© Colin Ptak, 1999
[5.25.99]
The ancient samurai warriors once had a key role in Japan. Over the years their existence
has slowly diminished leading to their extinction. Although the samurai are no longer existent,
they have left an unforgettable legacy that continues to effect the lives of people in modern Japan.
The traditions and customs of the samurai still have an impact on the daily lives of the Japanese
people. Whether it be through the martial arts, the peaceful arts, or their core beliefs, and how the
styles of swordsmanship, the samurai continue to influence life to this day. Furthermore, the
samurai’s ethics are prominent in Japanese society as well as business. The romantic ideal of the
samurai still inspires children and adults through countless mediums. Finally, the idea of Bushido
exists in society today as the Japanese business ethics illustrate honor and duty to Japan.
The beginning of the samurai’s beliefs date back to 660 BC. During this year, Jimmu
Tenno became the head of a confederation of clans. Tenno, known as “The Divine Warrior”, led
his people from Kyushu to conquer the Kinki region. Tenno settled in Yamato, which led to the
rise of the Yamato Dynasty. The Yamato clans sent numerous military campaigns to Korea and
China. These campaigns led to the introduction of Korean and Chinese culture which includes,
the technology and martial arts of feudal Japan. The primary conduit of these influences came by
way of the returning warriors. The martial arts beliefs acquired from these expeditions would
form the basis of the samurai warrior ethic.
The Samurai’s code of chivalry, known as Bushido, or “Way of the Warrior”, was
created in Japan using China’s concept of warriors known as “The Way of Horse and Bow”. The
concept of Bushido was a core belief of the samurai. The philosophy behind Bushido is “freedom
from fear.” This meant the samurai was not to fear any bout and to face death with honor.
Bushido “gave [the samurai] the peace and power to serve his master faithfully and loyally and
die if necessary”(Brief History of the Samurai). The samurai held duty to one’s master and to
oneself above all else. The samurai rose to power out of the constant fight for land in feudal
Japan. They became experts at fighting from horseback and on the ground. They trained in
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armed and unarmed combat. “The early samurai emphasized fighting with the bow and arrow”
(Brief History of the Samurai). Battles with the Mongols in the late thirteenth century led to the
greater dependence on combat with the sword and fighting solely on foot.
A large part of the samurai’s honor is the two swords they would wear at all times. One
sword was long; the other short. The long sword, or Katana, would generally be forty-one inches
long. While the short sword, or Wakizashi, was between twelve and twenty-four inches long.
The first swords the samurai used were based upon designs from China and Korea, they were
straight swords similar to what the medieval knights of Europe would use. It was the samurai’s
desire for tougher, sharper swords lead to the curved swords which are still used today (Brief
History of the Samurai). They believed that their swords were one with their soul. To touch a
samurai’s sword without permission was a direct insult to the owner. Generally, the samurai
would only use one of his swords during a battle. The long sword was ideal for wide-open spaces;
while the short sword for tight spots. It wasn’t until the 17th century when using two swords at
once began to become a technique for swordsmanship. A ronin (master-less samurai) and expert
swordsmen Miyamoto Musashi created this style. He had been in more than sixty bouts to the
death by the age of twenty-nine, and he never lost one of them. After he was twenty-nine it is
believed that he stopped fighting and spent the rest of his life teaching and refining his military
science.
In 1643 Miyamoto Musashi wrote The Book of Five Rings, the definitive guide to
swordsmanship which is still used to this day. It is also used as a guide for business management
in America and Japan. The Book of Five Rings has been studied endlessly by businessmen for its
insight into the Japanese approach to business strategy similar to how the Art of War is studied
for its own insight. “The book analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that
underlies every level of human interactions” (The Book of Five Rings, back cover). Furthermore,
the book discusses the following qualities. Japan, once a small island country with little to no
technological power, has become a powerful force in world trade. The qualities that make up
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Japanese business are rather easy to describe, but difficult to put into practice. The qualities
include practicality, trust, respect, solidity, substance, loyalty, courage, simplicity, brevity,
calmness, tolerance, patience, perseverance, and wisdom. To understand these concepts you must
look deeper than the simple meanings of the words. As the expert samurai once taught their
students in their dojo’s, many Japanese companies have mentors that help aid the new graduates
learn their positions. John Harford’s article The New Samurai explains that the “most successful
Japanese businessmen have the skills of the samurai in the sense that they are never afraid to take
difficult decisions and do not flinch from bad news” (p. 38).
