12 minute read
A Samurai...To Serve
By Allen Woodman
When martial artists think of a warrior figure that exemplifies the meaning of their training and their art, they often envision the traditional Japanese samurai, a finely dressed and wellarmed warrior from feudal Japan.
The samurai, steeped in the culture and tradition of Japanese feudal periods, is the most recognized image of a true warrior. Bushi warriors, and those of the Samurai class, were distinctively heralded as the pre-eminent authorities on warfare and honed skills of battle.
Peasants would bow at the sight of a samurai, showing great honor and respect, often out of both reverence and fear due to the samurai's authority and power.
Bushi warriors, and those of the Samurai class, were distinctively heralded as the pre-eminent authorities on warfare and honed skills of battle. Peasants would bow at the sight of a samurai approaching to show great honor and respect to the warrior even if the samurai was only passing by.
The stories and legends of the Japanese Samurai have been woven into the fabric of American martial arts society and we hold the samurai to a higher than human standard. The Samurai deserve recognition for great battles fought with much honor.
The fact remains, that in today’s martial arts community, the samurai is considered a master warrior to be emulated by martial arts instructors and practitioners of the arts.
The true origins and the ideologies of the Japanese Samurai class and its individual Bushi or Ronin warriors has been somewhat misconstrued by the martial arts community. The purpose of the Samurai class was to train hard in anticipation of the honor of being chosen by a master or warlord.
The Samurai system as a whole was developed by the barons of feudal Japan to aid in the protection of the house in which they reigned.
While samurai often served as security guards and police within their domains, they also played a crucial role as military forces in regional conflicts and wars.
The Samurai class had a code of ethics and honor, termed the Bushido “The Way of the Warrior”
The Bushido was a spoken, and later written, set of rules and moral conduct that provided the Samurai with a standard that guided their behavior along their chosen path of training and warriorship. The rules were never to be broken under any circumstance and were to be obeyed by all Samurai regardless of which house they protected or under who’s rule they stood.
The term Bushi or warriors from the traditional Japanese language translates to “One who battles” or “A person of war”
Bushido began influencing samurai culture in the 8th century and became more formalized and codified by the 13th century, reaching its most refined state during the Tokugawa period (1603-1868)
BU - Warrior, military, chivalry, arms
SHI - Gentleman, samurai
DO- The way or the Path
The characters put together mean “way of the warrior” But we need to look at each character to understand their greater meaning.
Bushido was a code of conduct for the Samurai and served as a model of behavior for the Samurai and other social classes During the relative peace of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Samurai had time on their hands, and spent much of that time pursuing other interests, such as becoming scholars
If we take a look at the Japanese Kanji which are the adopted logographic Chinese characters for the word Bushido, we find that there are three characters that make up the word.
f we take a look at the Japanese Kanji which are the adopted logographic Chinese characters for the word Bushido, we find that there are three characters that make up the word.
The character 'BU' refers to warrior or military. The left component represents 'stop,' and when combined with the other strokes under a 'roof,' it conveys a sense of 'honest' or 'righteous' action within a martial context. Four strokes are seen on the left side and towards the bottom, and they appear to be sheltered by a roof.
These strokes form the basis of the Japanese kanji for the word “stop”, but when the roof is included, it becomes “honest” or “righteous”
The character for earth has a longer base extending past the middle horizontal lines, while 'SHI' represents a gentleman or samurai but requires context to specifically denote a samurai.
The character (SHI) represents a gentleman. SHI is also defined as samurai, but you would not use this character alone to mean samurai. It is interesting that the character for samurai utilizes the character for earth within it.
The final character, “DO,” is familiar to most people in the martial arts. It is the ending character for most major styles and disciplines, such as Aiki” do,” Ju” do,” Sei” do,” DO is understood to mean “the Way ”
The word Bushido came into general usage in Japan in the 17th century Its common usage in the Japanese language and introduction in the West’s lexicon are due to the 1903 publication of Nitobe Inazo’s book Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
Dr. Inazo wrote:
“…Bushido, then, is the code of moral principles which the samurai were required or instructed to observe…More frequently, it is a code unuttered and unwritten It was an organic growth of decades and centuries of military career.” growth of decades and centuries of military career.”
We first find the characters BU-SHI used in a book of early history of Japan written in 797, the Shoku Nihongi There is a chapter in this book which covered the year 721 and the term Bushi is used here (these are the same two characters we know of today).
The reference to this word was about the ideal warrior also being a poet. There is an abundance of literature during the periods of the 13th through 16th centuries on Bushido.
This is when the code heavily emphasized loyalty and devotion There was no higher goal than to risk one’s life for his leader and to die a warrior hero’s death.
When the Meiji Government came into power and the Meiji Restoration began in 1868, there were huge sweeping changes brought throughout all Japan It spelled the end of the Shogunate rule and the samurai way of life, the age of the sword ended.
Bushidō or “Way of the Warrior” is a term of common usage since the late 19th century. It describes a uniquely Japanese code of conduct adhered to by samurai since time immemorial, and loosely analogous to Western concepts of chivalry. Bushido encompasses a system of moral principles. It embodies a code of daily living for the samurai. Those instructed in the code are expected to discipline themselves according to it. The seven principles of budo are as follows.
