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Bushidō (武士道, “way of the warrior”) refers to the ethical code of conduct of the Japanese warrior class (bushi, 武士). In Budō, seven virtues are often derived from it, serving as guidelines for training and everyday life. The compilation into exactly seven virtues goes back mainly to the chapters of Nitobe Inazō (新渡戸稲造)’s book Bushido. The Soul of Japan (1899); it is a modern presentation, not a historically fixed catalogue.
The seven virtues of the warrior
| Kanji | Rōmaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 義 | Gi | Rectitude, justice |
| 勇 | Yū | Courage |
| 仁 | Jin | Benevolence |
| 礼 (禮) | Rei | Politeness |
| 誠 | Makoto | Sincerity, truthfulness |
| 名誉 | Meiyo | Honour |
| 忠義 | Chūgi | Loyalty |
禮 is the traditional form of 礼. For sincerity, 誠 (makoto) is usually used; some presentations also give 真 (shin, “truth”).
Bushidō according to Nitobe Inazō
“Bushido, then, is the code of moral principles which the knights were required or instructed to observe. It is not a written code; at best it consists of a few maxims handed down from mouth to mouth or coming from the pen of some well-known warrior or savant. More frequently it is a code unuttered and unwritten, possessing all the more the powerful sanction of veritable deed, and of a law written on the fleshy tablets of the heart. It was founded not on the creation of one brain, however able, or on the life of a single personage, however renowned. It was an organic growth of decades and centuries of military career.”
Nitobe Inazō: Bushido. The Soul of Japan
See also Budō and Bunbu Ryōdō.
Sources
- Nitobe Inazō: Bushido. The Soul of Japan. Philadelphia 1899 (dt.: Bushido. Die Seele Japans).
- G. Cameron Hurst III: Death, Honor, and Loyalty. The Bushidō Ideal. Philosophy East and West 40, 1990, S. 511–527.
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