Japan Discovery How Japanese people think “武士道は死ぬことと見つけたり(Bushido is really the Way of Dying)”
Bushido is the way of dying
“Bushido is the way of the way of dying" is a provocative phrase. A similar phrase is the European “memento mori." This is an introspective phrase that says that if people are aware of death, they can cherish their lives in the present. In contrast, “Bushido is" demands that warriors die for loyalty.
Bushi are also called samurai. They are Japanese combat experts and people of families who make it their profession. Bushi appeared in the Heian period and existed until the abolition of the class system in the Meiji period.
Young people obsessed with their cell phones, high school girls laughing at McDonald’s, smiling store clerks, and men having fun at izakayas. The people we see on the streets today are all gentle-looking. Among them are the descendants of radical samurai.
The Japanese are quite fighter-like
You rarely see strong people in the streets of Japan, but the Japanese are a fighting race that you would never imagine from their appearance, just as the native Fremen of the Sand Planet had the same level of fighting power as the Saudarkar Imperial Guard. They were known for fighting even to the death.
In the 13th century, they repelled attacks from the Mongol Empire.A civil war began in the 15th century and continued for 100 years. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified Japan, used his military power to prevent colonization by European powers.
In the 19th century, the Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown by the Meiji Restoration and Japan became a modern nation. After that, they fought and won against the great powers of the time, Qing and Russia, and participated in World War I, becoming a great power. In the next Pacific War, they were thoroughly defeated by the United States, but they fought fiercely and carried out the infamous kamikaze attack.
As shown in the movies Independence Day and The Core, individuals sometimes sacrifice their lives to save their comrades, but only the Japanese fight as an organization and sacrifice their lives.
In the early 17th century, a decisive battle for supremacy over Japan took place between the Eastern Army of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Western Army of Ishida Mitsunari. It was the Battle of Sekigahara. The Satsuma clan belonged to the Western Army. The Eastern Army won the battle, and the Satsuma army was left behind by the large Eastern Army force.
In a desperate situation, the Satsuma samurai carried out a fierce retreat called “Sute Gamari". What kind of tactics was that? It couldn’t be called a tactic. It was a way of fighting where everyone died to allow their lord to escape. A small unit was left behind in that place, and that unit fought until everyone was dead, stalling the enemy army.
To increase the accuracy of their guns, they sat in meditation while sniping, and when they ran out of bullets, they cut into the enemy to buy time. When the platoon was wiped out, a new small unit was left and the same thing was repeated.
“Kondo Wa Wai Ga Iki Mō Sō (This time I’ll go)"
“Tokugawa Ni Hito Awa Fukashi Mon So (Let’s surprise Tokugawa)"
“Tono No Koto Wa Ma Kasu~tsu (I’ve left the lord to you)"
The samurai calmly accepted death out of loyalty to their lord.
Hagakure
Why do Japanese people, who usually uphold the motto “harmony is the most important thing," fight so bravely? The answer lies in the unique Japanese view of life and death. Help in understanding this can be found in “Hagakure." “Hagakure" was written in the mid-Edo period by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, a samurai of the Saga Nabeshima Domain in Hizen Province, who dictated the samurai’s code of conduct, which was then transcribed by Tashiro Jinki. It begins with the words, “Bushido is the way of death."
The era in which Tsunetomo lived was a long period of peace, samurai had evolved from combat personnel to bureaucrats, and their way of thinking had become more gentle, based on Confucianism.
“That’s not it, the original bushido is not like that."
Tsunetomo lamented this trend. However, only a limited number of people knew of the existence of “Hagakure." This is because Tsunetomo did not want his words to be spread to the public. Although the existence of “Hagakure" was unknown, it seems that his spirit was shared by many samurai and common people. When Hagakure was published in the Meiji period, it suddenly attracted attention.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo said.
“I realized that bushido is about dying. You must live so that you are ready to die at any time. A samurai’s retainer should be prepared to die at any time for the sake of loyalty. There will always be times in life when you are forced to choose between life and death. When that happens, choose death without hesitation. Don’t worry about the small details, just make up your mind and move forward. There may be times when your plans go awry and you die without having achieved anything, but to think of that as a vain death is just a modern, pretentious bushido.
When people are faced with a choice, they don’t always choose the right one. I, and other people, prefer to live. If the choice is between life and death, you will find some kind of logic and choose the life you prefer. That may be true. But if you make a wrong decision and still cling to life, you’ll be treated like a coward. This is the tricky part.
On the other hand, if you die, there’s no shame in making a wrong decision and dying in vain. This is the mindset required for martial arts. When it’s a matter of preserving yourself or sacrificing yourself, life or death, you should be prepared to sacrifice yourself or die. If you prepare for death every morning and every evening, are ready to die at any time, and are prepared to sacrifice yourself, then your mind will be freed from the constraints of self-care and you will be free.
