Tea Ceremony and the Bushido

Tea Ceremony and the Bushido

Samurais originated centuries ago and are still popular today but society doesn’t see the aesthetics and honor associated with the Samurai class but rather sees the sword fighting and the action. In actuality, Samurais are very courageous and honorable men. They have their own set of rules and codes, called the Bushido, which dictates the proper way to be a Samurai. One of the many popular cultural activities of the Samurai is the tea ceremony. This comes as a shocking revelation to many people as they cannot visualize the idea that warrior-like individuals would partake in such an activity. This astonishes many people because of the strict code of Bushido that they must uphold while performing the tea ceremony.
The Bushido is the code of law or edict that all Samurais must uphold. It means, “Way of the Warrior” and is the code of conduct that the Samurai class must follow. When Samurais first appeared in Japan, they were referred to as knights and the bushi, were known to be the warriors. As time progressed the Samurai class and the bushi class merged together to form the Samurai or warrior-class we know today. This was the cause of the time in between wars when the Samurais had no set job other than to defend homes and such which the bushi were doing. The merging of the two classes in turn caused the formation of the Bushido.
The major virtues of the Bushido are as stated Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Honor, and Loyalty. Although these were the main virtues, they were not the only ones; there was also filial piety and wisdom. Even though the Samurais performed all of their duties according to these virtues, they had a great emphasis on honor. If a Samurai were to fail in his duty or destroyed any honor inside of him, he could only recover it by performing seppuku, which is a ritualized suicide. The Samurai performs this act himself in front of an audience. The Samurai stabs himself with the sword and cuts the abdomen in a horizontal...

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