This is a HOSHINOYA MADE IN JAPAN Radio. Episode 3 "Bushido"

Wellcome to the HOSHINOYA MADE IN JAPAN Radio. Today I would like to talk about Bushido the soul of Japan.

Bushi means “warrior” and do means “the way of.

”Bushido is a word that came into use in the Edo period.

It was the ethical code of the samurai class, which ruled Japan during that period.

“The Way of the Warrior” includes having the spirit of a warrior as well as skills with weapons.

These were the skills they needed before the Edo period began.

But once the Tokugawa clan gained control of the country, the role of the bushi or samurai changed.

They were required to take political and intellectual leadership roles.

They were required to show loyalty to their superiors, personal honor, devotion to duty, and courage under pressure.

The samurai were supposed to devote themselves to service.

Nitobe Inazo’s book Bushido: the Soul of Japan (1899)

introduced the ideas of Bushido to the West.

The book described Bushido as an ethical system and a moral path.

The chapters include key words such as rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty, and self-control.

He believed that Bushido showed the moral character of the Japanese people as a whole.