The Last Samurai: Code of the Samurai Posted by: Joe Tracy, Publisher

Samurai lived their lives by a code of honor and values known as Bushido, which stands for “Way of the Warrior.”  The code emphasizes values like loyalty, justice, honor, modesty, fearlessness, self-sacrifice, and undying reverence toward the emperor.

While portions of this code are explored in The Last Samurai movie, fully understanding and appreciating the Bushido code comes with further exploration of what it meant to the Samurai people and how it has influenced Japan since the death of the Samurai.

Perhaps Americans can better understand the depth of Bushido by taking a look at Pearl Harbor.  One of the shocking elements of the attack on Pearl Harbor was kamikaze pilots who would purposely ram their planes into U.S. battleships, thus ending the pilot’s life while creating massive damage.  Even though this event occurred decades after the last of the samurai were eliminated, the depth of the Bushido teachings, particularly those of fearlessness and loyalty are what drove pilots to sacrifice their life for what they perceived to be the greater good of Japan.

In 1995, John A. Forquer, a major in the United States Marine Corps, wrote a paper titled The Kamikaze: Samurai Warrior – A New Appraisal. In the paper, Forquer made the following observation:

“The Bushido ideal of contempt for defeat also influenced how the Japanese viewed combat. They regarded defeat in combat as the ultimate humiliation. The Japanese expected a soldier or sailor to win, die by the hands of his enemy, or commit suicide. Commanders who recognized imminent defeat in battle, therefore, launched hundreds of soldiers in banzai charges into overwhelming enemy machine-gun and artillery fire, knowing that the attack would be suicidal. These commanders believed that such a drive embodied the spirit of the ancient Samurai warrior and would result in a ‘glorious death.’”

Bushido emphasized honor, loyalty, and pride versus materialism and things that wasted time. As a result, those who followed the Bushido teachings were extremely dedicated. 

According to the movie book, The Last Samurai, “Bushido is a code of conduct, ethics, and honor that developed among the samurai over many centuries. The code emphasized discipline and austerity, and demanded unwavering loyalty to a samurai’s daimyo (overlord)… Bushido directed the warrior to set aside such distractions as self-pride or the desire to waste time or energy with the mundane.”

Bushido, while its own philosophy, takes elements from several other areas including Zen, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism.

Another important element of the samurai code is death.  Samurai lived each day to the fullest with the knowledge that the day may be their last. By living this way, they were able to achieve a lifestyle of great value, integrity, and accomplishments.

According to the book Code of the Samurai, “If people comfort their minds with the assumption that they will live a long time, something might happen, because they think they will have forever to do their work and look after their parents. They may fail to perform for their employers and also treat their parents thoughtlessly.

But if you realize that the life that is here today is not certain on the morrow, then when you take your orders from your employer, and when you look in on your parents, you will have the sense that this may be the last time; so you cannot fail to become truly attentive to your employer and your parents.”

Samurai also kept death on the forefront of their minds. By treating every day as if it was the last, samurai avoid the pitfalls of life while reaping the rewards of their productivity, becoming well-rounded people with strong minds, a strong soul, and an extremely high mental state.

According to the book The Unfettered Mind, “Knowing what is evil but not refraining from it is a sickness of one’s own desires. Whether it be from a love of sensuality or self-indulgence, it is a matter of the mind desiring something… It is said that a good man is regarded as a jewel by the province. You should make this your own personal experience.”

Bushido is applicable to today’s society as much as it was in samurai days. The code of the samurai can be applied to one’s personal life and daily battles.

“Only when you train your spirit and your body each day to such an extent that there are none comparable to you among your fellow samurai, will it be possible for you to defeat your enemy.”