NO.6
Thanks
my John.
This story
was translated by John Uchikura of my student from Aikinews-magazine vol.140
The spiritual backbone of the samurai – Bushido
As a teacher, what do
you want to convey most?
I would have to say martial spirit. Budo is based on
the spiritual framework of bushido. I
believe that this spiritual framework is deeply ingrained in the Japanese
people. I feel that this is a uniquely Japanese philosophy, quite distinct from
the code of chivalry practiced by knights.
The samurai who appeared towards the end
of the Heian Period were unable to subjugate
themselves completely to the teachings of Buddhism. In Buddhism, Buddha is
absolute, so people must show devotion to him. It’s a spiritual master-disciple
relationship. However, for a samurai, the master he serves is his one true
master. Showing devotion to Buddha would be tantamount to deserting his master.
In a battle, a samurai had to be willing to give his life for his master. I
think that the contradicting needs for spiritual salvation and devotion to only
one master gave rise to bushido. Bushido uses Confucian philosophy as a
base and changed with the times by incorporating aspects of Zen Buddhism, and
became a code of conduct used exclusively by the samurai.
In the middle ages, knights were enlisted
to fight in the crusades, but unlike the samurai, one wasn’t born into
knighthood. To be a samurai, you had to be born into that class. In the 11th
century, several armies of Crusaders were organized and sent to
In bushido,
one chooses death as proof of their faith in life. This means that a samurai
would do what they believe to be correct, even if they know that that action
may bring about their death. This extreme form of logic can be found in the
book Hagakure.
It’s not about loss and gain. There is a unique purity of thought, and it is
the manifestation of a pure heart that is the essence of bushido.
For example, when the invasion force of
the Satsuma han returned
from their expedition to
This aspect of sympathy and consideration
disappeared once we entered the Meiji Era. The fact that bushido was used as a means to raise military fervor saddens me to
no end. When I think that the true spirit of bushido was still alive when Saigo Takamori was around, I can’t help but have a special place
in my heart for the Satsuma and Aizu clans.
We need to get back to the original
spirit of bushido. I’m collecting
articles from Heisei Bushido, but there’s one article in particular which I
think was entitled, “What I discovered from applying bushido to life” which made a big impression on me. The articles in
Heisei
Bushido emphasize the importance of living peacefully with others. The
kanji character 「武」bu from bushido, is comprised of 「戈」(meaning weapon) and 「止」(meaning to stop), but I
believe the meaning extends not only to stopping conflict but to avoiding armed
conflict altogether. Nishio Sensei interprets this as
meaning “Stop conflict before it starts.” By this, he actually means that one
should no longer feel the need or desire for violence and conflict. I agree
with him completely. By studying the way of the sword, I’ve come to realize the
importance of valuing each moment in life – not only my own, but the lives of
others too.
They say that a Japanese katana, the epitome of art and function,
takes only 0.1 seconds to cut through a body. The difference between life and
death is but 0.1 seconds. Our existence between the boundless past and infinite
future is but an instant, but it is by continuing to live each moment that we
make a life for ourselves. There’s a famous poem which goes something like: I will have no regrets if I die while I am
seeking the truth. My concept of bushido involves the constant search for
truth, and living each moment fully.
Lessons passed down from my predecessors – teachings
(kun「訓」).
So you believe that
bushido is based on teachings?
To be
continued next