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The Bushido Myth
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- Опубліковано 8 жов 2020
- Bushido has become one of the most inseparable terms associated with the Samurai, yet it's origins point to it not being nearly as relevant to the samurai as the world has been led to believe.
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Classical art and photos, which in most cases can be considered public domain.
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#Samurai #History #Japan
Old version of the History Channel. R.I.P.
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Nowadays it's the Conspiracy channel.
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Hey! I'm a Japanese Studies graduate and I researched the topic of "Bushido before the Edo period" in Osaka University, so let me share some of my insights on the subject. The term Bushido really did appear in the Edo period and was widely used after the Meiji Restoration, but like all warrior classes in the world, the samurai did have a code of honour. However, it differed depending on the clan, region and "country" (kuni) within Japan itself, it was not defined, overly specific, and codified. When it was talked about, there were many words for describing it - kyuba-no michi, mononofu-no michi, tsuwamono-no michi, yumiya-no michi, etc. Duty, loyalty, courage, honour, and bravery were, of course, common. We do have to keep in mind, however, that "honour" had a different meaning to the medieval Japanese, it's not the same as our modern and Western understanding. Every clan had its own teachings - most of them were oral tradition, but some were written down in the form of Kakun 家訓 ("family teachings"). For example, the "Takeda kakun" was written down by Nobushige (Takeda Tenkyu) and has survived to this day, and it has over 90 paragraphs. Another one would be the even older "Chikubasho" by Shiba Yoshimasa, written in 1383. We can also see examples of the samurai code of honour in the laws established by daimyo in their domains broadly called 家法 ("family rules") - for example, there are the "Shingen kaho" and the Koshu Laws. Furthermore, one can see examples of plausible and honorable samurai deportment in the works of epical fiction, called gunki-monogatari or senki, like the "Heike monogatari", "Taiheiki", etc, which were read or listened to by many samurai across the whole country. And there were military manuals broadly called gungakusho 軍学書, which contained strategies, tactics, and advice concerning the ideal warrior deportment. An example of such a manual is the "Koyo-gunkan" - written by Kosaka and later by Obata Kagenori, it praised Shingen's deportment and gave it as an example of the ideal warrior behaviour. That's where the word Bushido was first mentioned, by the way. Sadly, none of the kakun, kaho, and gungakusho are translated into English, I studied them in Japanese.
During the Edo period we can say that a new type of "Bushido" appeared - apart from the local variations, military manuals, and the epic tales, a new "self-help, best seller" style of books were written. Yamamoto Tsunetomo's "Hagakure", for instance, remained an esoteric local teaching, controversial even within his own domain, while Daidoji Yuzan's "Budo-shoshinshu" is an example for the latter - it turned into a wide spread, exoteric, easy to understand self-help manual for all samurai regardless of their clan and position. It was even read by traders, artisans, kabuki actors, and Kyoto's court aristocrats. In those days, both the local, and the widespread teachings and ideas on Bushido were different in many ways from the code of honour from the past, because of the constant, enduring peace. Like it was mentioned in the video, the samurai had to find their place during a time when they could not display their prowess on the battlefield. That is why, for instance, as compensation for the lack of opportunity on the battlefield, more focus was put on seppuku. While seppuku is an ancient tradition, it was extremely formalised and ritualised precisely during the Edo period - it was one of the few ways samurai could still display their honour and prowess, since there were no battlefields and duels were mostly forbidden by the Shogunate. Also, more preference was given to ideas like maintaining the peace and stability of the nation, avoiding unnecessary conflict, being compassionate and empathetic. This is Neo-Confucian influence seen in the works of Yamaga Soko and Yuzan. Also, the martial arts started being perceived as a way of spiritual development, not just military training - Miyamoto Mushashi and Yagyu Munenori's philosophical books are such examples.
I hope this wide overview is useful to all of you! (^-^)
thank you for sharing a deeper inside on the topic, it is a nice read after being accompanied by the video
This is great info, thank you.
Also, the ole KIRISUTE GOMEN
Hey may I ask what is your current profession or in general what is the field you can work in after studying Japanese studies
@@DaPunkShadow Well, after graduating Japanese Studies you can get into interpretation (extremely hard but well paid, that's what I did for some time), translation, teaching or working for Japanese companies. The prospects are either good or bad depending on how developed the relations between your country and Japan are.
"Honor is a virtue we associate to ancient men once their history has been conveniently cleansed by authors"
Well said. Where is that quote from?
@@Ryan-dp4rs "Words of Radiance" by Brandon Sanderson
@@benjaminthibieroz4155 I do believe the particular character who said that is repeatedly proved wrong throughout the series, as multiple characters routinely demonstrate great honour.
Honour is just an older word for integrity with a slightly martial bent to it. History is replete with people who chose to do the honourable thing, even when pragmatism dictated the opposite. A good example is Franz Stigler, who escorted an enemy plane to safety when it had been damaged. Given how he was a German there is zero reason his acts would be 'cleansed'.
Sorry, but I'm not a fan of this nihilistic attitude towards honour, it's a valuable concept and one sorely lacking in the modern world.
@@AeneasGemini you misunderstood me. I'm sure plenty of people in History acted with integrity and loyalty to their principles throughout history, as I have a lot of facts to believe it (Franz stigler included).
My point was (appart from quoting my beloved writer): we should never take this gor granted, nor believe it was the norm. Most warriors commited what we would crimes and exactions out of pure pragtmatism, justifyied the worse under the aegis of virtuous concepts, or were hailed as heroes disregarding their crimes. To stay in the video's subject, most people know samuraïs only through the lenses of idealistic tales and revised story emphasizing honour, while the reality of conflict in Sengku Jidaïe won't make her any better than current soldiers.
