The Way of the Samurai0

The Samurai culture has been captured in many films over the years but in my opinion film that best captures the spirit and culture of the Samurai is without a doubt, “Ghost Dog” starring the excellent Forest Whitakker. The film accurately reflects the cultural ways of the Samurai but transposes them from Japan to the urban environment that is modern day New York. The character Ghost Dog reflects the value the Samurai placed on education, honesty, sincerity and humility and even reads passages from the Hagakure. Moreover, the film is underscored by music from the eclectic Rza from the Wu-Tang Clan whose meeting with Whittaker’s character reflects the crossing of paths of two master warriors who respect each other’s skills and abilities.

The Samurai originally began as a dedicated warrior class, living a very disciplined life style and soon became a way of life that influences the country of Japan to this day.  The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushidō (“the way of the warrior”). These Samurai teachings continue to exist in everyday life and can be found in martial arts such as Kendō, meaning the way of the sword.  Strongly Confucian in nature, Bushido stressed concepts such as loyalty to one’s master, self-discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour. After a defeat, samurai would often choose to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) by cutting their abdomen rather than being captured or dying a dishonorable death.

As Robert Samuel writes in his 2004 book, The Samurai: The Philosophy of Victory, “Death is a central aspect of the Samurai philosophy. When a Samurai is faced with a situation in which he must choose between life and death, his immediate, unhesitating choice is always death. While the desire to live is natural, and we temper our actions according to this desire, there is no doubt that opting for life without realizing our ambitions is cowardly.” It is an interesting thought to consider how different our lives could be if we were not fearful of death but rather embraced it as the Samurai did.

Moreover, the Samurai were complete perfectionists and self-discipline was key to their philosophy.  Indeed, according to this blog by Steve Frank, “Samurai believed in hard work and had an outstanding work ethic. They believed manual labour was a good thing. It was good to dig ditches, move rocks, build roads and rock walls. They loved to work in bad weather because it made them mentally tough and strong. After all war is not fought in good weather. They didn’t like any comforts of any kind because it makes one soft. In order to progress in life, one had to improve every day in every aspect.” The level of discipline and dedication involved in being a Samurai is something that is easy to admire and consequently certain elements have been incorporated into modern Japanese business culture and practice. The samurais great regard to honor and perseverance has no doubt effected the way business is done in Japan, creating an excellent work ethnic which helps them continue to develop new technological feats and secure a reputation for first class customer service. The Japanese businessmen must be able to draw upon the belief of Bushido to reach success in Japan and in doing so will reflect the Samurai qualities of loyalty, respect and honour.