The samurai philosophy traces back to Zen Buddhism which implies the idea of the existence of a single ideal sword that gave birth to the entire dual world with its innumerable doubts.
The Concept of “Bushido”
“Budoseshinshu” – “The Samurai Code” (translated as “The Way of the Warrior”) – was written as a guide for the Japanese who chose a military life. The book’s author is Taira Shigesuke, the Confucian monk and military historian. Following that, it took five centuries of military rule to finally develop the standards of the Bushido samurai philosophy. It included the model of the samurai’s irreproachable conduct, moral and practical guidance; historically appropriate personal, social and professional standards of warrior’s conduct.
The word “bushido” includes 3 hieroglyphs. The word “bushi” is the only one in the Japanese language that most accurately describes the concept and essence of a warrior. The first hieroglyph “bu” means “military”/“soldierly”, its root means “to stop”. And the second character is a short form of how a spear is designated. An ancient Chinese source contains a detailed interpretation that says that “bu” forbids violence, “stops the spear”.
In Japanese, the hieroglyph “shi” means “a soldiery”, “a warrior”, “a noble person”. Initially, the word was used to describe people who had certain skills and were high on the social scale but willing to take up arms if necessary. It appears that “bushi” is a person who secures peace by both purely non-aggressive methods, with art, and with a sword.
The last character – “do” – means “a path”. This is the most important concept for many oriental teachings that combines seemingly incompatible qualities – “bu” and “bun” as “the ideal person”.
Bushido Postulates
The requirements of the code were quite clearly stated by Daidoji Yuzan. They are the following:
- true courage means that one must live when it is rightful and die when it is rightful;
- one must go to his death being clearly aware of this;
- one must weigh his every word and ask himself whether his words are true or not;
- one must be moderate in eating and avoid self-permissiveness;
- one must remember about death in his everyday life;
- one must respect the rule “Parents are the tree trunk and children are its branches”;
- one must always be loyal to his master;
- one must take on enemy spears and arrows with no fear;
- faithfulness, courage and justice are the samurai’s main virtues;
- if one loses a war, he has to proudly say his name and die with a smile, with no humiliating haste.
The Samurai Philosophy
The true spiritual meaning of the “Bushido” samurai code and samurai philosophy can be stated as follows: “A warrior must live knowing that he may die at any time, and he should appreciate every moment of his life as it may turn out to be the last one.” Only the one who is ready to die can see the world in all its glory and devote all his time to helping his neighbors and himself. Only when you realize you can see all of this for the last time, you will look at the world with love and notice the things that ordinary people do not see in their busy lives. The warrior feels the sun warms him with its rays, rustling of leaves and beautiful birdsongs. He sees how a leaf, that has come off the branch, swirling, falls into a runlet and rapidly floats away downstream. That is why a lot of samurai became poets, and many of them customarily left their dying poems. A lot of samurai were also interested in theater, fine arts and calligraphy.
See also
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Yoshida Castle
Yoshida Castle is renowned worldwide, particularly through the intricate woodblock prints by Edo Period artist Hiroshige. His famous series, depicting the 53 stages of the Tokaido—the historic route between Kyoto and Edo (modern-day Tokyo)—includes the 34th print, which shows workmen repairing a castle overlooking a wooden bridge crossing a wide river. This scene captures the Toyokawa River at Toyohashi in southeast Aichi Prefecture, and the castle is Yoshida Castle.
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Yamato Koriyama Castle
The impressive ruins of Koriyama Castle sit atop a small hill, surrounded by two rivers. The strategic positioning and strong layout of the castle served it well through the final years of the Sengoku period and the peaceful days of the Edo period.
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Yamanaka Castle
Yamanaka Castle, established by Hojo Ujiyasu in the 1560s, is located in what is now eastern Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture. This castle served as the first line of western defense for the main Hojo Castle at Odawara. Carved into the side of a 586-meter-high mountain, Yamanaka Castle was strategically positioned along the Tokaido Highway, offering superb views of nearby Mt. Fuji, the ocean, and the road leading to Odawara.
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Uwajima Castle
Uwajima Castle, located in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku, is one of the 12 remaining Japanese castles with an original keep. Known for its small size, Uwajima Castle is relatively difficult to access, which means it is less frequented by tourists.
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Ueda Castle
Ueda Castle in Nagano Prefecture once stood prominently on a cliff overlooking the Saigawa River. Also known as Amagafuchi-Jo, Isesaki-Jo, Matsuo-Jo, and Sanada-Jo, it was built around 1583 by its first master, Sanada Masayuki. This sturdy yet small fortress cleverly utilized the surrounding natural defenses, including the river, steep rocky cliffs, the layout of the town below, and the strategically designed waterways to hinder attackers. Ueda Castle was fortified with seven defensive yagura (watchtowers) atop robust stone walls and had two large gates with watchtowers above them.
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Tsuyama Castle
Tsuyama Castle, located in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, is celebrated as one of Japan's top three major hilltop (Hirayama) castles, alongside Himeji and Matsuyama Castles. Originally, Tsuyama Castle comprised 77 structures, including the main keep, various yagura (watchtowers), gates, palaces, and living quarters. For comparison, Hiroshima Castle had 76 structures, and Himeji had 61. The first castle on this site was built in 1441 but was soon abandoned. The large-scale construction that we recognize today began in 1603 under the orders of Mori Tadamasa. The castle served as the administrative base for the Tsuyama Han daimyo, the Mori clan from 1603 to 1697, and the Matsudaira clan from 1698 to 1871.
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Tsu Castle
Tsu Castle, located in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, was originally built by Hosono Fujiatsu in 1558 and was known as Anotsu Castle, named after the old region. The site was strategically chosen at the confluence of the Ano and Iwata Rivers, which naturally formed a moat around the castle, while the nearby port served as a vital trade route.
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Sasayama Castle
Tamba Sasayama Castle, also known as Sasayama or Kirigajo (Mist Castle), is a flatland castle (hira-jiro) situated on a gentle rise in the Tamba region of Hyogo Prefecture. It was constructed in 1608 as part of Tokugawa Ieyasu's strategy to prepare for an attack on Osaka, aiming to bring an end to the Toyotomi clan. Ieyasu ordered the castle's construction using the Tenka Bushin system, engaging 20 former enemy daimyo and their forces to complete the complex within six months. This system kept the former enemies close and preoccupied, financially straining them and limiting their capacity for further conflict. The stones used in Sasayama Castle feature engravings called kokumon, indicating who made each part of the walls and preventing theft by other lords' men.
