Religion and Theology

In the process of civilization, world has witnessed several religions and got diversified into different sub sects of those religions. Most of them got vanished during the course of time due to different reasons and some remained till now. But some of those religions made a mark on the people and in all fronts of their life. Among those religions Bushido is one of the religions, which remained in the hearts of the people of Japan.

History of Bushido
The term Bushido is literally defined as Way of warrior. The term Bushido is a combination of Bushi and Do. Bushi denotes warrior and Do denotes the way. It completely gives the meaning of the way of warrior. It was developed in Japan during the period of Tokugawa and Heian ages, in between 9th to 12th century. Bushido is influenced and related to Zen, Buddhism, Shintoism and Confucianism. The mixture of these schools of religious conviction and notion has created the code of warrior values which is acknowledged as Bushido. Bushido was manipulated by various Asian religions.

Bushido is not only a religion but also developed as a system with ethics. May be the days of its huge following has gone but it is still having its impact on the present day society making it to follow moral path and surviving the mother institution. Bushido imbibed several principles of other religion of that time and it helped to stay stiff and regain normality at the time of bad days in the history of Japan. Japanese maintained great deal of temperament and great diversity in minds which made them proud in the sixteenth century, where whole world is out of order. Men differ in Japan on the basis of degree of energy, intelligence and character also. Bushido sentiments can nurture moral renovation of great magnitude that can be accomplished. Now it is a term with different efficacy and value. One cannot stop to praise Japanese Bushido men for their veracity and sincerity. Even the merchant debtor will present in the form of promissory notes. Every one should wonder on the veracity of Bushido and should rethink whether there is any other higher motive than courage.

Bushidos connection with other religions
Bushido is a way of life and a code of conduct for a class of warriors known as samurai, the military class of Japan. Samurai were skilled in martial arts and they were fighting men. Bushido has obtained its relationship to death and danger from the Buddhism. The samurai families are warriors from the time they become samurai. There is no end for this until their death and the samurai do not have fear of danger. Samurai used Buddhism and Zen as a tool which drives out fear, critical mistakes and unsteadiness from the minds of warriors which is main cause of defeat. Another Japanese doctrine which is known as Shintoism gives Bushido its patriotism and loyalty. Shintoism also believes in ancestor worship which bushido also adopted and samurai vow themselves to the emperor or the landlords. Confucianism is another doctrine which presents bushido with its beliefs in relationships with the people around them.

Bushido, the samurai warrior code is very strict code which stands on three most important principles. They are loyalty, honor to the death and devotion. The actual code was passed verbally, but later on it gained seven virtues which became the written form of Bushido.

They are Gi - integrity, Yuuki- Courage, Jin  benevolence, rei  respect, makoto  honesty, meiyo  honor and chugi  loyalty. These virtues not only formed both the mental and physical content in the samurais training but also represented in the written form known as kanji. The first virtue is integrity and it has greater impact on the people and it is given utmost importance because it is the way you represent yourself. Integrity is nothing but living up to your commitments. The Gi can be explained in two parts, the first part (sheep) as understanding and second part (I) as halberd after conflict. The second one, Yuuki represents courage and component of chikara which is the symbol of strength. Jin is the primary virtue of Confucianism. Rei is also a virtue of Confucianism which governs the acts of others and politeness. Makoto means following truly the law of universe. Meiyo is to have the benefit of honor and reputation. Chuugi is to act loyally and faithfully.

Role of Bushido
Bushido plays a significant role in the life of samurai. Not only the code of conduct but the literature, martial arts and symbols were also spectacular. The ideals of bushido were clearly stated during 13th to 16th century. Bushido literature during this period included Notes on Regulations, The Precepts of Kato Kiyomasa, Opinions in Ninety-Nine Articles and many more. Samurais are the masters of martial arts. Bushido symbols which we find today are considered in high esteem by the Japanese. It has a big impact on the country itself. Bushido symbols are meant to symbolize its virtues such as rectitude, courage, respect, benevolence, honor, honesty and loyalty. Bushido symbols have a positive suggestion with it. Even many non Japanese people, who do not have any idea about bushido, are also attracted by the symbolic depiction with aesthetical representation. The civil war lasted for two centuries, which was so violent, that the death may occur at any moment.  Traditional warrior considered fine arts to be a complement to martial arts. Pursuit for beauty and culture was never considered as waste of time and never considered as derogatory to the warriors.