You're right. Honour does exist, it has always. But it's rare, especially in times when it's easier to resort to the worse. And that's why I believe: we have even more reasons to admire it.
" I'm not nihilistic. I'm a realistic with standards. I try to understand the worst, to appreciate the true value of the best."
Yep consider how many ppl that writer thought this guy has no purpose
At the end of the day, Samurai followed their lords. If Nobunaga wants to burn a temple and slaughter people, his samurai would do it.
I do love a good romanticized Samurai story, but both samurai and knights were probably more cold than chivalrous in real life.
Fully agree
Well, Nobunaga actually did when he sieged Mount Hiei. He killed thousands of monks and people so he didn't miss a single enemy.
There is no boundary as to what "Loyalty" is back then. If your neck is still made of flesh, then you do whatever your Lord tells you to do, unless you want to run the risk of being unloyal and severely punished.
At the time of the battle of Mt. Hiei(1573), there is a temple where Nobunaga ordered the prohibition and protection of attacks.
Shōju raigō-ji is a temple belonging to Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei.
This temple housed and mourned Nobunaga's vassal(Mori Yoshinari,Ranmaru's father) who died in the 1570 battle.
Bingo! They were essentially mercenaries. Payments came in the form of land holdings, sometimes actual material wealth, prestige/honor, and of course keeping ones head attached to ones shoulders!
Last time I was this early, Nobunaga was still the fool of Owari
Lol
The principle similarity between a knight and a samurai is that people have just as many misconceptions about the knight as they do the samurai.
The principle similarity between knight and samurai is that they are both demonized by our honorless communist overlords.
@@nickkorkodylas5005 you must have a very active imagination...
@@Carltoncurtis1 Not as active as Marx' and Rousseau's that made misanthropic egalitarian death cults out of their ass.
@@nickkorkodylas5005
Um, Bushido and knights ARE a death cult. Their business is the death of others for the sake of reward. They valued other lives no more than communism does.
This isn't some business selling rice, fish, or clothing. That is honest work that isn't forcibly taking from others. This is killing people for the sake of a lord's power and your own.
@@icecold9511 They were warriors who experienced things that humans today could scarcely imagine and most of the time they never even had so much as a choice but were born into the role of a knight or samurai ect. So you can say that they didn't value lives of other human beings but you would be wrong cause they were just humans not monsters and many of them thought that by fighting they were protecting their way of life, families, lands, and the royals who paid them for their service or that they were even fighting for God. However of course they did horrible shit just like all other royal families and their armies but throughout history due to us evolving from primates we lived by the rule of nature which is the strong ruled over the weak and yes it was terrible but it is how we have always been since the very birth of our flawed but amazing species. Luckily now humans are a bit more civilized but no matter how much we advance as a species we will always have that animalistic nature within us all and never forget it is thanks to that primal part of us that we are here today. So go ahead and look down on our ancestors for being barbaric but for them life was not black and white but just different shades of gray and despite everything God loves us and will never give up on us cause he knows that we are just as capable of good as we are of evil.
Studying Japanese History especially during the Waring States period. I’m glad to have found this channel and I have learned very much.
@LION TAMER what is inaccurate about it?
@LION TAMER like what? I am genuinely curious about what was inaccurate.
In that case I hope you're not paying to much for your study.
So like Chivalry, Bushido is a distilled, idealized concept that was more informal in social expectations than a hard code of life. While not historically true the ideal is a good thing to strive for. Though many of those misconceptions are perpetuated by the Japanese themselves with how much of those misconceptions actually come from anime.
Soldiers on horses rode down anyone who got in their way. Men, women, children. It didn't matter. There was no honor. It's still like this today with many modern police forces.
I think calling Bushido the soul of Japan is highly problematic, even if that's the idealized Orientalist image that was sold to the West. If anything, the samurai that followed that code victimized many people throughout Japanese history and the concept of militarism and warrior culture remains highly controversial to this day in Japan.
The issue is people over complicate it. It’s literally “The Way of the Warrior” Do clearly drawing from the Chinese Dao or Way. It’s like saying “Democracy” has a single defined meaning. There are many democracies in the world. There were probably many interpretations of what Bushido was, whether they called it that term the whole time or not. I think one could get a good feeling of the concept by reading “The Book of Five Rings” by Myamoto Musashi.
@@TacDyne nah, european knights on many cases had a big duty and extreme pression from the church to not be assholes to the common population, that was the contrary in Japan where a samurai could behead you just because he doesn't like you, if a knight tried that he wouldve lose his rank, prestige and could be excommunicated which was the equivalent of being banished and pointed at by all of society in medieval europe
@@TacDyne This is a dumb comment. European knights were nothing like you described. You clearly just have an axe to grind with the police so you posted some pseudo-deep comment to look edgy and out there.
I’ve been trying to tell people about this shit for YEARS. “Bushido” wasn’t a codified idea for SO long in “samurai culture”. During the true age of the samurai the idea of “honor” was barbaric by modern standards. The idea of what ideals to hold varied clan to clan and were mostly just memetic trappings any culture could hold.
The thing bushido and chivalry have in common the most is that they are both over romanticized.
They're both overromanticized and exaggerated, but not myths.
The romanticized, fantasy versions are amazing... Reality is always far, far more disappointing and vicious.
No, the ideal of chivalry was always what it was, of course it's never reached in reality. Bushido on the other hand never existed like it was depicted, not even the term itself. It was in many ways the complete opposite of the ideals of chivalry. You could call it the art of treachery or backstabbing in fact, it's just about overcoming an enemy through pretty much all means.
@@ungeimpfterrusslandtroll7155 there are many sources that show bushido existed in various forms since medieval times, but there was not a unified code of conduct. People had different interpretations. A predecessor is Kyuba no michi (the way of the bow and the horse) in the 10th century.
