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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Nagoya Castle
Nagoya Castle, originally built by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period, stands on the site of an earlier Oda clan castle from the Sengoku period. It became the centerpiece of Nagoya-juku, a significant castle town on the Minoji road, which connected two major Edo Five Routes: the Tokaido and the Nakasendo. In 1930, ownership of the castle was transferred to the city by the Imperial Household Ministry, establishing it as the focal point of modern Nagoya. Although partially destroyed in the Pacific War in 1945, the castle has undergone continuous restoration and preservation efforts since 1957.
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Matsushiro Castle
Matsushiro Castle, originally known as Kaizu Castle, is located in what was once Matsushiro town, now part of Nagano City. The site is recognized as a National Historic Site of Japan. Situated on the northern Shinano flatlands between the Chikuma River and a former riverbed that serves as a natural outer moat to the north, the castle and its surrounding town were prone to flooding due to their location.
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Fushimi Castle
Fushimi Castle, also known as Momoyama Castle or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, is located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi between 1592 and 1594 as his retirement residence, the castle was destroyed by the 1596 Keichō–Fushimi earthquake and later rebuilt. However, it was demolished again in 1623, and its site now houses the tomb of Emperor Meiji. A replica of the castle was constructed nearby in 1964.
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Odawara Castle
Odawara Castle, located in the city of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is a reconstructed historical site with roots dating back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333). The current donjon (main keep) was rebuilt using reinforced concrete in 1960 on the stone foundation of the original structure, which was dismantled between 1870 and 1872 during the Meiji Restoration.
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Shinpu Castle
Shinpu Castle was a Japanese hirayama-style fortress from the Sengoku period, situated in what is now Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture. It served as the main stronghold of warlord Takeda Katsuyori. Designated as a National Historic Site in 1973, the castle occupies a strategic position on a mountain with steep cliffs, overlooking the Kamanashi River to the west of Kofu, where Takeda Shingen’s Tsutsujigasaki Castle once stood.
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Takato Castle
Takato Castle, located in the city of Ina in southern Nagano Prefecture, Japan, was a notable stronghold during the Sengoku period. By the end of the Edo period, it was the residence of a cadet branch of the Naito clan, the daimyo of the Takato Domain. Also known as Kabuto Castle, it was originally constructed in the 16th century and is now mostly in ruins.
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Takatenjin Castle
Takatenjin Castle was a yamashiro-style fortress from Japan's Sengoku period, situated in the Kamihijikata and Shimohijikata districts of Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture. Designated a National Historic Site in 1975, with an expanded protected area in 2007, its ruins remain a significant historical landmark.
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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.
