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Comparing Japan 's Samurai And The Samurai

Decent Essays

Japan’s Samurai In this text, the Yamamoto Tsunetomo describes various attributes that a samurai must have in order to serve their lord fully. These skills range from having wisdom, to having courage for every task that must be done. The reason that these virtues are important is because they exemplify the samurai of old, who were decreasing in number. Each virtue Yamamoto describes is important to a samurai, since it would form the keystone of his values. As such, Yamamoto starts out with why a samurai should value death, even in when they have a fifty percent chance to live. For the first value, Yamamoto highlights that death is not a terrible choice for a samurai. However, Yamamoto makes a clear connection between a fanaticism and honor. Specifically, he states that a samurai can keep their honor intact, even if they are unable to accomplish their task, and end up appearing as a fanatic. Such a principle would require good judgment on the part of the samurai, or as Yamamoto put it, it would require the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom, for anyone, is a difficult virtue to obtain and must be exercised carefully. Even though a samurai might have wisdom, he must use it to his full ability, for example: one could meditate on sacred texts, or stay as a silent observer whenever a situation arises. That said, Yamamoto does clearly state that everybody has limits, and that a samurai must recognize their own limits. Each and every samurai has a limit to their skills, regardless of

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