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(Compassion) Through intense training the samurai becomes quick and strong. He is not
as other men. He develops a power that must be used for the good of all. He has compassion.
He helps his fellow man at every opportunity. If an opportunity does not arise,
he goes out of his way to find one. |
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(Polite Courtesy) Samurai have no reason to be cruel. They do not need to prove
their strength. A samurai is courteous even to his enemies. Without this outward show
of respect, we are nothing more than animals. A samurai is not only respected for his
strength in battle, but also for his dealings with other men. The true inner
strength of a Samurai becomes apparent during difficult times. |
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(Heroic Courage) Rise up above the masses of people that are afraid to act. Hiding
like a turtle in a shell is not living at all. A samurai must have heroic courage. It
is absolutely risky. It is dangerous. It is living life completely, fully, wonderfully.
Heroic courage is not blind. It is intelligent and strong. Replace fear with respect
and caution. |
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A true samurai has only one judge of his honour, and that is himself. Decisions
you make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of who you truly
are. You cannot hide from yourself. Many Samurai however, were overly sensitive judges of slights to their honour, and were overly fond of invoking a duel to the death or committing "seppuko" as a result. This was frowned upon by the more "refined" Samurai. |
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(Sometimes Honesty and Justice) Be acutely honest throughout your dealings with
all people. Believe in justice, not from other people, but from yourself. To the
true samurai, there are no shades of gray in the question of honesty and justice.
There is only right and wrong. The Samurai were the ruling class and had th epower of judge, jury and executioner. If justice was not seen to be done by the masses, there would be trouble. Actually, during the warring periods there was much unrest in Japan and many of the "Samurai" killed the peasantry for the slightest reason. When the Shogun's came to power and re-organised Japan, the virtues were taught and enforced to prevent civil war and strife returning. |
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Loyalty was one of the first thoughts of the Samurai. Loyalty to their Lord meant
willingly commiting themselves to the ultimate sacrifice - death if it meant their
Lords cause was advanced as a result. (Death for the sake of self-honour with no
advancement of the Lords cause was frowned upon). Loyalty extends to family, clan, Lord, Emporer and country. Prior to WW2, Japan's leaders tapped into their Samurai past and directed the Samurai code of Loyalty to heighten patriotic fervour and sense of Duty. It was loyalty at the root of "seppuku", hari-kari and the kamikaze pilots, soldiers and manned torpedo pilots. |
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Veracity/truthfulness (Complete Sincerity) - a Samurai's word was his bond and he
would rather die than fail to complete a task he had said he would do.
There are stories of Samurai who were asked to swear an oath but replied that their
word was their oath and this argument was upheld by the courts. |
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Benevolence Bravery Honour Justice Loyalty Honesty Politeness |
Bushido sites: Bushido page on this site Wikipedia Bushido virtues Bushido page Bushido The Soul of Japan - book Kendo World - Bushido Hagakure The Last Samurai (enter the Flash Site, and from the menu, select 'Discover', 'Bushido'). Another Bushido page Chivalry (European Knightly values) |