If you approach your work with a free mind, you will be able to fulfill your role without any mistakes throughout your life. Preparing for death is actually a way of giving your own life."
A culture that fears shame
Simply put, it goes like this:
Be prepared to die for your loyalty.
When you must choose between life and death, choose death.
Do not cling to life and suffer shame.
Even if you are told that your death is a dog’s death, you will not feel shame if you die.
When you accept death, your mind will be freed from many constraints.
By being prepared to die, you can live.
The important things are “prepared to die" and “do not suffer shame." For Japanese people, exposing oneself to shame in the eyes of society is the most despised act. Samurai would choose death over shame. They would choose seppuku over shame. Farmers also committed seppuku until it was prohibited in the Edo period.
“Inochi oshimu na na o koso oshime (Don’t value your life. Value honor)."
Choosing death is the Japanese mindset.
300 years after the Battle of Sekigahara, a civil war called the Meiji Restoration broke out, triggered by demands from Europe and the US to open up Japan. Samurai were divided into two factions, the Imperial Court and the Shogunate, and fought on both sides. How did the Shogunate samurai, whom Tsunetomo derided as having pretentious bushido, fight? Shinsengumi’s Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, Nagaoka Domain’s Kawai Tsuginosuke, Aizu Domain’s Byakkotai, and even the young boys who joined Edo’s Shogitai sacrificed their lives for loyalty. They put into practice the saying, “Bushido is the way of death."
With the transition to the Meiji era, loyalty changed to country and family. Even so, the spirit of Hagakure, which was to choose death with honor rather than cling to life and bring shame, remained unchanged, and many people sacrificed themselves for their country.
The resolve of modern Japanese people
In Japanese manga and movies, there are many scenes where a small number of companions challenge a large number of enemies. There is no way that one person can win against 100 enemies. Even if they know it, samurai would still attack out of loyalty. Typical examples are “Sute-gamari" and “kamikaze." This mindset may be difficult to understand in Western rationalism or Chinese individualism.
Japanese people love cherry blossoms that fall all at once in a short period of time. They seek beauty in the changes of flowers, birds, wind, and moon, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. They love purity and transience. Falling with dignity is more beautiful than shame. Samurai no longer exist in modern times. However, the spirit of “Bushido is the way of dying" is built into our genes. If push comes to shove, Japanese people will return to being formidable samurai.
武士道は死ぬことと見つけたり
