Most of the work dealing with what would later be called Bushido concerned the great civil war known as the Genpei War of 1180-1185, which pitted the Minamoto and Taira clans against each other and established the Kamakura shogunate. In the mid-period, between the 13th and 16th centuries, Japanese literature celebrated ruthless bravery, extreme devotion to family and lord, and the cultivation of intellect for warriors. According to bushido rules, if a samurai felt he had lost (or was about to lose) his honor, he could regain his position by committing a rather painful form of ritual suicide known as “seppuku”. Only fear of shame and loyalty to his daimyo motivated the true samurai. The ideal samurai warrior should be immune to the fear of death. However, they had to cement their honor and loyalty, knowing that when they died, they would likely end up in the Buddhist version of hell. In fact, many samurai believed that, according to the rules of Buddhism, they were excluded from any reward in the afterlife or the next life because they had been trained to fight and kill in this life. However, bushido-specific restrictions have varied over time and from place to place in Japan.īushido was more of an ethical system than a religious belief system. 8 Japanese Samurai During Tokugawa’s RuleĪ more comprehensive list of virtues encoded in Bushido includes frugality, integrity, courage, benevolence, respect, sincerity, honor, loyalty, and moderation.
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