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A story of a young man becoming a Samurai through many tests.

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Bushido is a Japanese word literally meaning warrior. It is a non-written code for the Samurai instructing them how to act. It started in the 8th century and was followed until the modern era. There are eight virtues to this code and they explain a lot about what was important in medieval Japan.

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Courage and bravery may seem similar to us but in Bushido they are very different. Bravery is the lack of being scared, but courage is doing the right thing even if you're frightened. As Confucius said “Perceiving what is right and doing it not reveals a lack of Courage.”

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We can learn from this virtue that it is important to be brave in Japanese society, but also that doing the right thing is better than just being strong.

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Self-control is being able to tell the difference between good and bad. One should be held to a higher moral standard, knowing what is wrong and right without guidance. Self control focuses on personal development, with the goal being knowing and following all other virtues.

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We can learn from this virtue that in Japanese society that one should be good without being told, as well as the importance of independence.

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The Samurai about to kill a enemy Samurai.

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Even though Samurai where extremely powerful, they had to be merciful. They shouldn't exploit their power over people. They should care for the people around them and only use their power for good. A man should not just look to murder, like Confucius said “Benevolence is the highest requirement any rule can ever have.”

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The Samurai helping the other one up and not killing him.

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We can learn from this virtue that in Japanese society that being kind to one other is very important as well as forgiveness and the ability to let go of a grudge.

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In Japanese, Meiyo literally translates as "honor" but really means reputation and praise. One should be held to high worth and should know what is wrong or dishonorable. One is taught how to act in this way since a child; it is the first virtue taught. A Samurai should keep his reputation among the people to gain their approval.

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We can learn from this virtue that in Japanese society, one should strive for respect and praise, and work hard for everything. One should also know who to treat honorably, like ones parents.

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Justice is the strongest virtue in Bushido; it is knowing the right thing to do in any situation. As it is said, “Die if it is right to die and to strike if it is right to strike.” One should think before he acts; a Samurai needs to make quick decisions but still think about what is right and wrong.

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We can learn from this virtue that in Japanese society that everyone should be treated fairly and should know the difference between wrong and right.

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The Samurai making a deal with a farmer.

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Honesty in Bushido is not just to tell the truth, but to stick to one's integrity. A Samurai can't sign contracts; instead he must stick to his just word, which displays his honesty. One can never lie or go back on their words. One should build trust with their honesty and their truthfulness.

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We can learn from this virtue that in Japanese society people did not rely on written contracts; people simply had high trust in each other.

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Shogun offering the samurai gold to leave his shogun.

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Loyalty in Bushido is a strict devotion to one's lord /daimyo but, truly, to the Shogun. One shouldn't go against their master, even if it means going against some other virtues or sacrificing personal reward. They should be ready to die for their superiors.

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Samurai leaving the room and keeping loyalty to his shogun.

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We can learn from this virtue that in Japanese society that masters and their subordinates had a relationship relying on loyalty to function. Masters relied on their subordinates and vice versa. People could rely on one another to stay with them and do the right thing.

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Their are two types of respect between people: from a Samurai to anyone, and, more impotantly, from a Samurai to his master. There is also respect to tradition. One should know how to greet, serve, and protect their masters, elders or regular citizens. A samurai should know all the formalities, even for an enemy.

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They kneel before they fight as a sign of respect.

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We can learn from this virtue that in Japanese society, tradition was very important and extremely common. We can also learn that respect to one another was important, from greeting to speaking to more.

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The Buke Shohatto was a set of laws written in 1615 to depicting the laws of the Daimyo class.

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The Bushido: The Soul of Japan was a book written in 1899 finally writing down the 8 virtues of Bushido.

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The eight virtues of Bushido, even though they were made for the samurai, can teach us about the "soul" of Japanese society. Bushido may be a code for samurai, but it emphasizes ideas like compassion, respect, honor, honesty, and loyalty. These ideas extend far beyond just battle, creating a society that values knowing the difference between good and bad and how to act on that knowledge as much as physical strength. Bushido was a tool for the samurai but is now a tool for us to understand what Japanese society was like in the late Middle Ages.

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The The Book of Five Rings was a book written by Miyamoto Musashi a samurai who wrote it after he retreated in the middle 17th century, the book is about his philosophy.

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Bibliography

Clark, Tim. 2021. “The Bushido Code: The Eight Virtues of the Samurai a Brief History of the Samurai.” https://china.usc.edu/sites/default/files/forums/Samurai%20and%20the%20Bushido%20Code.pdf.

Culture, Samurai History &. 2022a. “Buke Shohatto, Laws for Military Houses.” Samurai History & Culture Japan. August 3, 2022. https://samuraihistoryculture.substack.com/p/buke-shohatto-laws-for-military-houses.

———. 2022b. “Buke Shohatto, Laws for Military Houses.” Samurai History & Culture Japan. August 3, 2022. https://samuraihistoryculture.substack.com/p/buke-shohatto-laws-for-military-houses.

Gamades, John. 2023. “Living Life by a Code: Exploring Bushido, the Eight Samurai Virtues.” Depth Not Width Brand Blog. January 4, 2023. https://www.depthnotwidth.com/living-life-by-a-code-exploring-bushido-the-eight-samurai-virtues/.

KWUnion. 2024. “Bushido Code: The 8 Virtues of the Samurai to Live a Balanced Life.” Time to Be United! January 23, 2024. https://www.kwunion.com/interesting/bushido-code-the-8-virtues-of-the-samurai/.

López-VeraJonathan, and Russell Calvert. 2020. History of the Samurai : Legendary Warriors of Japan. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing.

Miyamoto Musashi. 2018. The Book of Five Rings. London Arcturus.

Pletcher, Kenneth. 2016. “Bushidō | Japanese History.” In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bushido.

Richardson, Margret. 2023. Bushido.