The Seven Principles of Bushido
1. Rectitude. Correct judgment or procedure for the resolution of righteousness. “To die when it is right to die, to strike when it is right to strike.”
2. Courage. A virtue only in the cause of righteousness Death for an unworthy cause was termed a dog”s death. “It is true courage to live when it is right to live, and to die only when it is right to die ”
3. Benevolence. Love, affection for others, sympathy and nobility of feeling are regarded as the highest attributes of the soul “Benevolence brings under its sway whatever hinder its power just as water subdues fire ”
4 Politeness A poor virtue if it is actuated only by a fear of offending good taste. Rather it should stem from a sympathetic regard for the feeling of others. “In its highest form politeness approaches love ”
5 Veracity “Truthfulness ” Lying was deemed cowardly, and it was regarded as dishonorable Indeed the word of a samurai guaranteed the truthfulness of an assertion. No oath is necessary. “Propriety carried beyond bounds becomes a lie.”
6. Honor. A vivid consciousness of personal dignity and worth is implicit in the word honor. “Dishonor is like a scar on a tree which time, instead of effacing only helps to enlarge.”
7. Loyalty. Only in the code of chivalrous honor does loyalty assume importance. In the conflict between loyalty and affection the code never wavers from the choice of loyalty. “A samurai was obliged to appeal to the intelligence and conscience of his sovereign by demonstrating the sincerity of his words with the shedding of his own blood.”
The Samurai that was once the character of feudal Japan, became the woven remnant of a culture that would long carry the samurai deeds in the fabric of society.
The meaning of the word samurai was the truest definition of service to one’s lord or master
This word samurai became the definition of the true sense of duty to others, above all else.
Firstly, it was the responsibility or duty of the samurai to protect his master or house lord, his Oyabun.
Secondly, his duty was transferred to the safety of those within the house walls, the family.
Thirdly, it was the duty of each samurai to sustain and protect the group or other samurai within the overlords command.
Fourthly, it was the safety and protection of the community that was protected under the Shogunate rule.
This is the aspect of the meaning of the word samurai that is missed by many of today’s martial artist The image we have of the samurai as a great Japanese swordsman and warrior scholar is not the true image of a samurai, and it does not portray who the samurai really were or what they actually stood for. The definition of the term samurai and the actual meaning which should be derived from the makeup of the Kanji translates “To Serve”.
“To Serve” is the true meaning of samurai, and this is where our martial arts training should begin and end, as servants of one another. Learning technique is not enough. It is only after we have learned the techniques, and learned to serve, that we will have mastered our chosen art form.
We must add the true meaning of samurai to our martial studies if those studies are to be complete. Our goal must be to protect and to nurture the family, community and friends protected under the Bushi household
As martial artists we often pursue only the values of a single faction of the samurai, one of honed skill and tactics to dissuade an enemy upon encroachment However, this was only a single part of the Samurai’s education and life affirmation.
If today’s martial arts instructors understood the real value of the true samurai code, more would choose the path of Bushi and not just the outward appearance of the Samurai’s pomp and stately manner.
With a true understanding of the Samurai, we are allowed to see the positive goals we should be striving for
Together the martial artists of today need to stand up for their country, communities, and their families, and this is done by serving on another. Service often entails sacrifice and is what should make up the fabric of martial arts.
As martial artists, we need to practice the Seven Principles of Bushido beginning in our own martial community, and within the martial arts industry as a whole.
We must begin to reinstate the code, or see it lost to all in the sweeping changes of our society. In our humble opinions, this is an area we need to work on. We need to learn to protect and support one another, instead of always competing with one another in our separate systems and styles of training.
As traditional martial artists, we tend to seek out like minded individuals who are willing to share their art. Sharing one's art is really the only way to grow, and having a willingness to be taught by, and to teach others, is what the martial arts should be all about.
Let’s start today by reaching out to other martial arts instructors, students and masters alike. Let’s open our minds to different ways of doing things and at the same time return to the past by embracing the Bushido Code of the samurai once again.
Too often, we let politics; ego, finances and fear determine our actions instead of following the Bushido code We, as a united martial arts family, need to cast aside these constraints and become the modern day samurai we are meant to be
Together we must begin the journey of serving, not ourselves, but our martial family, and then spread that out to include our entire communities.
About the author
Allen Woodman has been studying martial arts since the age of four. As a child he discovered the world of martial arts early on while growing up on a military base outside Tokyo, Japan
Allen has studied the traditional Martial art of Shotokan Karate directly with Shihan Sensei Ryuichi Sato, a direct student of Osensei Gichin Funakoshi for more than 15 years.
Mr Woodman received his rank of 6th degree black belt at the Hombu Dojo in Japan in early 2011.
Since then, Allen has devoted his life to martial arts training and learning. Also holding Dan ranks in Aikido and Jujitsu as well as earning instructor certification in Kabaroan Eskrima directly from Grandmaster Estalilla and training directly with Bruce Lee’s teacher and Grandmaster of the Wing Chun system master Yip Chun in Hong Kong.
Mr. Woodman is a published author over more than 40 books. An accomplished Award-Winning and publisher and writer of Bushido Soul of Japan, The History of Japanese Martial Arts and Hojojutsu: The Binding Art Volume 1 & 2.
Allen Woodman is the current Editor in Chief of IMA magazine.
