Recently I’ve been researching 武士道 (bushidō) – the ancient Japanese way of the warrior, mostly to try to figure out if it ever was actually a legit thing, or if it’s a modern invention..
Spoiler alert: it’s a bit of both. You can read my conclusions in my WordPress article here.
Bushidō comes with a handy list of 8 virtues that one can follow to lead one’s best and most noble life. You may not have been born a samurai, but you can still live like one by following this code.
The second virtue is “Courage, the spirit of Daring and Bearing”.
These 8 virtues were first mentioned in Nitobe Inazao’s 1899 book “Bushido: the Soul of Japan”.
He describes “courage” as “bearing” as well as “daring”, which suggests that courage has a broader meaning than merely courage in battle; it also includes enduring difficult situations.
He goes on to say: “Courage was scarcely deemed worthy to be counted among virtues, unless it was exercised in the cause of Righteousness.” This implies that true courage comes from knowing what is right, having the clear-sightedness to understand one’s own values and to hold by them, whatever the situation. It is necessary for courage to be informed by 義 (gi) integrity .
Calligraphy by Vicky 