Before writing The Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi went on a spiritual quest to
uphold his family’s name after his dishonorable action of running away from his home to join in a
war seeking fame, this ultimately led to the expert swordsman we remember him as today
(Musashi).
Feudal System Hierarchy
Shogun
Daimyo
Samurai
Farmers
Craftsmen
Figure 1: The daimyo were the sole
political figures of higher stature than
the samurai, excluding the leader of
the country, the Shogun.
Merchants
Peasants
Honor was very important to the samurai’s way of life. It was their honor that ruled their
actions over everything, except possibly over their daimyo’s commands (see Figure 1). The
samurai’s loyalty to their daimyo is unparalleled even to this day. In return for the samurai’s
loyalty, the daimyo would reward their samurai greatly. Paying them monthly and even going so
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far as to build sleeping quarters. The samurai’s payment was having his services available during
any battle against the daimyo he served under. It is this regard to loyalty and honor, which made
famous the tale of the forty-seven ronin. The ronin’s master was killed by a rival daimyo, after
two years of waiting idly for the correct time to strike, the ronin made their move. After killing
their masters’ murderer, they committed suicide as a result of their treacherous deeds. The story
of the forty-seven ronin has been told in countless books and movies and continues to this day to
be a great story telling the honor and loyalty the samurai upheld through their actions. This
powerful story has the effect of inspiring these qualities into the people of Japan today as they
strive to live up to the samurai code of their elders. Today, Japan is a leader in technology and
high loyalty can be found in many companies in Japan. A large amount of companies reward
their loyal businessmen with free housing. A few companies have been known to pay for
weddings and other ceremonies for the extremely loyal businessmen. This is similar to the
daimyo’s high regard for their samurai and it is possible that this is were the businessmen of
today have learned of the importance to satisfy their workers to ensure good results.
Another vital part of a samurai’s way of life, is their appreciation of the peaceful arts.
The peaceful arts include landscaping, gardening, architecture, poetry, painting, calligraphy, the
tea ceremony, and Noh and Kabuki theaters. A popular saying during feudal Japan was to
“practice the arts of peace on the left hand, and the arts of war on the right.” For a samurai to
reach The Way (Bushido), he was expected to have an appreciation of and work with at least one
of the peaceful arts. Calligraphy, painting, and poetry were very highly regarded by the samurai.
The Dual Way of the Sword and Writing Brush was said to teach sensitivity as well as fierceness.
Calligraphy was seen as a reflection of your inner self, demonstrating your power, integrity, and
ethical correctness (Daimyo).
The tea ceremony is a tradition that most every samurai and respected official was
expected to take part in. Buddhist monks during the Tsang Dynasty brought tea to Japan. The
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Tea Ceremony is used to focus your awareness as well as to escape from reality. It was used
frequently prior to large battles by daimyo and samurai as a preparation of acceptance for death.
The states of mind which were the goal of the Tea Ceremony include Harmony, Respect, Purity,
and Stillness (Daimyo). The actual ceremony is very traditional and strict. It has been passed on
from generation to generation and is still in use to this day. Many women perform the Tea
Ceremony at home or in special teahouses where businessmen can come to relax after a busy day
at the office. Other examples of the peaceful arts including calligraphy, paintings, and ceramics
can be seen in many Japanese homes to this day.
