302 THE ETHICS OF JAPAN. 



military arts. 2. Be not guilty of any base or rude conduct. 3. Be 

 not cowardly or eifeminate in behavior. 4. Be simple and frugal. 

 5. The master and servants should nnitually respect their indebted- 

 ness. G. Keep a j^romise. T. Share a connnon fate by mutual bond- 

 age in defiance of death or life. 



AVe may say that notions such as these were the foundations of the 

 ethical parts of Bushido. These will mean when inter])reted in ethi- 

 cal terms of the Chinese school : 1. Diligence in one's profession. 2. 

 Love and loyalty between master and servants. )^. Decorum and ])r()- 

 priety. 4. Gallantry and i)ravery. 5. Trustfulness and justice. (>. 

 Simplicity and frugality. 7. Contempt of meanness. 



At the bottom of these lay the sense of honor. When speaking of 

 any action as unworthy of a l)ushi, the following phrase was custo- 

 marily used in early days, '' It is disgraceful in the presence of the 

 hand of the bow and arrow," as in later days one would say " a dis- 

 grace to bushi," in the same Avay as you would say in English, " It is 

 unbecoming to a gentleman." The term "" bushi " has in many ways 

 a similar meaning to " gentleman " in English. Bushido, of course, 

 encouraged bravery above all things. In an old book describing the 

 Avar betAveen Gen and Hei, an account of the bravery of bushi of 

 KAvanto — namely, the plain above referred to as that Avhere Bushido 

 originated — is put into the mouth of a general of Hei as having been 

 addressed to his generalissimo, Avho commanded the army of Hei,. 

 Avhich Avas formed of recruits coming from Kioto and its neighbor- 

 hood. The narratiA^e Avas to this effect: "According to the usage of 

 the Avarriors of the East, the son Avould not AvithdraAV from the battle- 

 field, though his father might die, or the father Avould not think of 

 retiring though his son might fall. He Avould adA^ance and adA^ance, 

 and jumping OA'er the dead, Avould fight regardless of death or life. 

 As to our oAvn men, they are all Aveakly recruits from the neighbor- 

 hood of the capital (Avhere effeminacy reigned at the time). If the 

 father Avere wounded, the son and all the members of the family Avould 

 take advantage of this and retire ; if the master Avere killed, his folloAv- 

 ers Avould utilize the chance and, hand in hand Avith their brothers, 

 Avould AvithdraAV and disappear." This may be a someAvhat exagger- 

 ated account, but it Avill shoAV Iioav greatly the original bushi estimated 

 braA'ery in the same way as our men do in these days. 



In addition to these characteristics some other features Avhich Avere 

 brought into more prominence are entitled to be singled out — namely, 

 fortitude, generosity, imperturbability in the presence of danger or 

 on any unexpected occurrence, corapassionateness, and straightfor- 

 Avardness. This kind of attitude Avas inculcated even in physical 

 exercises of difierent modes of fighting, such as fencing, practice 