@@ungeimpfterrusslandtroll7155 No.
The manga Shigurui is a really cool depiction of samurai culture without the romantisation. In the end feudal clans always resemble the mafia. The principles of Bushido are there, but it's really more an instrument of power for the lords to keep their followers in line.
Last time I was this early, Jimmu was still the Emperor
This was very good! My great Aunt was Mary Elkinton Nitobe, Inazo's wife.All my life I have analyzed Bushido and you are correct it was written in English first for the western american and European audience and was extremly popular! Yes he was critized for it by his homeland, but it still became a great introduction to Japan. At the time this was greatly needed under the Meiji Restoration period.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for watching the video! It's awesome that someone related to Nitobe Inazo was able to see it!
Some Weeb: Samurai were honourable, they would never use a gun
Nobunaga: *laughs hysterically*
Kobayashi: how many movies do I have to make hammering in how bullshit and harmful the whole "samurai honour" thing was
Isshin the Glock Saint: HESITATION IS DEFEAT
I’m Japanese and everything you say is nonsense. Tom Cruise proved this.
I know you’re tired of this joke but I thought it was an okay movie.
Boy what🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 that nigga Isshin was odee
@CaiusCassiusLonginus
Actually! It one of the themes of Rurouni Kenshin, especially during the belligerent talks between Kenshin and his teacher, Hiko Seijuro, the 13th Master. It was a deconstruction of the Jidal Genki Era and it's romanticism, the end of the samurai and ninja classes. It's heartbreaking see huge demographics of samurai and ninja lose their jobs and unable to adapt to new Meijin Restoration period due to sheer scale of it's technological and societal progress; it's the harsh reality that occurred historically.
Meanwhile on tsushima uncle Shimura has a breakdown reading all of this.
@@Assassin559971 I'M TRYNA TELL YOU BRUH. They would've looked at Shimura like he was soft. The only reason Jin was exiled and disavowed by the shogun is because he didn't listen to his Lord, not because he cut off heads and used poison.
The Samurai have been my favorite class of warriors and professional soldiers ever since I first learned about them in a history class in elementary school. Although I had been taught and had read that Bushido was their code, I always took it to mean that the concept of Bushido was intended to be an ideal image of what the Samurai could be but may not have necessarily achieved.
In other words, I always figured that the concept was always meant to serve as an image to strive for, even if the reality wasn't entirely accurate. Now that I watch this video, it seems my initial assumption wasn't 100% off the mark.
The Samurai fascinate me, but it was the concept of an ideal Samurai that I always found the most interesting while recognizing the difference between the ideal and the truth.
For me, the Samurai as a concept and ideal to emulate is a legitimate outlook to have, but we must recognize these historical figures as mortal men, not as something stepping out of myth itself.
If there is anything to be learned here, it's that it's perfectly ok to take some positive meaning from the concept as long as we separate that concept from reality and work to keep the truth of the matter well documented so that people in the future can learn to look past the misconception or at least provide and preserve information that some may find useful in discovering the truth for themselves.
While the western world may be ensnared by the ideal Samurai, it's information like this video for example that will hopefully bring light to the truth, disillusioning and demystifying though it may be.
I love ideals and concepts that can inspire and guide, but I would much rather know the historical truth in equal measure than to continue believing the two to be one and the same.
What a great video! Thank you so much for pointing out many of the misunderstandings about Bushido and samurais!
I agree with everything you talk about in this video...
Samurais couldn't have been all perfect, fearless, and always noble people...
I believe they were just normal people like we are today, some good and some bad.
I'm thinking of making a video about Bushido myself soon! I hope you can give me feedback at that time!
Thank you, I look forward to it!!
@@TheShogunate I really hate how this video doesn’t have as many views as it deserves. It is one of your best videos imo. I feel like everyday samurai are becoming more and more misunderstood
Informal code that like chivalry always made more sense in fiction and the more you look for it in history the more you find examples of it being ignored.
Very true
It would seem that they had their own informal _guidelines_ rather than there actually being any legitimately enforced _rules_ to it, which is also quite similar to how it is for our modern misconceptions about what “chivalry” for knights was as well.
They are more what you would call guidelines than actual rules. - Captain Barbosa
While not a professional Medieval scholar, my understanding of Chivalry is that it acquired many of its "romantic" or "courtly" aspects later in the Middle Ages. Interestingly, that time period was when the mounted knight was starting to lose his battlefield dominance as infantry units such as pikemen and longbowmen, and armies started to rely more on professional troops than feudal levies. No longer able to completely dominate the lower classes of society in war, the knightly class began to define itself by an ideal of being more culturally refined and morally superior. The idea of chivalry as a code of proper personal conduct only became important after knights began losing their military function.
I find this remarkably similar to the rise of the idea of "Bushido" during the Edo period. Only after the samurai become a warrior caste in a country at peace do they start to focus on ideals of moral and personal excellence. (Conveniently, the idea of "loyalty to the death" was a lot easier to live by in an era where the odds of violent death were low and your entire samurai career would probably be spent in a civil service desk job).
Still it is a good myth. Honour, respect, bravery, duty and sincerity should never be forgotten.
How can it be forgotten when it never really existed in the first place? Sure throughout history there are individuals who were honorable brave and all but there were always much more bad guys who spat on honor or courage because following those principles puts you at dusadvantage against those who do not just like Machiavelli said.
So study Confucianism, Buddhism and Shintoism. Those are the ideologies samurai actually followed.
If you want to understand Samurai ethics then look at ethical writings that released before and during the samurai era. Not after.
