Bushido: The True Boy Scout Code?

Did you know that Bushido: The Soul of Japan written by Inazo Nitobe a study of the way of the samurai, was a major best-seller in its day, it was read by many influential foreigners, among them President Theodore Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy and Robert Baden-Powell. It may even have shaped Baden-Powell's philoshophies on which the Boy Scouts were founded.

True Bushido Code | Bushi Warrior Rank

Bushi - Warrior born into a clan with an honorable warrior tradition

Shogun - Rich and powerful lord - He answers only to the Emperor

Daimyo - Feudal Lord - The Samurai would swear their allegiance to him

Samurai - Particular class of warrior family which defended the Daimyos. These warriors were highly trained in the military arts. Over time Samurai became synonymous with Bushi (warriors).

Ronin - Bushi or Samurai who were under no obligation or loyalty to a particular lord, or a Samurai whose lord was deceased, or worse, whose lord had been banished and his property confiscated. Actually Ronin functioned as "hired swords" and their very existence went against the philosophy and principles of the Bushido Code.

Ninja - Warriors of a lower rank. Not from families of established warrior status. The Ninja served various lords -- usually as guerilla fighters, assassins or spies.

Bushi vs. Samurai: What's the Difference?

The title of "Bushi" was assigned to warriors born to established military clans of Japan. These were families of considerable wealth and a respected fighting tradition. These families would support the warriors and provide them with weapons and training.


The Bushi were ranked accordint to a scale which took into account

1. The family's standing



2. The fighter's ability



3. The warrior's military accomplishments

Rank also pertained to the Bushi's relation to the Shogun, the top Bushi. Samurai were simply Bushi of a high class and rank.

Katana | Weapon of the True Bushido Warrior

"The expert uses the sword but does not kill others. He uses his sword and gives others life. When it is necessary to kill, he kills. When it is necessary to give life, he gives life. When he kills, he kills with absolute concentration. When he gives life, he gives life with absolute concentration."

Katana simply means "long sword", as opposed to the Bushi dagger known as the "Tanto".

During the early history of the Bushido, the sword was one of their most prized possessions. These swords were of exceptional quality and craftmanship. Each handmade Katana was crafted with extreme care, and carried the reputation of its swordssmith. These katanas were known "Koto" swords.

As the techniques of the ancient smiths had been lost during the previous period of war, these swords were called shinto, literally "new swords". Generally they are considered inferior to most koto, and coincide with a decline in manufacturing skills. As the Edo period progressed, blade quality declined, though ornamentation was refined. Originally, simple and tasteful engravings known as horimono were added for religious reasons. Later, in the more complex work found on many shinto, form no longer strictly follows function.

Under the isolationist Tokugawa shogunate, swordmaking and the use of firearms declined. The master swordsmith Suishinshi Masahide (c.1750–1825); published opinions that the arts and techniques of the shinto swords were inferior to the koto blades, and that research should be made by all swordsmiths to rediscover the lost techniques. Masahide traveled the land teaching what he knew to all who would listen, and swordsmiths rallied to his cause and ushered in a second renaissance in Japanese sword smithing. With the discarding of the shinto style, and the re-introduction of old and rediscovered techniques, swords made in the koto style between 1761 and 1876 are shinshinto , "new revival swords" or literally "new-new swords." These are considered superior to most shinto, but inferior to true koto.

In time, it was rediscovered that soldiers needed to be armed with swords, and over the decades at the beginning of the 20th century swordsmiths again found work. These swords, derisively called gunto, were often oil-tempered, or simply stamped out of steel and given a serial number rather than a chiseled signature. The mass-produced ones often look like Western cavalry sabers rather than nihonto, with blades slightly shorter than blades of the shinto and shinshinto periods.

Military swords hand made in the traditional way are often termed as gendaito. The craft of making swords was kept alive through the efforts of a few individuals, notably Gassan Sadakazu and Gassan Sadakatsu, who were employed as Imperial artisans. These smiths produced fine works that stand with the best of the older blades for the Emperor and other high ranking officials. The students of Sadakatsu went on to be designated Intangible Cultural Assets, "Living National Treasures," as they embodied knowledge that was considered to be fundamentally important to the Japanese identity. In 1934 the Japanese government issued a military specification for the new army sword, the first version of which was the Type 94 Katana, and many machine- and hand-crafted swords used in World War II conformed to this and later shin gunto specifications.

Today, most Katanas are mass produced. Quality varies greatly. Quality can be measured as either the Katanas value as an ornament or as a weapon. Regardless you can still find Katanas of exceptional quality. Before you go out and buy any cheap sword inform yourself and only buy a high quality Samurai sword set from a trusted vendor.