Bushido also emphasized frugality, kindness, honesty and care for one’s family members, particularly one’s elders.
Though bushido varied under the influences of Buddhist and Confucian thought, its warrior spirit remained constant, including an emphasis on military skills and fearlessness in the face of an enemy. It was during this period that the principles of bushido emerged as a general code of conduct for Japanese people in general. This relatively conservative faith, with its emphasis on loyalty and duty, eclipsed Buddhism during the Tokugawa period as the dominant religion of the samurai. Ieyasu issued the “ordinances for the Military Houses,” by which samurai were told to train equally in arms and “polite” learning according to the principles of Confucianism. This period ushered in a 250-year-long stretch of peace and prosperity in Japan, and for the first time the samurai took on the responsibility of governing through civil means rather than through military force. The Sengoku-Jidai, or Period of the Country at War finally ended in 1615 with the unification of Japan under Tokugawa Ieyasu. In addition to such now-famous Japanese art forms as the tea ceremony, rock gardens and flower arranging, theater and painting also flourished during the Muromachi period. It was also a golden age for Japanese art, as the samurai culture came under the growing influence of Zen Buddhism. A man’s honor was said to reside in his sword, and the craftsmanship of swords–including carefully hammered blades, gold and silver inlay and sharkskin handgrips–became an art in itself.ĭespite the political unrest, this period–known as the Muromachi after the district of that name in Kyoto–saw considerable economic expansion in Japan. Also during the Kamakura period, the sword came to have a great significance in samurai culture. Its austere and simple rituals, as well as the belief that salvation would come from within, provided an ideal philosophical background for the samurai’s own code of behavior. Zen Buddhism, introduced into Japan from China around this time, held a great appeal for many samurai. As Yoritomo’s authority depended on their strength, he went to great lengths to establish and define the samurai’s privileged status no one could call himself a samurai without Yoritomo’s permission. The establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, a hereditary military dictatorship, shifted all real political power in Japan to the samurai. The triumphant leader Minamoto Yoritomo–half-brother of Yoshitsune, whom he drove into exile–established the center of government at Kamakura. The word “samurai” roughly translates to “those who serve.” (Another, more general word for a warrior is “bushi,” from which bushido is derived this word lacks the connotations of service to a master.) Early Samuraiĭuring the Heian Period (794-1185), the samurai were the armed supporters of wealthy landowners–many of whom left the imperial court to seek their own fortunes after being shut out of power by the powerful Fujiwara clan. More importantly, the traditional samurai code of honor, discipline and morality known as bushido–or “the way of the warrior”–was revived and made the basic code of conduct for much of Japanese society.
Despite being deprived of their traditional privileges, many of the samurai would enter the elite ranks of politics and industry in modern Japan. The samurai would dominate Japanese government and society until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 led to the abolition of the feudal system. As servants of the daimyos, or great lords, the samurai backed up the authority of the shogun and gave him power over the mikado (emperor). The samurai, members of a powerful military caste in feudal Japan, began as provincial warriors before rising to power in the 12th century with the beginning of the country’s first military dictatorship, known as the shogunate.