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hardship and starvation without complaint, then you were a useful Japanese soldier. If you could face an enemy without fear or perturbation, then you could be trusted to stand your ground when it mattered most in a fight.
The influence of Buddhism was opposed by some. During the Momoyama period (15731603), the warlord Oda Nobunaga attacked monasteries and put Buddhist monks to the sword. The relative decline in Buddhism saw a return to the ancestral worship of Shintoism.
Shintoism is the indigenous faith of Japan that sees the landscape and world as full of spirits called kami. It was Shinto that rounded out the ethical philosophy of the samurai. While Buddhism taught warriors self-control and calm resignation, it was Shinto that taught them their strict loyalty to their masters. The duties of the samurai, their reverence for ancestors and filial piety were derived from Shinto.
The Meiji Restoration of 1868 saw Shintoism become one of the foundations of the new Japan. By providing a sacred core to Japanese nationalism, it supported the administration and hierarchy of the state. Of course, the Meiji Restoration also saw the dissolution of the samurai as a class. From then on, only some of the virtues and philosophies of the samurai would be cultivated among the populace – if they benefited the nation.
“EVEN A CUP OF TEA COULD REMIND A SAMURAI OF HOW TO FACE A BATTLE WITHOUT FEAR”