Of course like any ethical theory there were still many people who were ignorant of ethics, rejected ethics,m or were tempted away from their personal codes. But that doesnt mean they weren't taught and followed in society.
@@gediminaskucinskas6952 It absolutely existed. East Asia had many different ethical theories around morality, personal conduct, and fidelity.
Its just Bushido as it was written about in the 1800s is revisionist nonsense.
And Machievelli wrote more than just "The Prince". If anything that book was more of a satirical piece about the Medici family while his "Discourses on Livy" is more representative of what were probably Machiavellis actual ideas.
@@gediminaskucinskas6952 But if you say it never existed aren't you saying there were never any samurai who were in fact honorable and brave?
Well their asians so I dont care about them.
But Its kind of like chyvalry being a mith. You know chyvalier means rider, so to be a knight you need to be able to ride in to battle, it has nothing to do with a code of honor or manners or anything like that. And in this case I will always respect my ancestors.
I always had a chuckle that despite all the romanticized honor, most Iaido kata practice scenarios where you are getting jumped by one or more opponents. Even when you bow in seiza you put your left hand out first just in case your opponent pulls some sneaky sneak and you need to draw your shōtō.
Interesting. And funny how almost everything said here, could translate to my own warrior class heritage, the Vikings. As a Dane it is really annoying how people just insist on painting this particular picture of a part of my past, that is wrong in so many ways. There is possible a PhD in it somewhere. People in this specific period around 1880 looked to the past, and tried to use it as political tool. And that narrative completely takes over, and becomes the new "truth".
The Vikings were the Vikings. The Samurai were the Samurai. Knights were Knights. Romanticized and Fantasy version of them should stay such. Separate from the reality. Samurai were only followed Bushido when it suited them. Chivalry was what Knights were supposed to follow, but most didn't. Vikings were pillagers, yes... But they also had thinkers, great craftsmen, skilled tacticians. What, you think those tactics, and those longboats, came outta thin air? Nah. That shit was expertly crafted.
History tends to be boiled down... Which ruins half the purpose of history, which is to be comprehensive.
i often say, nostalgia is the fond remembrance of a time that never actually happened. i'd argue that in america, it was the world war 2 generation. that we make a fantasy of. sounds good, sounds like something we wished we could go back to, but its incomplete and selective.
This is a different scenario though. The Vikings have less actual myth attached to them, it's just people are only aware of their murderous and rapey aspect.
That is probably it. Everything is used as a political tool and people lived in the past can be used as examples too. It is impossible to know the truth of history even because every event is manipulated by those who want to paint it in a certain colour.
People like to think that the English, French, Germans and the Norse were warriors and Kings and nothing else. When in reality both societies had a class system that made up of peasants, land owners, middle class people that lived in cities or towns, aristocratic class and there were artists, writers, explorers and merchants. The past is kinda like today except they had different technologies and beliefs.
Tom Cruise taught us that Bushido means suicide cavalry charges against gatling guns and honestly what better expert could we ask for?
The movie was good but yeah, it really did make Samurai look a bit dumb at the times. 🤦♂️ Hell, even if they had lost and they decide to make one last suicide attack to make a point they could have done it in a way that is actually effective and cause damage to your enemy instead of jumping head first straight into serial fire. Thats not bravery, thats sheer stupidity. The emperor should have thought "Yeah good riddance, modern ways and tactics are certainly more effective."
@@MaaZeus Ya, I mean that is what historically happened at the end of the War of the Southwest/Satsuma Rebellion, with the 500 or so last rebels making a suicidal but rather clever and devastating charge into Imperial Army ranks and cutting down hundreds before being slain.
I mean...the japanese did use suicide charges in ww2
bushido mean honor fight between samuri.. hold your blade aginst lord people... and followed thier lord order... either you become powerful samurai or become ronin....hence why musashi just trick people by coming late so they would be frustrauted... it made sound underhand but they agreed to fight don't mean they will fight on the time they agreed.. nor try to kill each other while sleeping..
ninja is not the same... since it for differnt objective..
@Reee Monro it is funny tho
I've read "Bushido, the Soul of Japan" and I must remark that its writer was a brilliant man in two languages. His turn of phrase is close to perfect; his approach to moving his audience in favor of topic borders on genius. I was also impressed by Sun Yat Sen's "Kidnapped; a story of my adventures in London", but for different reasons.
The cold, hard truth is this: Both Samurai and Knights were, the vast majority of the time, not noble people, but cruel asshats who exploited their people, disregarding their lives without any sort of moral crisis. People who are put into a position of power that cannot be questioned inevitably leads to such things.
For example, everyone knows the ruthlessness of the vikings from modern history. They are not romanticised as samurai are.
@@timayre3836Which is funny because the Vikings were likely unjustly slandered by Christians, painting them as worse than they were.
SAMURAI: Bushido is all about honor and chivalry
NINJA: What is "Chivalry"?
SAMURAI: Uhhh...let me get the dictionary.
NINJA: I already stolen it and sold it online
Just how old are you
Also ninja didn’t really exist. The term was “Shinobi” using the more common reading, and they were spies, scouts, and, saboteurs just like every other army had. There’s no good evidence of Ninja “clans” or of any special Ninja martial art in the way we conceive of ninjitsu.
Don't you think about adding subtitles, in English, to your videos?
This channel is a treasure. I'm a subscriber from Brazil, and although I already learn a lot from your videos, I can't understand everything just by listening. Subtitles would be very welcome to absorb everything you transmit.
Anyways, thank you very much for those history lessons.
