Bushido, the samurai code of ethics, and the philosophy of martial arts

Abstract

In this article, I attempt to characterize the so-called “Samurai Code” called Bushido This Japanese word can be translated as chivalry, and in its original use means “ways of knights,” guidelines that fighting samurai should follow in their daily lives and in the calling to which they were destined. It can be said that Bushido is, therefore, a code of moral principles, which samurai were obliged to follow. The code was most often unwritten and unspoken, and, therefore, all the more powerful, a code that had the power of true law and action, one engraved deeply in its adherents’ hearts. It should be pointed out that Bushido is not based on the creative power of one mind, but is the result of the profound wealth and value of the growth of knightly knowledge, developed over time. In the feudal era, Bushido began to be conscious. However, feudalism itself consisted of many threads. Bushido is, thus, woven from a multitude of events in a cause-and-effect relationship, which are focused not only around one charismatic figure, but are linked by their mutual relations over the centuries in many generations of samurai.