The Real Samurai, Not the Ideal Samurai - Musui's Story
In early feudal Japan, war played critical role in shaping the nation's social landscape. "Warring clans controlled much of the country...the struggle for control of that land eventually gave rise to the samurai." ("The Samurai, 2006) The samurai were a class of Japanese warriors who lived by a code known as bushido, or the way of the warrior. "The essence of the samurai code of bushido was total loyalty to the feudal lord; a willingness to give their lives in the defense of their lord, his honor, and their own; a strict regimen of martial training; and a sternly refined etiquette that governed their actions and behavior in all things...Part of the code of the samurai was to commit suicide rather than be captured in war or dishonored by failure." ("The Samurai, 2006) However, like so many ideals, this code of ethics was seldom realized perfectly at any time in Japanese history. ("The Samurai, 2006)This is particularly true of the Tokugawa Period, when Musui's Story was written. Musui's Story is the autobiography of a samurai who lived during a time of peace. Although the ideals of bushido were still common ideological currency amongst the warrior class, the era of constant warfare that gave birth to the need for such an elite g
Also, the state of the late Edo samurai cannot be credited for all of Kochiki's indiscretions. His own father beat him and encouraged the boy to steal. (11) The young samurai received almost no education, and only learned to read later in life. He enjoyed the company of what admittedly was some of the lower elements of Edo culture, and the samurai provided perhaps the one elevating ethos for the warrior, throughout most of his adult existence, however imperfectly he and his ilk may have embodied it. How could Kochiki be a perfect samurai without a good lord, and without a cause to die for? In the absence of a world that bushido was designed for, and a need to justify his vocation, Kochiki did the best he could and at very least showed at the end of his life some admirable honesty and soul-searching about his many mistakes. Thus, when initially reflecting upon the life of Katsu Kochiki, the author of Musui's Story, the reader reared on highly romanticized versions of the samurai might be surprised, given that the samurai author appears to have followed few of the personal ideals commonly associated with those of 19th century Japanese samurai. Far from willing to sacrifice his life to save the honor of his lord, or even himself, Kochiki was willing to do anything to earn enough money to live a comfortable lifestyle. Kochiki joined the samurai, not out of respect for their high ideals and austere lifestyle, but because he wished to escape the life he endured under the thumb of his difficult father. Kochiki fo
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Approximate Word count = 1027
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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