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    Bushido Explained: The Japanese Samurai Code: A New Interpretation for Beginners
    Bushido Explained: The Japanese Samurai Code: A New Interpretation for Beginners
    Bushido Explained: The Japanese Samurai Code: A New Interpretation for Beginners
    Ebook284 pages2 hours

    Bushido Explained: The Japanese Samurai Code: A New Interpretation for Beginners

    By Alexander Bennett and Baptiste Tavernier

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    About this ebook

    This seminal work by historian Alexander Bennett presents a broad overview of the Japanese "Way of the Warrior" as it is expressed in scores of classical Japanese texts written by famous Samurai themselves.

    Bennett's analysis of these writings shows that the essential meaning of Bushido, the Samurai's code of conduct and ethics, evolved significantly over time--from the 12th century when the warrior class was elevated to become an elite group, to the 19th century when the Samurai class was suddenly disbanded.

    Bushido Explained takes a visual approach to presenting important concepts and terminology, helping readers easily navigate the complex world of the Samurai. The text is written in a highly accessible style, with sidebars presenting interesting concepts, facts and important Samurai figures who were central to Bushido's evolution. The different types of Bushido--which vary by region, time period and Samurai rank--are presented with over 300 informative diagrams and illustrations.

    No other book offers such a wide-ranging, yet clear analysis of Bushido--debunking myths and misconceptions about who the Samurai truly were. Bushido Explained presents a precise overview of Samurai ideals and culture in a logical, chronological order.

    Author Alexander Bennett--a professor of Japanese history, martial arts and Budo theory at Kansai university in Japan--uses this information and teaching methods in his Japanese Studies: Introduction to Bushido class. Now, readers all over the world can sit in on the unique lesson.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTuttle Publishing
    Release dateMar 10, 2020
    ISBN9781462921225
    Bushido Explained: The Japanese Samurai Code: A New Interpretation for Beginners

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      Book preview

      Bushido Explained - Alexander Bennett

      Chapter 1

      Historical Overview

      Bushido literally means the Way ( do ) of the warrior ( bushi ). Most people in the West are more familiar with the alternative term Samurai ," which derives from the Japanese verb saburau , meaning to serve. The terms are now used interchangeably and refer to hereditary professional warriors who wielded political power in medieval and early modern Japan. As professional warriors, Samurai differed from peasant conscript soldiers in both the ancient and modern periods. As hereditary warriors, their existence also differed from officials who were assigned military duty in ancient times, and also from the modern career soldier. Coming from aristocratic roots, how and when did Samurai eclipse the nobles, their original masters, to become the dominant political leaders of Japan?

      Samurai Beginnings

      There is no easy answer to this question as many factors were involved. In simple terms, however, the gradual rise of Samurai to political prominence was prompted by the court abolishing its conscript army in the 8th century under which service was forced on unwilling peasants and led by inexperienced nobles. Seen as unacceptably burdensome, each household with three or more adult males was required to send one of them for military training for up to three years, and even had to provide him with equipment. In its stead, the court government conjured up various systems in which the military became privatized and was made the domain of provincial magnates and mid-to low-level nobles.

      These ad hoc military experts formed networks and competed for wealth and influence as security guards or private armies for noble factions in the capital and provinces. The profession provided useful opportunities for advancement among the middle-to lower-ranked aristocrats. Martial ability was their ticket to a successful career in a mutually beneficial arrangement with the powerful families who controlled the seat of government. To this end, many headed to the Kanto plains in the east and areas far from the capital to develop and protect estates and entered into armed alliances with local elites.

      A strong esprit de corps was forged between these men-of-arms through shared combat experience, giving rise to a subculture based on violence that was distinct from the central nobles. To the Samurai, honor gleaned through a show of valor superceded all else. Honor was worth dying for.

      To maintain their privileges and monopoly on government posts, upper-level nobles in Kyoto employed experts for their own private armies. The court itself actively recruited mercenaries to bolster its military and policing system.

      With the onset of the Kamakura period (1185–1333), Samurai became mainstream political players. Minamoto-no-Yoritomo created Japan’s first warrior government (Bakufu) in 1192 in the little seaside town of Kamakura, located near present-day Tokyo. Yoritomo’s Bakufu by no means replaced the Kyoto-based court government. In fact, he needed validation from the emperor and was conferred by him the official title Sei’i Tai-Shogun (barbarian quelling generalissimo).

      The Bakufu was a warrior union of sorts in which Yoritomo occupied the top position and monopolized lines of communication with the court government. Although the Bakufu is called a military government, it was in essence a ministry for homeland security that coexisted with the central imperial government.

      The mindset of the Kamakura-period warrior was centered on loyalty underpinned by a spirit of autonomy. They were tough men who found meaning in the rough-and-ready lifestyle of the frontier lands. An honorable reputation was earned through ability in combat. It was only a matter of time before nobles capitulated in the face of their unbridled political aspirations that emerged in the 12th to 14th centuries. Let us now look at events leading to the formation of the Bakufu in Kamakura in more detail, and how warrior hegemony became established for the next seven

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