Bushidō or the “Way of the Warrior” is the code of chivalrous behaviour followed by Japanese Samurai. The name comes from the Japanese word for a warrior — bushi. Most of these principles are adopted from Confucianism and the Chinese philosophy of living. Over time bushido became the basis of Japanese ethics that was thought to the entire society. Bushido code had an influence on many areas of life in Japan, from art and philosophy to Japanese tea ceremonies and craftsmanship.
History of Samurai and the Bushido Code
Although the name bushido first appeared around 1616, in the scriptures of martial arts school Koyo Gunkan, (written by Samurai Kōsaka Masanobu), the bases of the code were established a lot earlier. The bushido code was codified during the Kamakura period (between 1192 and 1333) when the Minamoto dynasty turned Japan into a military dictatorship, the government leaders and hereditary shun popularised the idea of Samurai, and gave them a privileged status.
Samurai were the special caste of medieval Japan, that served to the Japanese feudal landholders between the 12th and late 19th century. Their job was to protect…
