Tag Archives: Japanese history

義 (gi) “integrity” – the first virtue of 武士道 (bushidō)

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.

The eight virtues of Bushidō  – were they ever really a thing?

Bushidō. Often referred to as “the samurai code of chivalry”, it stirs up images of noble and fearless warriors, fiercely loyal to their comrades, living and dying by the sword, choosing death over dishonour. 

There is no doubt that the way of the samurai continues to have a hold on the public imagination. But what exactly was bushidō?

関 (kan) “barrier, connection, boundary”

This kanji character is rarely used on its own, but is often found combined with other characters. One meaning is “barrier”. There used to be many post stations along the road from Tokyo to Kyoto. At the mid-way point there was a large gate. This led to people thinking of towns in Japan as beingContinueContinue reading “関 (kan) “barrier, connection, boundary””

仁 (jin) “benevolence”

One of the 7 virtues of bushido. “Jin” is also one of the most fundamental virtues of Confucianism (from which much of traditional Japanese morality was based), which could be defined as to treat each other with tenderness; to love each other. Samurai were expected to be benevolent. However, this was not the blind benevolenceContinueContinue reading “仁 (jin) “benevolence””

Excerpt from the Heart Sutra

是諸法空相 = All phenomena bear the mark of Emptiness 不生不滅 = no Birth no Death 不垢不浄 = no Defilement no Purity 不増不減 = no Increasing no Decreasing (Translation by Thich Nhat Hanh) The Heart Sutra is one of the most important sutras (religious texts) in Buddhism. It celebrates the idea that all things of theContinueContinue reading “Excerpt from the Heart Sutra”