「武士道とは死ぬことと見つけたり」刺激的な言葉ですね。似た言葉にヨーロッパの「メメント・モリ」があります。これは人は死を意識すれば今を大切に生きられるという内省的な言葉です。これに対して「武士道とは」は、武士は忠義のために死なねばならないという武士への要求です。
武士は侍（さむらい）とも言われます。日本における戦闘の専門家でありそれを職業とする家系の人たちです。武士は平安時代に現れ明治時代に身分制度が廃止されるまで存在しました。携帯に夢中になる若者たち、マクドナルドで笑う女子高校生、笑顔をふりまく店員、居酒屋で盛り上がるおじさん、今の街で見かけるのは温厚そうな人達ばかりです。その中には過激な武士の末裔が存在します。
けっこう戦う日本人
日本の街では強そうな人を滅多にみませんが、砂の惑星の先住民フレーメンが皇帝親衛隊サウダルカーと同レベルの戦闘力を持っていたように、日本人はその外観から想像できない戦闘民族なのです。彼らは死ぬことを厭わず戦うことで知られていました。１３世紀には世界帝国モンゴルを撃退しました。１５世紀に内戦が始まり１００年に渡って争い戦力を高めます。日本を統一した豊臣秀吉はその戦力を使って欧州列強の植民地化を防ぎました。
１９世紀に明治維新によって徳川幕府が倒れ近代国家になりました。その後は、当時の大国清やロシアと戦い勝利し、第一次大戦にも参戦し列強国になりました。次の太平洋戦争で米国に徹底的にやっつけられますが、苛烈に戦い悪名高いカミカゼ攻撃を行いました。
映画インディペデンスデイやザ・コアにあるように、個人が命を捨て仲間を救う事はありますが、組織だって命を捨てる戦いをするのは日本人だけです。１７世紀の初頭、日本の覇権をかけた決戦が、徳川家康の東軍と石田三成の西軍の間で行われました。関ヶ原の戦いです。薩摩藩は西軍に属します。戦いは東軍が勝利し、薩摩軍は東軍の大軍勢のなかに取り残されてしまいます。
窮地にたった薩摩の武士たちは壮絶な撤退戦「捨て奸（がまり）」を実行します。それはどのような戦術だったか。戦術と呼べるものではありませんでした。主君を逃がすためにみんなが死ぬ戦い方でした。その場所に小部隊を残し、その部隊は全員が死ぬまで戦い敵軍を足止めします。
鉄砲の命中率を上げるため座禅を組んで狙撃し、銃弾が尽きたら敵に切り込んで時間を稼ぎます。小隊が全滅すると、また新しい小部隊が残り同じことを繰り返します。
「今度はわいが行きもうそう」
「徳川にひと泡ふかしもんそ」
「殿のことはまかすっ」
武士たちは主君への忠義のために平然と死を受け入れました。
葉隠 生きて恥を晒すより、死んで名誉を守ることを選べ
日頃は「和をもって貴し」を守る日本人が何故こんなに勇猛に戦うのでしょうか。答えは日本人独特の死生観にあります。それを理解する手助けが「葉隠」にあります。「葉隠」は江戸時代の中期に、肥前国佐賀鍋島藩の武士、山本常朝が武士の心得を口述し田代陣基が筆録したものです。「武士道とは死ぬことと見つけたり」の書き出しで始まります。
常朝が生きた時代は平和が長く続き、武士は戦闘要員から官僚になり、考え方も儒教を基礎にした穏やかなものになっていました。
「そうではない、本来の武士道はそのようなものではないのだ」
常朝はその風潮をと嘆きました。ただ「葉隠」の存在を知る人は限られていました。常朝が自分の言葉が世間に広がることを嫌がったからです。「葉隠」の存在は知られていませんでしたが、彼の精神は多くの武士や庶民が共有していたようです。明治時代なって葉隠れが発表されると一躍注目を浴びました。
山本常朝は言います。
武士道とは死ぬことだと気付いた。いつ死んでも良いように生きねばならない。武士の家臣は忠義のためにはいつでも死ぬ覚悟を持つべきだ。人生には必ず生と死の二者択一を迫られる時がある。そのときは迷わず死ぬ方を選べ。細かい事は気にせず腹をくくって進めばよい。思惑が外れ手柄を立てずに死ぬこともあろうが、それを犬死と考えるのは今風の気取った武士道にすぎない。
人は二者択一をするとき、いつも正しいほうを選ぶとは限らない。私も人も生きるほうが好きだ。二者択一が生か死かであれば、何かしら理屈をつけて好きな生のほうを選ぶだろう。だが、判断を間違い、なお生きることにしがみついていたら腰抜け扱いされる。ここが難しい。
一方、死んだとしたら、判断を間違えて無駄死になっても恥にはならない。武道の心構えはこれで十分である。保身か捨て身か、生か死かというときは捨て身や死を覚悟すべきだ。毎朝、毎夕、死を覚悟して、いつでも死ぬ準備、我が身を捨てる覚悟ができていれば、我が身大事の束縛から心が解放され自由になる。
心が自由になり仕事に取り組めば、生涯落ち度なく役目を果たすことができる。死を覚悟するのは、実は自分自身を生かすことでもある。
恥を恐れる文化
簡単にいうと、以下のようになります。
忠義のために死ぬ覚悟を持て。
生死の選択が必要なときは死を選べ。
生に執着して恥をかくな。
犬死にと言われれても死ねば恥にならない。
死を受け入れたとき心は色んな束縛から解放される。
死を覚悟することによって生きることができる。
重要なのは「死の覚悟」と「恥をかくなかれ」です。日本人にとって世間に恥を晒すことは最も軽蔑される行為です。武士は恥より死を選びます。恥をかくより切腹を選ぶのです。農民も江戸時代になって禁止されるまで切腹をしました。命惜しむな名をこそ惜しめと死を選ぶのが日本人の意識です。
関ヶ原の戦いから３００年後、欧米の開国要求に端を発し、明治維新という内戦が勃発します。武士は朝廷軍と幕府軍に分かれて戦います。常朝が気取った武士道と揶揄した幕府の武士たちはどのように戦ったのでしょうか。新選組の近藤勇や土方歳三、長岡藩の河合継之助、会津藩の白虎隊や江戸の彰義隊に参加した少年たちまでが忠義のために命を散らします。「武士道とは死ぬことと見つけたり」を実践したのです。
明治時代移行は、忠義を捧げる相手は国や家族に変わりました。そうなっても、生に執着して恥をかくより潔く死を選ぶという葉隠れの精神は変わらず多くの人たちが国に殉じたのです。
現代日本人の覚悟
日本の漫画や映画に、少数の仲間が大人数の敵に戦いを挑むシーンがよく有ります。たった一人で１００人の敵へ切り込んでも勝てるわけがありません。分かっていても忠義のために切り込むのが武士でした。「捨て奸（がまり）」や「神風」が典型です。この意識は西欧の合理主義や中国の個人主義では理解し難しいかもしれません。
日本人は短期間に一斉に散る桜を愛します。花鳥風月、春夏秋冬、移ろいのなかに美を求めます。潔さや儚さを愛します。恥より潔く散るのが美なのです。現代になって武士は居なくなりました。しかし「武士道とは死ぬことと見つけたり」の精神は遺伝子に組み込まれています。いざとなれば日本人は手強い武士に戻るでしょう。