The Samurai Creed
/ Seven Principles / Precepts
of the Samurai
The Samurai Swords
/ Glossary of Terms
I have no parents; I make the Heavens and the Earth my parents.
I have no home; I make the Tan T'ien my home.
I have no divine power; I make honesty my Divine Power.
I have no means; I make Docility my means.
I have no magic power; I make personality my Magic Power.
I have neither life nor death; I make A Um my Life and Death.I have no body; I make Stoicism my Body.
I have no eyes; I make The Flash of Lightning my eyes.
I have no ears; I make Sensibility my Ears.
I have no limbs; I make Promptitude my Limbs.
I have no laws; I make Self-Protection my Laws.I have no strategy; I make the Right to Kill and the Right to Restore Life my Strategy.
I have no designs; I make Seizing the Opportunity by the Forelock my Designs.
I have no miracles; I make Righteous Laws my Miracle.
I have no principles; I make Adaptability to all circumstances my Principle.
I have no tactics; I make Emptiness and Fullness my Tactics.I have no talent; I make Ready Wit my Talent.
I have no friends; I make my Mind my Friend.
I have no enemy; I make Incautiousness my Enemy.
I have no armour; I make Benevolence my Armour.
I have no castle; I make Immovable Mind my Castle.
I have no sword; I make No Mind my Sword.
From "The Zen Way to the Martial
Arts,
Bushido, the way of the
samurai,
can be summarized in seven
essential
principles:
* Know yourself. (Jiko o shiru koto)1. Gi: the right decision, taken with equanimity, the right attitude, the truth.
When we must die, we must die. Rectitude.2. Yu: bravery tinged with heroism.
3. Jin: universal love, benevolence toward mankind; compassion.
4. Rei: right action--a most essential quality, courtesy.
5. Makoto: utter sincerity; truthfulness.
ó. Melyo: honor and glory.
7. Chugo: devotion, loyalty.
The Katana
The long sword (daito -
katana)
was more than 24 inches. Not just a weapon, but the soul of bushi.
It is the most sophisticated form
of the beauty of killing. The more beautiful it is, the more deadly
sharpness
it has.
Katana are distinguished from
broadswords
for the extremely sharp edge and the slightly curved blade.
The beauty of a katana appears
on its blade and edge. Its grace form and grim beauty has been
fascinating
many warriors.
The Wakizashi
The short sword (shoto -
wakizashi)
was between 12 and 24 inches.
Shorter than the Katana (about
68 cm), this sword was worn indoors by the Samurai,
because the Katana was too long
to fight in small rooms.
The Tanto
This is a small japanese
knife from the same steel as the Katana and the Wakizashi.
This knife was sometimes worn
instead
of the wakizashi
bushido
the way of the warrior;
completely
philosophy about an upright, honorable way of life; a way of life
considered
long, sttep, full of numerous difficulties, travelled as a means of
self-cultivation
and leading ultimately to self perfection
fudoshin
immovable mind, calm spirit -
major
goal of samurai; mental state that enables a man to meet any situation
with composure
giri
duty and honor
daimyo
feudal lord, landowner, position
of power second only to the shogun
shogun
member of the samurai class, who
through war, political intrigue, and/or inheritance, has risen himself
to a position of military ruling power over all of Japan, second only
to
the Emperor (who holds that position by "divine" right). The period of
reign of that particular military ruler and his decendants is referred
to as a "shogunate".
ronin
samurai who owes loyalty to no
superior, who has lost the lord to which he has sworn fielty, typically
by the death of that lord; a ronin had more freedom and the right to
express
his opinions compared to one in service to a daimyo; basically an
unemployed
samurai without a source of protection or income
Hakama
divide skirt-pants worn by samurai
zanshin
ability of the samurai to sense
danger, trained into him from his youth by teachers that would sneak up
on him until his senses were acutely developed
Saigo made eizoku suru
persist to the end
Ki
spirit, energy, inner strength
Ki ken tai ichi
spirit, sword, body as one
seppuku
ritualistic suicide - honorable
death, preferable to allowing the samurai to be shamed by being taken
prisoner
and beheaded by his enemies
seishin tanren
hard spiritual training in
martial
arts
satsujen no ken
the sword that kills
katsujin no ken
the sword that gives life