I love how the word bushido wasn't mentioned in Ghost of Tsushima....it shows that Sucker Punch really did their homework very well
Sucker Punch are one of the few studios actually concerned with making high quality games, they always have been, and hopefully always will be.
except the primary weapon of most of the samurai including the protagonist is the katana, when that was typically a last resort weapon on the battlefield. samurai would use yari, longbows, naginata, odachi, and fireaarms when they became available, before they used their katana, which could be viewed as equivalent to a modern soldier's sidearm. the katana was much more symbolic than any other weapon, and together with the wakizashi came to become a badge-of-office for the samurai class, but its significance in actual warfare is hugely overblown in the western world
@@wolfgangrecordings i agree it's overblown, but as far as swords go, it's highly effective and can do quite the number on the enemy given its size and weight, especially when u compare it to other heavy and blunt swords from other civilizations...I think we as non-japanese see the katana as a symbol of the elegance, grace, and effectiveness that Japan is known for. Whereas Japanese people themselves don't see it as much of a deal
@@wolfgangrecordings In the games Japanese version, They actually call the Katana a "tachi" and they did say that they used Katanas simply because it is iconic and they wanted a more of a "samurai aesthetic"
@@kintsugi5685 well, they called it a tachi because the katana wasn't even invented by the time of the game's setting. The game was developed and marketed as a romanticized samurai game, so I can't be overly critical of its many anachronisms and outright misconceptions, unlike some other games in historical settings claiming to offer " *the authentic feel of the setting* ". It's also a pretty great game as well, though on the easier side.
Nice throw back of awesome GoT scenes！I’m half Japanese and your channel has been so informative. You are very right about that discrepancy between the western (outsider’s) and the internal perspectives concerning Japanese notions like bushido
Another great video, I’ve waited awhile for you to upload this one!
"Bushido" was a term invented to glorify and control the temperaments of skilled male warriors... much like how the term "Chivalry" came to exist as an ideal intended to control the behavior of European knights.
Which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Chivalry in medieval Europe was rather formal. Orders of chivalry, both religious and secular, were established with written codes of conduct and exclusive membership, many of whom last until this day. As far as I'm aware, there was nothing such in Japan at any point.
To quote one of my favorite films & character "The code is more like say 'guide lines' than actual rules."
I am so happy I found your channel! I have a minor background in Japanese history and my professor hated talking about Samurai because of what pop culture did and created a massive misunderstanding of them. I am binging the hell out of your videos!!
*Personal opinion. Bushido was bastardized by the Imperial Japanese militarists to propagandize their soldiers into identifying with the bygone Samurai, when those same Samurai would've looked down on them as peasants who they could legally cut dead for disrespect. And most Edo period Samurai were basically the street gangs of their time, bullying people. And don't even get me started on The Last **-Samurai-** Weaboo by Tom Cruise, its a nice movie and I like it but holy hell the Samurai were romanticized.*
Really enjoyed this clarification of the Way, as a westerner I really love the romanticized idea of Bushido, but having read a few books and watched lots of samurai film, docs and let's be honest anime, I started to notice a difference in how I viewed and understood the "concept" and how Japanese make it "feel" or convey how it "feels" to them.
You're quite correct on the true meaning behind the term Bushido. However, if I may say so; while I'm aware that not all Samurai were as honorable and noble as modern media often depicted the warrior class. At the same time, I'm reminded of a saying; one that I've read from a really great book series called Young Samurai.
The saying goes "one tree does not make/equal a whole forest."
To put it one way, just as it was known that not all Samurai or Knights followed any sort of ideals we know of today. So too can it be said that not ALL members of both warrior classes were always known to be vicious and merciless brutes. I have faith that at least, a small number of these warriors could've been the honorable souls we know of today in our films and stories.
But this is simply my 2 cents on the matter, nothing more
@Soviet Biscuit Hear, hear
I was introduced to the Bushido Code by a martial arts instructor who taught us that we needed to be moral and disciplined in our decision making, which is what the Code is for. He wanted us to avoid fighting unless we absolutely had to. It became a part of my life and I have thought about it and lived it ever since. Regardless of an apparent lack of historical origin the Code is still real to me. It doesn't bother me that the way I regard it is not traditionally authentic.
It does have historic origin. It's just a lot more recent than people think.
Same I was introduced to Bushido back in 2013 by my martial arts instructor at the time. He told me the same thing about the morals & discipline of the Bushido code. Ever since it has lived with me forever that I even have it tatted on my rib. #Bushido #WayOfTheWarrior
@@miltonm1215 Awesome brother. I knew I wasn't the only one. If you aren't familiar already you might look into the writings of Bodhi Sanders. He authored various books on the Code and warriorship. He draws on the idea of different philosophers and talks about how Bushido grew beyond it's origins.
@@lovecraft4780 I’ll for sure look into it my brother!
Knights and samurai were there to enforce their lord’s will on the peasantry. Just watch seven samurai, or harakiri, both great movies that touch on the falsity of bushido.
Recently found your channel and I gotta say I super appreciate what you're doing. I was always interested in feudal Japan and you make it so much easier to learn about and understand the events that happened, and even demystify the history. And while romanticized stories can be nice every now and then, I think it's actually much more interesting to hear about how just HUMAN and grounded these people were
Chivalry or Chevaliery was originally just a word to describe the skills of a mounted warrior. The concepts of etiquette, courtly love, etc... were VERY late additions. Bushido and Chivalry are shockingly similar both in origin, evolution and modern mythicism.
Love this video! As a PhD graduate in ancient Near Eastern military history I sympathize with situations such as this, because we encounter this problem ALL the time. Entire cultures who supposedly reshaped the whole history of the region at certain points (looking at you Sea Peoples!) owe more to late 19th-early 20th century academics than actual archaeological evidence.
Very well done, I did indeed find this video most informative. :)
That's because archeology is not science, duh!
