武士道 (Bushido)

[First, a disclaimer: All I really know about kanji is how to cut and paste those characters on my computer. But it looks neat, so why not? Unless your computer isn't set for Japanese characters, in which case you probably see only small squares instead of kanji. Sorry about that.]


Since yesterday's post, my creative thoughts travelled half-way around the world, from Germany to the Land of the Rising Sun. This rapid transition reflects our steady progress back toward Japan, as well as the imminent showing of Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 film, Seven Samurai (七人の侍 Shichinin no samurai). This is the second of three offerings by our newly formed "Fine and Foreign Film" cadre, of which I am an enthusiastic co-founder. The Lives of Others was our debut. The Russian film, Burnt by the Sun, will round out the inaugural trilogy.


Many know that Seven Samurai was remade into the 1960 American western, The Magnificent Seven. The latter is a fine, entertaining movie with a stellar cast, but the adaptation removes the viewer from two key elements of Kurosawa's original. The first was its impact on a Japan that was still redefining itself less than a decade after World War II. The second was its ties to Bushido, or the Code of the Samurai. (武士道, "Bu"+"Shi"+"Do" = "Marshall arts"+"Warrior"+"The Way")


For anyone seriously interested in Bushido and its continued impact on Japanese society, I highly recommend Inazo Nitobe's monograph, Bushido, the Soul of Japan, which can be read on line or purchased at a very minimal cost. Even though written in 1905, well before the Pacific War (as WWII is known in Japan), it rings solidly true today as well.


Bushido developed from the fusion of warrior ethos with Buddhism and Shintoism. The ages-old Samurai code embodies seven essential principles:


義 Gi: Rectitude. Justice. The right decision, taken with equanimity, the right attitude, the truth. When we must die, we must die.


勇 Yu: Courage. The spirit of daring and bearing. Not bravado for its own sake, but bravery tempered with heroism.


仁 Jin: Benevolence. Universal love, charity (in a Pauline sense) toward mankind; compassion.


礼 Rei: Respect. Politeness. Right action--a most essential quality, courtesy.


誠 Makoto: Honesty. Veracity. Sincerity.


誉 Melyo: Honor. And glory.


忠 Chugo: The Duty of Loyalty. Devotion.


And there are a few associated virtues (Children, take special note!):


孝 kō: Filial piety

智 chi: Wisdom

悌 tei: Care for the aged


I have read that Bushido influenced Buddhism, and Buddhism influenced Bushido. The common elements are: 


Pacification of the emotions;
Tranquil compliance with the inevitable;
Self-control in the face of any event;
A more intimate exploration of death than of life;
Pure poverty.


A  more modern yet equally cogent depiction of the Bushido code is the popular film, The Last Samurai, which faithfully portrays these traditional Samurai virtues, many of which still prevail in Japan today. One passage especially stands out. Captured in battle, a veteran U.S. soldier ultimately finds himself living in a Samurai village. Over time he begins to appreciate the virtues of his captors:

"From the moment they wake, they

devote themselves to the perfection

of whatever they pursue -- I have

never seen such discipline....

And yet I am confounded by their

contradictions, savagery followed

by mildness."

Perhaps the leap from Seven Samurai to Magnificent Seven is not so distant after all. Many of those ancient Bushido virtues seem to be the same as those that won and built the West. Small world after all.