I think Jonathan’s reference to the Bushido Shoshinshu武道初心集 (by Taira Shigesuke, I think) brings up a very interesting point. The name of the work apparently refers to a collection (集) of writing written for the benefit of 初心者, beginners or novices in Bushido. What was the reason for needing to write down the code of Bushido in Bushido Shoshinshu at that particular moment in Japan history? Was it because there was suddenly a bunch of novice samurai around that needed instruction in how to behave properly as a good samurai? Was it because conservatives lamented that young samurai were no longer following the old traditional Bushido ways, and Bushido Shoshinshu was an attempt to re-establish the older traditional behavioral standards of the good ol’ days? Were there simply too many rude, uncouth samurai acting anti-socially? Or was there a political motive?
My own speculation is this. Instead of looking backward to try to re-establish older samurai traditions, the Tokugawa shogunate was trying to establish a brand new innovative model for samurai: to rein in these unruly samurai and convert them from bloodthirsty sengoku-jidai marauders into nice Tokugawa bureaucrats. That is just my own uneducated guess, as I have not read Bushido Shoshinshu.
Does anyone know the motivation for the writing of Bushido Shoshinshu? Anyone agree or disagree with my speculation?
Regards,
Mike
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From:
samuraihistory@yahoogroups.com [mailto:
samuraihistory@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of jonathan ellgen
Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 11:10 PM
To:
samuraihistory@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [samuraihistory] bushido
The actual formalization of the Bushido code occurred in the Edo period, but various forms of this code existed as early as the Heian Period. I am not an expert on the subject of bushido, but it is my observation that the bushi class followed a code of ethics/behaviors from the point in which they established themselves as a definable group in the late 12th century.
According to Minoru Kiyota from the University of Wisconsin, there were 4 types of codes based on the time period (Heian, Kamakura, Sengoku, Tokugawa). The Heian code was based on loyalty and benevolence. The code of the Kamakura period was called 'bando musha no narai' and similar to the previous code. The Sengoku code is also based on loyalty, but in the context of extreme violence. Of course, the Tokugawa period is when we see the Bushido that most people would recognize.
Bushido Shoshinshu was written sometime between 1639 and 1730--I do not have a specific date. It is just my opinion, but I feel that it was just an off-shoot of the samurai rules created by Ieyasu and written by Suden. If that is the case, you could argue that the date you are looking for is August 30, 1615.
After all that, I really dont have a specific date for Bushido... I guess it depends on what you want to recongnize as the true Way. Regional codes existed as well, so Im sure someone has more specific info than I do. It is a good topic though.
Jonathan Ellgen
Ijin Mibu <
ijinmibu@...> wrote: When did samurai start fallowing bushido? Was it in the Edo-era or
before that? Im looking for dates.
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