Neither is history as you must understand, I have a particular gripe with the way archeologist have responded to the work of actual scientists & field experts as it applies to many ancient historical sites, like in Egypt when all the British lords were funding all the excavations-
All those people were amateurs were too money, more interested making up cool stories for their own prestige back home than anything else..... Just think if all the mummies the Europeans burned as a cheap fuel source, eeeep 😬!
Cowboys sucked, pirates sucked, knights sucked, spartans sucked, samurai sucked. Everybody sucked! I like to believe that there were at least a couple individuals who held themselves to these ideals. That it wasn't merely a terminal facade, but instead coming up like a rose from concrete.
There were good and bad individuals everywhere some samurai were good others were cold hearted.I tend to look up to the prior group.
The Hassans(proto-assassin) was very cool tho, they managed to pissed off both caliphates and holy roman empire at the same time.
It's like a fog has been lifted from my eyes. Thanks Shogunate!
"Ninja weren't real"
"Bushido wasn't real"
Was literally anything in Japan ever real?
Well... Now that you mention it, it's not really named "Japan"...
infinitejinpachi shinobi are real. Just name ninja was maybe not used. The shogunate and I will do another video soon.
@@AntonyCummins cool beans mate
Thanks for the reply :^^))
@@revbladez5773 Don't believe you
Welcome to the Matrix, Neo.....
I remember the first time I read Bushido and I was shocked that it was written in the 19th century. Then I turned to Stephen Turnbull's books on the topic and I have since learned what you have just affirmed, that Bushido is a kind of romantic ideal - much like chivalry.
I think it would be interesting to talk about the lighter shades of gray in regards to the morality of samurai. With all of the talk with how ruthless and brutal they are, what about the more human elements, specifically acts of kindness? Whether it be done by groups or individuals (ex. A ronin assisting a monk with minimal payment with the intention of doing the right thing), I think it would be fascinating to learn the lighter aspects about samurai. After all, compassion and humanity are difficult for all to ignore.
Chivalry came from the French Chevalier , meaning horseman.
Yes and then it became a code not a word popular in the early 1900s by a Christian Japanese man
Caballero in Spain
'Chevalier' is the French for 'knight', though 'cheval' means horse, 'Cavalier' is the correct word for horseman.
@@arthurvu-van8685 and don't forget to tell that the english chivalry is from french origin too. Cause horse is not cheval obviously. Chevalry, is chevalerie in french (from chevalier wich is knight in english). Almost same prononciation. Probably came to england with french invasion i guess. If not wrong, french (or franque, cause frenchs were francs by that time, people coming from germany, at least the leading cast) chevalry was the first to use long spears, and chainmails on horses at some point. Wich gave the basic vision of the mounted knight, charging. And as you can guess no real honor code by that time. The more you killed, the best you were.
"The art of peace does not rely on weapons or brute force to succeed. Instead we put ourselves in tune with the universe, maintain peace in our own realms, nurture life and prevent death and destruction. The true meaning of the term "Samurai" is one who serves and adheres to the power of Love."
It might not be accurate but goddamn you can't deny it's a proper way to live if you have to focus on inner peace in your life.
While I do agree that Samurai followed the concept rather than the rules of Bushido, I disagree about Inazo's book.
That book is correct on what Bushido is and how it works. That it's roots are from the people and culture first only to be adopted partially by Samurai later on and the entire nation of Japan by his time ( Bushido was official code of Japanese military post Meiji reforms after all ).
That book is a really good read and I recommend it to people to read it if they want to understand the idea of Bushido a lot more.
Aaaahhhhhhh, memory lane... Flashbacks to the olden days, when the History Channel did history.
It used too...but aliens
Good video. I just wanted to add my thoughts on this. By the 12th century, Buddhism had really begun to catch on in Japan. It seems that the Buddhist idea of Dharma, combined with Shinto account for the foundations of Bushido.
The path of Dharma, and subsequently Bushido, are very personal and are different depending upon ones particular circumstances, the time period in which a Samurai would have lived, alond with many other factors.
Which means that Bushido most certainly would have never been interpreted exactly the same from Samurai to Samurai. Perhaps there was a lot of overlap within each respective clan or Shogunate, but just as Dharma does not mean the exact same thing to every person at every point in human history, it seems that a similar notion may be applied to Bushido.
I honestly don't think Bushido was a myth, same as chivalry was not, they were personal codes of conduct that few followed as law, and others followed when convenient.
Seconded. The truth is the samurai didn't have a unified code. Each clan had their own ways. There was some overlap with behaviour among the samurai in general. However, bushido which was formulated in the Edo Period is based on an accumulation of earlier practices, morals and ethnics of the samurai. So it's not a myth.
I think Shogun's point is that there wasn't a written, set in stone Bushido code before the Edo period, as we would conceive of it today. Some concepts of Bushido existed in the warrior class, not because of a set code, but because of medieval Japanese and Confucian cultural images of the ideal warrior. Because it wasn't written down, yes, I'm sure many samurai acted differently from the cultural concepts of the ideal warrior or followed it when convenient.
You think. Some people do research and make it clear.
@@gamevalor much like chivalry, for example the Chivalry code of the Templars required them to pray 5 times a day
@@Singgen Good thing I can think WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT!
Making it clear or not I can see the data and come to my own conclusion. Brainless people see a video and just swallow it all.
Whenever things get serious, practicality wins and everything else falls away.
There are a lot of honorable dead people. It's usually better to win and live.
I think what crystallized the concept of Bushido in Japan was the case of the 47-ronin. When the Lord of Akoh was compelled to commit seppuku after drawing his wakizashi and slightly injuring Lord Kira within the Edo-joh precincts, his retainers argued that it was wrong to punish their lord and let the other off scot-free, though he was the one who provoked the encounter. The shogun issued a cease and desist order at the urging of Lord Kira.
