Tag Archives: 書道

The fifth virtue is “Veracity or Truthfulness”, which I have translated as “sincerity”, for reasons explained below.

These 8 virtues were first mentioned in Nitobe Inazao’s 1899 book “Bushido: the Soul of Japan”.

Nitobe writes: “Lying or equivocation were deemed equally cowardly…. Bushi no ichi-gon—the word of a samurai…. was sufficient guaranty of the truthfulness of an assertion. His word carried such weight with it that promises were generally made and fulfilled without a written pledge, which would have been deemed quite beneath his dignity.”

I have “translated” this as “sincerity”, which has the nuance of not only being honest per se but also of having honest intentions. Living so honestly that “keeping your word” is not even an issue requires consciously acting with sincerity. In this way all of your words and actions are coloured with 礼 (rei) respect (see the previous entry).

The fourth virtue is “Politeness”, which I have translated as “respect”, for reasons explained below.

These 8 virtues were first mentioned in Nitobe Inazao’s 1899 book “Bushido: the Soul of Japan”.

Nitobe states that the “courtesy and urbanity of manners which has been noticed by every foreign tourist as a marked Japanese trait” is often criticised by foreigners as “absorbing too much of our thought and in so far a folly to observe strict obedience to it.”

He defends his countrymen by asserting that “Politeness will be a great acquisition, if it does no more than impart grace to manners; but its function does not stop here. For propriety, springing as it does from motives of benevolence and modesty, and actuated by tender feelings toward the sensibilities of others, is ever a graceful expression of sympathy.”

Hence, “politeness” is considered a way of showing sympathy and 仁 (jin) compassion (see the previous entry). In modern Western society, this would be termed “respect”, and indeed Nitobe says “Modesty and complaisance, actuated by respect for others’ feelings, are at the root of politeness”. (Italics mine).

The first virtue is ““Rectitude or Justice”, which I have “translated” as “integrity”, for reasons below:

Historically in Japan, opinion on what was “right” or “moral” was fairly uniform.

In modern Western countries, people of many different cultures and backgrounds live side by side, so it is neither possible nor desirable for individuals to always look to their societal norms for moral guidance. 

These days what is considered “right” is often something that one must decide for oneself.

However, the ideal of sticking to one’s values even when it is difficult is still considered a virtue: that of having personal integrity.