Ben Cote

Period 5
English 12
11/03/16

http://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=irj
Literature of Bushid: Loyalty, Honorable Death,
and the Evolution of the Samurai Ideal
PRECIS
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David A. Coldren, in his article, Literature of Bushid: Loyalty, Honorable Death,
and the Evolution of the Samurai Ideal (February, 2014), argues that the romanticized version of Bushido (the
loyalty code held by the samurai of feudal Japan) seen in literature from the period is not an accurate
representation of reality and that the real system was less of a strict set of rules and more of a set of idealized
qualities that allowed the warrior class to have a national identity.
Coldren supports his claims by first explaining the origin of the warrior class described in one of Japans
most famous war accounts, the Heike Monogatari. This text outlines the events of the Gempai War, an uprising
that ended the aristocratic government system that ruled Japan at the time and brought forth a new militaristic
rule that began the Kamakura era. Coldren explains that while the emperor still technically ruled over Japan,
the actual power rested with the warriors who served as the catalyst for this great change. In the Heike
Monogatari lies the origin of the most central aspect of Bushido, the willingness to die for ones lord and the
determination to attain an honorable death. This loyalty by the samurai to their lords lingered throughout
history and continued to be glorified in subsequent literature.
Coldren then goes into detail about the works of literature that followed Heike Monogatari, with such
notable works as Yamamoto Tsunetomos Hagakure, Nitobe Inazos Bushido, and Eiji Yoshikawas Musashi.
This leads up to Coldrens discussion of World War II, which he calls the culmination of the ever expanding
romanticization of the warrior code. The fierce nationalism that Japan wore during WWII is in some ways a
repetition of the inception of Bushido, even manifesting in the infamous Kamikaze pilots. Coldren concludes
that despite its saturation in Japanese history, Bushido was a fictional set of values that served to preserve
national identity and eventually ended up replacing historical fact.
The purpose of this article is to explain to people the truths about the codes of the warrior class in feudal
Japan and to dispel with the misattributed notions of grandeur that many authors described in their work up to
the 20th century. Coldren adopts a scholarly and learned tone but also one that contains slight undertones of
criticism towards the Japanese peoples glorification of their national identity.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Coldren, David A. (2014) "Literature of Bushid: Loyalty, Honorable Death, and the Evolution of the Samurai
Ideal," International
ResearchScape Journal: Vol. 1, Article 2.
Available at: http://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/irj/vol1/iss1/2

Ben Cote
Period 5
English
11/03/16

http://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=irj
Literature of Bushid: Loyalty, Honorable Death,
and the Evolution of the Samurai Ideal
REFLECTION
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A prominent aspect of this topic that is mostly lacking from David Coldrens article is the adoption of the
samurai way of life in Western culture and its extensive appearance in mainstream media. Movies such as Kill
Bill and The Last Samurai cast samurai in a similar light to the Japanese authors that Coldren talks about.
These influences can also be found Eastern films such as Miyamoto Musashi, The 47 Ronin, and Akira
Kurosawas renowned opus, Seven Samurai.
The idea of nationalism relates to sophomore year world history where the class identified the main
causes of one of the bloodiest conflicts in history: World War I. Among these causes was the nationalism that
each involved country exhibited. It could be argued that the pride held by the nation of Japan during the war is
similar to the national identity established during the 12th century.
The aristocratic society that ruled Japan during the Heian period relates back to the discussions of types of
government in senior year government class. Aristocracy refers to a type of government in which nobility
holds the power. This was soon replaced by feudalism and the emergence of the warrior caste.

______________________________________________________________________________
Coldren, David A. (2014) "Literature of Bushid: Loyalty, Honorable Death, and the Evolution of the Samurai
Ideal," International
ResearchScape Journal: Vol. 1, Article 2.
Available at: http://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/irj/vol1/iss1/2