However, after a year the ronin staged a siege of Lord Kira's townhouse in Edo and found him cowering in an outhouse. They lopped off his head and placed it on their lord's tomb near Shinagawa. Then they all committed seppuku, not "hairy-carry" as some people call it--kinda like "carry-okey". The shogun had egg on his face and tried to suppress the bad PR, but it injected a much needed reevaluation of what it meant to be a samurai.
Best comment ever 🙌🏽🙇🏽♂️
"Honor may not win power,but it wins respect. And respect earns power."
For a casual history enthusiast this is by far the best channel on Japan end of
When's the Metatron collab? Love both of ya'll work
I am also a noble one of Metatron. I hope you guys can collab too ❤️
You've made an egregious oversight of the largest factor defining the modern understanding of "Bushido". You left out a discussion about Japanese Soldier behavior during World War Two. Based on the brutality of that behavior it doesn't really matter if Bushido is "informal" or "misunderstood" it is forever defined - by the Japanese themselves - as brutality. While I appreciate your commitment to "Myth Busting" I do feel that you are over-committed to the point of hair splitting. You cannot have any discussion of Bushido without talking about, and contending with, World War Two.
I just started reading Inazo's book, this video definitely helps contextualize what he's saying.
Just think what kind of Bushido code was applied by the Japanese in the countries they conquered during WW2. There is a modern-day writer who wrote a book on Bushido. To some it is a lot of BS, but for many who never took into account the Japanese atrocities before, they are impressed by the nice-sounding romanticized tales.
Ninja's were just Samurai that were moonlighting.
Best narrator voice
On the Kano Chronicles Wordpress page you have details on Nitobe Inazo and how he was in America writing his book Bushido the Soul of Japan as a intellectual exercise in predicting the future of Japan. People like Okakura Tenshin, Jigoro Kano, Takano Sasaburo and many more were already using the very same impetus to move Japan forward. "Great minds think alike", but the idea is that Bushido was a synthetic idea propagated to increase Japanese national pride and application to Japan's great leap forward. But an incredible moment of serendipity between Nitobe and his surprise what was already being concocted when he got back to Japan.
The paintings in this video are exquisite.
I'm so here for more videos debunking all those misconceptions out there. Good job!
Basically like all these "Warrior Honor" is just an empty talk at the end, so Bullshido. This kind of "romantice" of military still prevail to this day. Don't believe me? Look at war movies and videogames as a good example
No need to look at them, just look at how our culture has evolved to worship the military
he didn't deny that the samurai didn't follow honor and virtue
@@obiwankenobi1615 Yes, but at the end, even the honorable Uesugi Kenshin has his moment against his warrior code.
@@hanchiman i didn't deny that sometimes they do things that go against their warrior code , but they follow that code warrior alot of the time
So many people talking about Samurais and Bushido but no one is thinking what is the Samurai's favorite Pornhub category.
That's the topic of my next video.
@@TheShogunate young boys
武士道 was likely at the time similar to chivalry in that being chivalrous usually meant obeying your lord to many、And just general warrior things like don't be cowardly.
Very Awesome!! Loved every minute of it! ...can't wait for the next one!!
I love how in the suggested videos right next to this is one called "Why BUSHIDO Is The Root of All Social Problems in Japan"/"Bushido WILL RUIN Japan" lol. I have no clue as to the actual content of the video, but it's just funny while listening to what you have to say here.
When a Daimyo instruct his samurais to slaughter women & children, his samurai must do it...
And if any commoners being disrespect to any samurai, they have right to slaughter them to defend their honor...
That is Bushi-Do
and that's why Miyamoto Musashi found his own way and called it Ken-Do
Wait what are you taking about? The author of the Five Rings and the Path of aloneness? He did not invent Kendō. He did teach the two blade style he and his father developed at a Kenjutsu school he ran. But Kendō didn’t yet exist. There many many many Kenjitsus other than his. It’s fair to say all of them were the forebears of Kendō to a degree....but Kendō isn’t a philosophy....it’s a style of training on the sword specifically. Most notably for use by Japanese police forces AFTER the Samurai were de-sworded.
@@bertellijustin6376 Well... I'm not talking about Gendai Budo (Post Meiji Martial Arts) called Kendo,
I'm talking about his personal philosophy "Way of the sword" and live as a Ronin which was very different to common Samurais ideals
Misconceptions happen when you try to legalize a system of honor. The spirit of honor in both systems comes from within a person, regardless of time or place.
Bushido IS The Code of Chivalry. Japanese Edition.
It's something a warrior should aspire too, but only a few truly could.
Also want to make a though out comment as well. Honor in Asian culture tend to get out of hand because of western thinking. Most asian idea of honor was really just about family. I thought the same way as the western concept and was rather quite disappointed to learn reality from the imagination but yet still amazed by it and giving more respect to the reality of history. I rather be a cunning and deceitful warrior than the total Honor bound warrior. It show how human these people and culture they really are and how amazing they and gone. Like the age old battle of Katana vs Longsword. Even thou the katana was inferior to the Longsword it show how much amazing an civilization is.
Thanks for this. It is so annoying hearing other channels pop off with ill-informed theories and information under the guise of 'fact'. The more channels that put out thia good information the better to hopefully drown out the white noise of those other channels.
I iust gound this channel and i have to say its one of my favorites now all your videos are top notice and filled with what i can only hope its filled with fact
Keep up the good work
yeah the samurai were madlads. some probably took the rules to heart, but i bet a bunch of them were just drinking and cutting dudes in half all the time with impunity.
So the whole point essentially is, that its a somewhat retroactive term?
