothing other than warfare and fighting is not a samurai at all, but an assassin. The arts are important to a samurai; they temper his warlike spirit with the creation of beauty. Some of the best haiku and lacquer-work have been done by samurai. The scholarly samurai may help his house by researching, and the artistic samurai may bring great honor to his family by writing poems that bring tears to his enemies' eyes.

"The strongest dwelling will fall without a strong foundation."

A samurai is the protector of his House, his Family, and his servants. When they are dishonored or insulted, so is he. The samurai's life is meaningless if he cannot protect those he loves and rules. He will not eat if it means his people will go hungry, he will not sleep if his people will be in danger, he will not breathe if his people are drowning.

"Without discipline, there is nothing."

The samurai is in control of himself at all times. To relax his self-discipline is to lose face (be dishonored). Because he must not feel fear, he is an icon of courage. Because his anger is left on the battlefield, he is a tranquil pool. Because pain is only a feeling, he never grumbles. And because life is merely transitory, he is always ready to die.

Essay © Jason Fairbanks 1994