The Bushido Codec

[cryptic dragon tamer]

Bushido Code



Following are the eight principles of bushido:
o Jin - to develop a sympathetic understanding of people
o Gi - to preserve the correct ethics
o Chu - to show loyalty to one's master
o Ko - to respect and to care for one's parents
o Rei - to show respect for others
o Chi - to enhance wisdom by broadening one's knowledge
o Shin - to be truthful at all times
o Tei - to care for the aged and those of a humble station


The above text was borrowed from:



The bushido code has been a long standing honorable code, often compared to the European Knights chivalry. Bushido basically translates into the way of the Warrior. The way of the warrior is to face your inner fears and deal with them; they always are prepared to die. Death isn’t a scary ideal with the bushido followers. Infact they are honored greatly when they die in combat. Dying as an old man is not as respectful as dying in combat. Buddhism and Shintoism have had a great impact on the ways of bushido. Even after the fact the Samurai were gone, the Japanese still followed along the same code. During World War II the kamikaze looked to bushido and samurai for inspiration. Even after the war, when the Japanese army was disbanded, many corporations were formed called zaibatsu. They weren’t just corporations, but families. All working for one thing together. Loyalty to the company and company name was great. Bushido believes man and the universe were made to be alike in both the spirit and ethics. Here is the samurai creed:



I have no parents; I make the Heavens and the Earth my parents.
I have no home; I make the Tan T'ien my home.
I have no divine power; I make honesty my Divine Power.
I have no means; I make Docility my means.
I have no magic power; I make personality my Magic Power.
I have neither life nor death; I make A Um my Life and Death.

I have no body; I make Stoicism my Body.
I have no eyes; I make The Flash of Lightning my eyes.
I have no ears; I make Sensibility my Ears.
I have no limbs; I make Promptitude my Limbs.
I have no laws; I make Self-Protection my Laws.
I have no strategy; I make the Right to Kill and the Right to Restore Life my Strategy.
I have no designs; I make seizing the Opportunity by the Forelock my Designs.
I have no miracles; I make Righteous Laws my Miracle.
I have no principles; I make Adaptability to all circumstances my Principle.
I have no tactics; I make Emptiness and Fullness my Tactics.

I have no talent; I make Ready Wit my Talent.
I have no friends; I make my Mind my Friend.
I have no enemy; I make Incautiousness my Enemy.
I have no amour; I make Benevolence my Amour.
I have no castle; I make Immovable Mind my Castle.
I have no sword; I make No Mind my Sword.

I would like to make a reference to one of the pages, I found most valuable in helping me learn: Bushido Home Page





"It puts emphasis on loyalty, self sacrifice, justice, sense of shame, refined manners, purity, modesty, frugality, martial spirit, honor and affection" (Nippon Steel Human Resources Development Co., Ltd. 329).

What Bushido means to me is a code of long standing, showing that honor is still abided by today. In many ways today, people are deceitful they lack a lot of honor. I am not sure what or how this has changed over the years, or what has stopped teaching people to be honorable. Along with honor, respect has been lost as well. I think personally, our children should be taught this in the early years in school. Infact even enforced. I know in Japan, they still abide by a lot of the ethics and policies handed down by generations of people to follow the bushido code in some form or another. It is my belief, that a lot of younger people don’t respect elders, or older persons. I guess age, at least in America takes time to develop the proper skills and awareness to look for these attributes. Maybe it was my military background that helped inspire my seeking of knowledge to follow this code. I still felt strongly about these attributes when I was younger, however the older I get the more I want to abide by them.

[Jezabel]

[redlotus88]

My grandmother told me that older people need to be repected because they have accumulated wisdom and experiences we have yet to ..and we must look at them as teachers, mentors, and authority figures. She said in China, one who reaches 90 may walk as the equal to an emporer.Elderly people in some Asian countries work to very advanced ages,and are looked to for their opinions and respected. American culture is very youth oriented. We have so much media-ads, music, film, the fashion industry,etc. We are bombarded with the message of youth as value. It has created giant industries-science is always looking for a way to turn back the clock. People risk their lives to have their faces and bodies resculptured and inject botulism into their natural expression lines.Sure, it is very good to take care of one's self and care about how one appears to others but to deliberatley alter one's visage is a symptom of psychological maladjustment.This is only my opinion. I do think another way we have declined to respect elders is that people tend to move far from their parents. The families here are less cohesive than they are in Asia.When Asians have been living in this country for generations, they become very Americanized. The parents do not always stay with their children when they are too old to take care of themselves. Many elderly are all too conveniently tucked away in care homes where they are forgotten about. Elder abuse is rampant in the US. When the elderly have positions of authority and respect, they stay healthier longer. Mentally and physically.