Bushido, the Way of the Warrior was the way a samurai lived and died. It shaped his life and became his moral code. He passed it on to his sons so it would be part of their lives from childhood. While courage was an essential quality for a warrior, there were other qualities he was expected to develop and practice.
He was expected to live frugally and to act with loyalty, honesty, compassion and honor – rather like the Western notion of chivalry. Some of the virtues he practiced and continually aspired to follow are everlasting. Kanji strength tattoos can connect us to these time-tested and time-honored virtues and strengths.
Courage – This type of courage was deeper than the courage needed in battle. It was the mental and moral courage to face the day-to-day challenges of living and the constant struggle to master emotions and feelings. It was the courage to deal with life full on – to face the difficult situations and make the hard decisions. The kanji symbol for courage can be a strength tattoo.
Loyalty – A samurai was expected to be totally loyal to his emperor or lord. It was unquestioned loyalty that impelled him to follow his lord’s commands and to be willing to die for him. It was total commitment. Generally, we are not called on to have that kind of loyalty today but we do have country, family, friends or causes that require our loyalty. A kanji tattoo can remind us of our commitments to the people and beliefs that are important to us.
Honesty – This means being honest in all things with ourselves and with others. This is not being honest from fear of being caught out but, rather, practicing honesty because it is the right thing to do. It means being honest enough to avoid self-deception. It means being honest enough to face our own faults and admit when we are wrong.
Compassion – This can be truly testing. Are we strong enough in ourselves to show real compassion to others? Are we giving enough to overlook others’ mistakes and faults? A samurai was expected to show kindness to others, particularly those who were weaker.
Honor – The samurai’s code of honor overrode everything else. Above all, he was expected to act with honor at all times. Practicing the other virtues helped him to act in an honorable way. His great failure would be to act dishonorably, which would not only reflect on himself but on his family. If his honor was damaged beyond repair he would turn to seppuku, ritual suicide, known as hara-kiri. This was the only way left to redeem himself.
The code of the samurai was about taking control over oneself by self-denial. The ultimate struggle was always the struggle over his fears, desires and gratification. He knew true strenght came from mastery over himself, which would put him in control of his life. A kanji strength tattoo can connect us to this same strength.
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