Loving the thrones references lol
Thank you for doing the research then compressing it down to bite sized. I've been looking for this for a while
I tried to make many of these points about Ghost of Tsushima being a cringy romanticized Western portrayal of Samurai on the Ghost of Tsushima subreddit and got down voted to jigoku. Thanks for this vid!
Ah yes, because Japan has NEVER romanticed their own history. Damn those western devils! Cringe!
It’s almost like most of the writing about how samurai should live were written by lords trying to get samurai to listen to them. Most of it was just “hey don’t betray me”. Them just like knights could often switch sides on the battlefield if they were offered slightly more money by an opposing lord.
私感的に言えば、武士道とは江戸時代官僚化しつつある武士の規範的概念だったように思う。それは知識層化した武士の好む題材となり、中世の英雄的伝記が再編され芸能や書籍をとうして浸透した。結果として、江戸時代の武士に強い影響を及ぼし彼らを全として武士たらしめ大成せしめたのだと思う。赤穂浪士や白虎隊などは、その江戸時代の武士道観を表す良い例だと思う。しかしながら、考えてみれば武士道とは耳慣れない言葉でよっぽど「ブシドウ」と書いた方が納まり良い気がする。案にそれだけ一般的な言い回しではないように思う。
for those people from country that share similar culture to japan " which all influence by chinese" . like KOrean, chinese , or Vietnamese. the term Bu shi Do is 3 han chinese character so it's really easy for us to understand that meaning. but thank you for bringing this term and explain it in detail in English.
Still, I do not think it bad to have the romanticized version of them, or knights, vikings or pirates, what have you. These ideals represent these people at their best as a human, what to strive for, which is something the audience can think about. Maybe they weren't honorable, but we should be. That kind of thing. I also like to think many of these codes came from people who wished better of people around them, whether or not they'd listen.
The warrior code depends on the warrior. Some use a code as a way to justify their cruelty; others to solidify their ideals. In a way, the bushido myth is a little dehumanizing towards samurai and the Japanese as a whole, as seeing only the good paints an infactual and unrealistic picture the same way that pessimism does.
To me, the best use of a code is set goals and and guidelines that push us to do good. Let's BE the ideal samurai we all loved as children.
i always understood that bushido had more to do with the selfless giving of ones life to his lord, than being a righteous sword wielding buddha. its just a term that describes a gamut of characteristics associated with warriors, soldiers, samurai, their culture, INCLUDING their own romantic writings, and their martial tactics. of course people who arent scholars of japanese history wont fully get it, but that doesnt in any way mean its not a thing. you had to have samurai before you could have a 'way' of the samurai. there is so much that goes in to it, that no you arent going to have one person thinking it up and then an entire culture embodying it.
also, the concept of honor is different between countries and periods in time. i fell like this video is more of a misrepresentation of what it is than the general mischaracterization of it in western and modern japanese media.
the actual history is so much more interesting than the idealistic version
I need to watch these videos for getting something called a Bushi Diploma at the Ashikaga-Gakko. Thank you for existing :)
Cool video! Where may I find sources that go into detail about the fabrication of bushido?
I live in Japan and my impression from the locals towards the samurai period is that it was an antiquated system that kept Japan behind for too long. Today it's a mere historical curiosity that nobody today relates to or is 'fond of'.
It is a revelation that the term bushido originates in the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It speaks volumes to the notion that, after 1603, war in Japan was a thing remembered only, and not experienced by the following generations of samurai.
Without an opportunity to engage in combat, samurai became useless in the sense of their original purpose. They became trapped in a world of genteel poverty and leisure, wearing their two swords as mandated by law while drinking, gambling and whoring with no better prospects of glory and honor than the local peasant fishmonger. The concept and the code of bushido served then to give this emasculated class a sense of purpose and worth, which they themselves needed but did not believe was real.
It is a common theme of the Edo period that, hated as they were, merchants often bought heirloom katanas from destitute samurai who could not live on their meager stipends, and who wore the scabbard of their swords filled with fake sword hilts because they knew they would never need to draw a real one again.
This is where Barbossa's quote applies: "The code is more like what you'd call guidelines than actual rules".
Weightlifting is a martial art , just like judo . With weightlifting , you can lift and slam your opponent . Pankration is misunderstood by practically everyone on the face of the earth today , even real historians . Pankration was pro wrestling done for real !!!! And that means lifting heavy weights so when you need to lift a 300 pound man and slam him , it becomes very possible even if he's resisting .
In the lore of tabletop game "Battletech a game of armored combat" about giant robot combat, some sort of chess with math, there is a faction called Draconis Combine, the space Japanese led by bushido. It makes sense, because in the year 3025 this video may have not survived, because UA-cam may be gone, so the book is more likely to be the source of inspiration for a futuristic space Japanese culture. Aside of the historical side, this tabletop is very educational as it makes school kids to enjoy using math. Check the video "why Battletech could be useful for education"
Regarding the idea of Chivalry, it actually evolved from a word describing someone's ability to ride a horse and as most knights served as a heavy cavalry force, it to began to loosely mean "the required qualities of a knight". Which even then was pretty open to interpretation and similar to Bushio become became heavily romanticized later on to after the age of knights being an actual force in wars had ended.
Can you tell me more about the painting appering 9.20? Who made it? Is there a copy I can buy? Its is awesome.
I wish you posted the sources, love to know them. Great work...
A lot of what is in this video is information that I recorded from a professor who I met when I was in Japan last year, So I did not know a good way to cite it beside giving out his name (which I don't know if he wants) However most of the information in here is also starting to be come common knowledge as more articles also are posted about it. This is a particular good one www.tofugu.com/japan/bushido/
Wow you actually did your search on this. Your on point. I subbed just on that. Keep up the good work! 👍🏾