Seppuku A Bushido ritual
Bushido consists of many codes, conduct and rituals to the samurais. One of the most important rituals in the Bushido code was seppuku. It is the Japanese formal language term for the ritual suicide and Hara-Kiri is the common language term. It is build up as the integral part of the bushido code and regulation to the samurai class.  It was regarded as honor and privilege for the samurai class. The ritual of seppuku differed from time to time in Japan. It was first started from 1180 at the end of Heian period when the minamoto yorimasa disemboweled himself who was about to lose battle, he fell on his sword and killed himself. In this way, the ritual of seppuku started and later it was codified as notable method to kill themselves than to face torture. If samurais do not abide by the bushido code, it is considered as dishonor to the samurai and his family. Occasionally the shamed samurai is also allowed to commit ritual suicide or seppuku. Samurai who did not abide by the bushido code has to request to commit seppuku as it was regarded as honorable death. Seppuku can also be ordered by daimyo (feudal lords). Seppuku was also used as a capital punishment to those who have committed capital offences. The other reasons involved in committing seppuku were ultimate loyalty towards deceased lord or husband and showing ones disagreement with the lord. To the samurai, while committing seppuku, it depicted their courage, honor, moral character and loyalty whether preferred to a shameful death in the hands of enemy or sorted as punishment. Samurai considered honor very important than life and self destruction was considered the only right course.

Procedure and materials used in Seppuku
The ritual suicide, seppuku was arranged in procedural or formal manner. It is considered as the foremost basic concept, as dying is treated as loyalty to ones lord as one of the derivative. This was executed in front of the spectators. Samurai was generally bathed and dressed in white robes to symbolize purity and fed his favorite meal. The last meal is known as mikire. Three slices of pickles should be served to lend a funeral note. After finishing the meal, his instruments like dragon, knife or blade may be placed in his plate. Then the warrior would prepare for his death by writing a death poem which is a common practice for higher social classes. The poem should be natural, graceful and full of emotions. Later the samurai sit down before the weapon which is known as tanto. Then the warrior has to select an assistant, the kaishakunin. He is considered as his second who will stand behind him. The warrior who is ready for the seppuku has to take the weapon and cut his abdomen from left to right from the lower part of the body. This will be extremely painful and then the warrior has to lower his neck. This is a sign given to the kaishakunin to get ready to proceed the last step that is to blow off the head probably with single blow of the sword. The kaishakunin is a person who is close to the warrior or may be his relative he is selected to reduce the suffering of the suicider while executing seppuku. The cutting of the abdomen has two kinds of importance in bushido.

The first point is that the Japanese believed that the soul lies in the mid section of the stomach, when the stomach is cut, the abdomen would release the soul. The second thing is that this is very painful procedure and only warriors who have extreme courage only can perform seppuku, thus protecting its honor.  At times, even women have performed seppuku. The process of seppuku for women involved stabbing into the heart with knife or with a sharp and long hair-pin. This is referred as voluntary seppuku. The obligatory form of seppuku is given in the form of capital punishment.

Place of occurrence
The samurai was usually called and explained all the offences committed by him and an order was given to him to commit seppuku before sunset on the given day. In the seventeenth century and during the Edo period, seppuku was carried out in Buddhist temples. From the eighteenth century, it was performed at the palace of daimyo. It used to take place in the garden or inside the palace based upon the rank of the samurai. Whether it takes place indoor or outdoor, it was decorated and covered with titami mats and white cloth of either silk or cotton with a short dagger used for seppuku. A bucket is arranged at the place to collect the severed head.  After the seppuku is complete, the dagger is wiped and washed and the place is cleaned up.

Seppuku as a phenomenon
A number of seppukus which took place in the past have become legend and theme of the kabuki plays an important role. Some of the famous people who committed seppuku were Yoshitsune in 1189, the 47 ronin in 1701 and 1702, the leader of the rebellion Saigo Takamori in 1877 and in 1895, and forty people from the Japanese military committed seppuku to object the return of the Liaotung peninsula. In 1912, general Nogi committed seppuku with the death of Emperor Meiji. Seppuku is the frequent topic which we can find in Noh plays and Japanese Kabuki. The ideology of honor was reinforced, embodied and regenerated by the practice of war.

Myth involved
Samurai warfare was a complex social ritual of death, honor, and calculation. Seppuku remained as a ritual that can build self confidence, motivation, resistance and mental ability in a person. Even today, seppuku has great impact on Japanese society playing a very crucial role, but failed in reaching objectives in the modern times. Company employees commit suicide because they lose their jobs, students because they failed in the board examinations, business men for the humiliation of bankruptcy etc. Among all the industrialized countries, Japanese suicide rate is highest where as the murder rate is low compared to other countries. The way of samurai is found in death. There is a substance of the way of the Samurai, one should live for aim, and continuing to live without accomplishment is just living as cowardice.

Religious significance
Bushido is widely accepted and practiced by most of the people across the socio-economic and geographic backgrounds. In the opinion of western world Bushido, is a romantic construct by no reason to gather together at all.  Bushido code conveys the conduct of oneself with fairness, justice, calmness and propriety. The connection between the way of warrior and learning was well established. Bushido code has vast significance in the society. The Bushido code of conduct covers many other things which include grooming, appearance and methods of raising children.

Conclusion
As an independent code of ethics, Bushido might vanish, but its power will not perish from the earth. Even though civic honor or martial expertise may be destroyed, but its radiance and its glory will long survive their ruins. Mark of Bushido on Japanese and Samurai became an irreducible element of species still now and its impact is marginalized slowly. But it was and is a motivating force to Japan. Bushido helped in founding old Japan, and is still a guiding principle during this transition period and is ready to prove the formative force of the new era.