History's Warriors: Samurai

For the next week, we're going to take a look at four of history's most famed and fearsome groups of warriors and consider how their lives can teach us to live boundlessly. Today, we look at the Japanese Samurai.

By Greyson Gilbert

“The summit is believed to be the object of the climb. But its true object—the joy of living—is not in the peak itself, but in the adversities encountered on the way up. There are valleys, cliffs, streams, precipices, and slides, and as he walks these steep paths, the climber may think he cannot go any farther, or even that dying would be better than going on. But then he resumes fighting the difficulties directly in front of him, and when he is finally able to turn and look back at what he has overcome, he finds he has truly experienced the joy of living while on life's very road.” 
― Eiji Yoshikawa, Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan

What do you think of when you imagine a Samurai? Intricate armor, decorative swords, and bone-chilling masks? Yes, these things played their roles in Japanese history, but the Samurai way goes much deeper than just a fearsome outward appearance. In fact, the greatest samurai didn't need fancy armor at all.

 The word samurai originally meant “one who served”. The samurai were an influential military caste in feudal Japan who rose to power in the 12^th century with the introduction of the first dictatorship, as servants of the leader, or shogunate. Japans history is marked by war spanning from the 8^th century to today, and until the mid 1800’s, Japanese Samurai were the chief military force in the nation. Rōnin were Sumarai who travelled, studied, and dueled, not serving under a certain leader.

Samurai, in addition to their supreme fighting skills, are remembered most by their strict code of discipline, honor, and morality, called Bushido – meaning “Way of the Warrior." The code did not just concern matters of fighting and war craft, but concerned the samurai with the way that he should live off of the battlefield. In today’s world of comfort and ease, a lot can be learned and applied to our lives from the teachings of the samurai and Bushido. Bushido, which is closely related to yet somehow deeper than the west’s idea of chivalry, is outlined by its 7 principles:

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.”*

Miyamoto Musashi was an expert Japanese swordsman, martial arts philosophy writer, and rōnin born in 1584. He became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed style of swordsmanship, which he created and named Niten-ryū. He holds the best unbeaten streak of duels in Japanese samurai history (61-0). In his later years he authored The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho), and The Way I Go Alone (Dokkōdō). Both of these documents, given to one of his students seven days before he died, outlined his martial art, the ideals that lie behind it, and his own personal philosophies. The following are excerpts from his writings.

“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.” 

Everything we need to become who we were meant to be has already been given to us. Live every day seeking to be internally better.

“Do nothing that is of no use.” 

Every day, we waste so much of our time in meaningless activities. Mindlessly searching the web, flipping through social media, or generally wasting time. Be efficient and intentional.

“If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you.”

This is true in our everyday lives. What controls you? Who, or what, is your enemy? Temptations. Darkness. If we are not actively taking part in spiritual combat against evil, are we not letting it control us?

“When in a fight to the death, one wants to employ all one's weapons to the utmost. I must say that to die with one's sword still sheathed is most regrettable.” 

Bushido’s strongest principle is one of honor. Live an honorable life and die an honorable death. Do not attack life with your "sword still sheathed,” but get after it with all you have got.

“Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. Even when your spirit is calm do not let your body relax, and when your body is relaxed do not let your spirit slacken. Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit.” 

“Step by step, walk the thousand-mile road.” 

Take life one day, one moment at a time. Multi-tasking is a myth, and don't get too ahead of yourself. Live every moment, and take advantage of the opportunity in every step you take, big or small.

Miyamoto Musashi

*7 principle descriptions taken from here