Tales of the samurai have infiltrated the cinema and books for sheer storytelling as well
as to get an idea of what it was like to live in feudal Japan as a samurai. The legend of the
samurai is used in Japanese culture today to inspire people to adhere to its ideals. It is also used
to teach the history of the samurai so the people are able to identify with their past and learn from
it. In 1954, the famed director Akira Kurosawa released the movie The Seven Samurai. The
story for The Seven Samurai is of a small village that is frequently raided by brigands. The
village people decide to hire ronin to protect them from the brigands. Each ronin hired has a
special skill that he has mastered. It is only with their combined efforts that they are able to
defeat the brigands. John Sterger later created The Magnificent Seven, which is essentially a
“westernized” version of The Seven Samurai. That is, instead of having samurai in feudal Japan,
it takes place in western USA with cowboys. The novel Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa, depicts the
story of the famed creator of the dual sword technique, Miyamoto Musashi. It has been published
in book format over fourteen times and has been produced as a film seven times. It is known as
“The Gone with the Wind of Japan” and has been highly praised in book reviews. It is known as
the definitive book discussing society during feudal Japan (Yoshikawa et al, ix). The tales of the
Samurai have been recreated in many formats and has impacted most every medium of
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entertainment. This shows Japans endless love for their history and its effort to teach each new
generation of the samurai’s great accomplishments.
The samurai ethic influenced Japanese culture to such an extent that the government at
one point found ways to exploit young recruits beliefs to further their cause. The concept of
Bushido is illustrated by the kamikaze flights during World War II. Pilots in the Japanese
airforce during World War II were told they were “The Divine Winds” or Kamikaze, thus was
born the Kamikaze pilot. The pilots were ordered to crash into American warships. They were
told that this was a great honor and was for the good of Japan. Many kamikaze pilots would wear
two samurai swords during their attacks. Some pilots would even whiten their faces just as the
samurai had once done prior to battle (Roberts 10). The pilots believed they were doing this for
the good of their country. They were defending their Emperor as the samurai had defended their
Daimyo. Therefore, the sense of duty, honor, and loyalty that Bushido emphasized is still
prominent in Japanese culture.
The samurai’s influence on modern day Japan has been substantial and will continue to
stay in the country’s culture. Most every medium has been affected by the appeal of the samurai.
Whether it be business’ reading The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi as they would
read The Art of War by Sun Tzu for the books value on business management. Or the local
school children being told the story of the forty-seven samurai and their incredible loyalty, honor,
and courage. The martial arts are still studied across the globe, as is swordsmanship including the
two-handed technique created by Miyamoto Musashi. The Katana and Wazikashi are still used in
the discipline of martial arts. The two swords are still seen as a symbol of honor in Japanese
culture, and are considered a prized possession. The samurais great regard to honor and
perseverance has no doubt effected the way business is done in Japan, creating an excellent work
ethnic which makes them continue to develop new technological feats and providing answers to
modern day problems. The Japanese businessmen must be able to successfully draw upon the
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belief of Bushido to reach success in Japan. Loyalty is one of the greatest assets Japanese
business’ have today. Respect and honor are characteristics that evolved from the samurai ethic
that are vital to successful business relationships in Japan. The term “Business is War” stemmed
from the ethics carried over from the samurai to Japanese businessmen. Japans excellence in art
has not stopped with the samurai, calligraphy is practiced across the globe. The samurai practiced
the tea ceremony for centuries. It is still used in Japanese homes to this day to teach discipline
and patience. Cinema, Books, and Television have aided in clarifying Japan’s rich culture. The
history of the samurai has been used to teach the children about their culture. They have inspired
children to live up to the ideals set forth by the samurai. There have been countless books and
novels telling the great exploits of Miyamoto Musashi and many other samurai warriors. The
Bushido was brought back to life through the Kamikaze pilots of World War II. The pilots were
protecting their Emperor as the samurai had protected their Daimyo.
The beliefs and exploits of the samurai will continue to live in the hearts and minds of
Japanese people and the world for centuries to come. This is important, as it will forever keep the
Japanese and the world in touch with the history of the samurai warriors. By acknowledging
their past they can learn from their accomplishments and potential mistakes as well as live up to
the high ideals set forth by the samurai. The samurai warriors are one of the great treasures of
Japan, their beliefs and actions have brought great pride to the Japanese. They have given Japan a
national identity and helped define their culture, enriching their sense of who they are as a people.
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