“Saigo Takamori was one of Japan s most celebrated samurai. Saigo was born in poverty, but his noble spirit caught the attention of Japan's political leaders. He was promoted to statesman, and exiled, pardoned, and exiled again. Still, Saigo lived to serve his country. In 1867, his troops supported the emperor in the Meiji Restoration and helped pull down the Tokugawa Shogunate. But when the new Japan that Saigo helped create then stripped the samurai of all that made them samurai tradition, honor, glory, and feudal privilege Saigo led an army of samurai partisans toward Tokyo to fight the imperial conscript army.

Against the colorful and turbulent backdrop of Japanese feudal society, The Last Samurai chronicles Saigo's life, from the childhood events that shaped his courage and passionate sense of justice to... the battlefield of the Satsuma Rebellion. The Last Samurai offers a riveting account of the making of Japans most honored samurai, details the tragic clash between his samurai ideals and Japans transformation into a modern nation, and illustrates why this consummate soldier and reluctant rebel is still as revered today as he was over 125 years ago.” (From the authors’ information -The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori by Mark Ravina)

A clash of cultures and a change of values, a moment in time, but still, a pattern that is repeated over and over again that has been a constant since the dawning of humanity. Tom Cruises’ latest movie, The Last Samurai, portrays this very subject in a very striking way. In speaking about the movie, Tom Cruise, playing the haunted American Captain Algren, said that he had always had “a deep respect and strong feeling for the Japanese culture and people, the elegance and beauty of the Samurai, their spirit of Bushido that teaches strength, compassion, fierce loyalty, their commitment to honoring their word and a willingness to give their lives for what they know is right. It's essentially about taking responsibility for what you do and say, whatever the repercussions. More than a code for Samurai warriors, it's a strong way to live a life - any life. It was something I could not resist. When Ed (Zwick) first sat down with me to discuss it, I just knew I had to make this picture. I have a very strong connection to its theme, as well as to the characters in the story."

Originally, the term Samurai came from the verb, saburahu—meaning ‘to serve,’ while later on in Japans' history, it took on the meaning of ‘warrior or knight.’ Samurai (knights/retainers), also called Bushi (warriors), viewed their life and death through a prismatic Code of Honor called Bushido—‘Way of the Warrior.’ Similar in many ways to the knightly orders of Europe, a feudal system developed in Japan where the Samurai knights gave unconditional loyalty to a lord in exchange for a cultural status that included land, rights and protection. This warrior class lived by the Code of Bushido. To a certain extent, it was not a way of life; it was life itself. Dedication, honor, loyalty, veracity, sacrifice, courage, bravery and a fearless spirit that accepted death was the rallying cry of these feudal knights. Add to these qualities a compassionate soul and you may just begin to understand the inner and the outer world of the samurai. Interestingly enough, in direct opposition to today’s world with its code of materialistic greed and profit, the samurai showed contempt for commerce and the subsequent profit motive of consumption.

To fully explore the life and times of the samurai, as well as their code of conduct, would require thousands of pages of text, which is well beyond the scope of this website, so I will just touch upon a few insights into this very special world of martial and spiritual prowess and honor:

• Bushi no kotoba ni nigon wa nai—A Bushi has no second word… this phrase simply means that the samurai speaks truth and stands by and is responsible for his words, no matter the consequences. The power and the truth of the samurai’s word exemplified his Code of Bushido and sense of respect and righteousness—his obligation and duty.
• Hana wa sakura ni, hito wa bushi—Among flower the cherry, among men, the samurai… Just as the cherry blossoms are one moment in bloom and next scattered to the winds, the samurai’s life was the same. Death was a familiar twin of one’s life, ever lurking in the shadows but not as fear, as acceptance that both, life and death, are a part of one’s continued existence. And for the samurai, it was never a question of life or death, but a question of honor.
• Fudo Myoo and Kanzeon Bosatsu—the warrior King of Light, Fudo Myo-o, as well as the other Go Dai Myo-o, held a special significance for the bushi. But surprisingly, so did Kanzeon Bosatsu, known as the Bosatsu (Bodhisattva) of Mercy. Kanzeon or Kannon was connected with the sword smiths of Japan in the various legends of the forging of extraordinary swords. Proper temperature and timing are crucial in the forging of exceptional blades; legendary sources would tell of Kannon appearing at this vital time and working the bellows for the smithy. Thus resulting in a divinely forged sword. And the sword is the ‘soul of the samurai.’ In addition, Kannon, the Bosatsu of great compassion, assumes all kinds of transmutations such as Senju Kannon, of the one thousand hands and one thousand eyes, who guided the samurai in knowing that even with a thousand hands or a thousand eyes, if even just one hand or eye attaches the rest are useless and defeat is at hand. This goes hand-in-hand with the concept of Fudoshin.
• Fudoshin—Immovable Mind… Life and Death Mastery; the highest level of martial and spiritual skill is only attainable through a mind that is present with total sensory input (without mind chatter - No Mind) but detached—a mind/heart that is ever flowing but does not attach and thus remains immovable.

I leave you with the following from an unknown author:

I have no parents; I make the Heavens and the Earth my parents.
I have no home; I make the Tan T'ien my home.
I have no divine power; I make honesty my Divine Power.
I have no means; I make Docility my means.
I have no magic power; I make personality my Magic Power.
I have neither life nor death; I make A Um my Life and Death.

I have no body; I make Stoicism my Body.
I have no eyes; I make The Flash of Lightning my eyes.
I have no ears; I make Sensibility my Ears.
I have no limbs; I make Promptitude my Limbs.
I have no laws; I make Self-Protection my Laws.

I have no strategy; I make the Right to Kill and the Right to Restore Life my Strategy.
I have no designs; I make Seizing the Opportunity by the Forelock my Designs.
I have no miracles; I make Righteous Laws my Miracle.
I have no principles; I make Adaptability to all circumstances my Principle.
I have no tactics; I make Emptiness and Fullness my Tactics.

I have no talent; I make Ready Wit my Talent.
I have no friends; I make my Mind my Friend.
I have no enemy; I make Incautiousness my Enemy.
I have no armour; I make Benevolence my Armour.
I have no castle; I make Immovable Mind my Castle.
I have no sword; I make No Mind my Sword.

Spirit of the Martial Artist, White Mountain Martial Art, Hakusan Dojo, Holy Warrior, Warrior Sage, Warrior Sage Training