Box 8.4 Excerpts from The Code of the Samurai
by Daidoji YuzanOn what should a samurai focus his mind?
One who is a samurai must before all things keep constantly in mind, by day and by
night, from the morning when he takes up his chopsticks to eat his New Years break-
fast to Old Years night when he pays his yearly bills, the fact that he has to die. That is
his chief business. If he is always mindful of this, he will be able to live in accordance
with the paths of Loyalty and Filial Duty....
One who is a samurai should base his conduct on a strong sense of filial duty. And
however capable and clever and eloquent and handsome one may be born, if he is
unfilial he is of no use at all. For Bushido, the Way of the Warrior, requires a man’s con-
duct to be correct in all points.
It is most important that one who is a samurai should never neglect the offensive
spirit at any time and in all matters. For our country is different from other lands in that
even the least of the people, farmers, merchants, and artisans, should all cherish some
rusty blade, wherein is revealed the warrior spirit of this Empire of Nippon.... Much
more must the higher samurai.... When you leave your gate, act as though an enemy
was in sight. So since he is a samurai and wears a sword in his girdle he must never for-
get this spirit of the offensive. And when this is so, the mind is firmly fixed on death.
What is jin [ren] for the samurai?
For Bushido the three qualities of Loyalty, Right Conduct, and Bravery are essential.
We speak of the loyal warrior, the righteous warrior, and the valiant warrior, and it is he
who is endowed with all these three virtues who is a warrior of the highest class.
How do you show respect for your lord?
In Bushido, however loyal and filial a man may be in his heart, if he is lacking in the
correct etiquette and manners by which respect is shown to lord or parent, he cannot
be regarded as living in proper conformity with it.... Wherever he may be lying
down or sleeping, his feet must never for an instant be pointing in the direction of his
lord’s presence. If he sets up a straw bale for archery practice anywhere, the arrows
must never fall toward the place where his lord is.
How does a samurai treat his wife?
One who is a samurai should, if he finds in his wife matters that do not please him,
admonish her to agree with him by reasonable argument, though in trifles it is well that
he be indulgent and patient with her. But if her disposition is consistently bad and he
considers she will be of no further use, he may divorce her and send her home to her
parents under exceptional circumstances. But should he not do this but keep her as
his wife so that people address her by the respectful titles of okusama and kamisama,
and then shout her and revile her with all sorts of abusive expressions he is behaving in
a way that may be suitable to hirelings and coolies who live in the back streets of the
business quarter but is certainly not proper for a samurai. Much less is it fitting for such
a one to lay his hand on his sword or menace his wife with his clenched fist, an outra-
geous thing that only a cowardly samurai would think of doing. For a girl born in a war-
rior house and of age to be married would never, if she were a man, for a moment
tolerate being threatened by the fist of anyone. It is only because she is unfortunately
born a woman that she has to shed tears and put up with it.