Buy the Bushidō - Samurai Print

Bushidō means “The Way of the Warrior”, the unwritten code of conduct for the samurai warrior of ancient Japanese, and includes:

Gi – Justice

Yū – Bravery

Jin – Benevolence

Rei – Politeness

Makoto – Veracity

Meiyo – Honor

Chūgi – Loyalty

Buy the 7 Codes of Bushidō Print

To some extent, the Bushidō code is similar to the concept of chivalry.

I find this balance between violent behavior and honor fascinating. Even though we’re now in the 21^st century, the Bushidō Code can still guide us in managing conflicts and living an authentic life.

Too often, I’m quick to equate violence with revenge and protecting your own honor; which sounds ridiculous because how can anyone take your honor unless you hand it over to them yourself? When the words violence, conflict and war come to mind, I habitually think of violence originating from hatred, revenge and corruption. Running through my mind are thoughts of gangs, school bullies and abusive parents (just to name a few).

What my recent reading about Bushidō has done is remind me that violence can also be very heroic and driven from love. Even the most gracious and timid mothers would quickly turn into a wild beast to protect her child from harm’s way. In my opinion, this is the kind of courageous behavior that follows the way of the Japanese samurai. It is to live life of integrity and to resort to violence only when it stems from justice, honor, loyalty and protection from harm.

The Paintings

I wanted to make a set of paintings using the idea of Bushidō. I decided to use red paint for the background, to symbolize the violent aspect of the samurai’s way of life. To counterbalance the blood and the war, I painted white Japanese calligraphy to symbolize the wisdom and dignity of the Bushidō Code.