According to The Way of the Samurai by William De Bary, “the business of the samurai is to reflect on his own station in life, to give loyal service to his master if he has one, to strengthen his fidelity in associations with friends, and, with due consideration of his own position, to devote himself to duty above all” (206). In Tokugawa Japan, this Way, also known as “bushido”, is what all samurai were set out to follow. A samurai adheres to the Neo-Confucian approach which “strives to fulfill the Way of the lord and subject, friend and friend, parent and child, older and younger brother, and husband and wife” (De Bary 206). This means that samurai should not only be ready to serve, but understand their place in a feudal society during the
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Gihei was asked to help defeat the deceased Enya Hangan’s enemy, Ko no Moronao, and was in charge of sending shipments by sea like gauntlets, shin protectors, and other small items. Yuranosuke’s retainers, Hara Goemon and Oboshi Rikiya instilled their trust in Gihei, expressing that “Yura knew that Gihei of the Amagawaya has a chivalrous spirit not even a samurai could match. It was only natural he should have chosen you for this great service” (Keene 153). Gihei’s service and duty is indebted to those who are superior to him, in this case, Yuranosuke and his retainers. He follows the Confucian philosophy of subject-ruler and friend-friend as he is inferior to Yuranosuke but looks up to them and kindly commends their acts of bushido. Like many samurai in the play, Gihei was willing to sacrifice his marriage and end the life of his own child to show his loyalty and courage to Yuranosuke. After hearing about Gihei’s nobility, Yuranosuke appears and tells him, “‘among flowers the cherry blossom, and among men the samurai,’ but no samurai could match your determination. Even a man who could hold off a million strong enemies might not be endowed with such a splendid character" (Keene 160). The amount of bushido that Gihei portrayed in Act 10 is far superior to any samurai Yuranosuke …show more content…
Though their situations are different, “each of them is a paragon of feminine virtue, ready to give up her life without a second thought if her death will serve her husband” (Keene 11-12). Okaru, the wife of Kampei, sells herself because she knew how badly her husband needed money after becoming a ronin. She tells Kampei, “I’m selling myself for our master’s sake, so I don’t feel sad or anything like that” (Keene 93-94). Her bravery of leaving for the brothel, in a way, shows a certain kind of bushido. But the seventh act, is when Okaru shows the true courage of the Way. After Yuranosuke asks to marry her in the brothel, Okaru is certain this marriage will free her and she will no longer be a disgrace to her parents and her husband. But Okaru’s brother, Heiemon, tells her about the death of their father and her husband, Kampei and she is quick to end her life. Okaru follows the Confucian philosophy of husband-wife, and is willing to commit seppuku to join her dead husband. Tonase, the wife of Honzo, is ready to give up her life when she finds out her daughter, Konami, is so eager to marry Rikiya. Minutes away from committing suicide she says, “It is especially humiliating for me because you are not my child but Honzo’s by a previous marriage, and he may wonder if I neglected you for that reason” (Keene 138). However, Rikiya’s parents have a change of
Gihei was asked to help defeat the deceased Enya Hangan’s enemy, Ko no Moronao, and was in charge of sending shipments by sea like gauntlets, shin protectors, and other small items. Yuranosuke’s retainers, Hara Goemon and Oboshi Rikiya instilled their trust in Gihei, expressing that “Yura knew that Gihei of the Amagawaya has a chivalrous spirit not even a samurai could match. It was only natural he should have chosen you for this great service” (Keene 153). Gihei’s service and duty is indebted to those who are superior to him, in this case, Yuranosuke and his retainers. He follows the Confucian philosophy of subject-ruler and friend-friend as he is inferior to Yuranosuke but looks up to them and kindly commends their acts of bushido. Like many samurai in the play, Gihei was willing to sacrifice his marriage and end the life of his own child to show his loyalty and courage to Yuranosuke. After hearing about Gihei’s nobility, Yuranosuke appears and tells him, “‘among flowers the cherry blossom, and among men the samurai,’ but no samurai could match your determination. Even a man who could hold off a million strong enemies might not be endowed with such a splendid character" (Keene 160). The amount of bushido that Gihei portrayed in Act 10 is far superior to any samurai Yuranosuke …show more content…
Though their situations are different, “each of them is a paragon of feminine virtue, ready to give up her life without a second thought if her death will serve her husband” (Keene 11-12). Okaru, the wife of Kampei, sells herself because she knew how badly her husband needed money after becoming a ronin. She tells Kampei, “I’m selling myself for our master’s sake, so I don’t feel sad or anything like that” (Keene 93-94). Her bravery of leaving for the brothel, in a way, shows a certain kind of bushido. But the seventh act, is when Okaru shows the true courage of the Way. After Yuranosuke asks to marry her in the brothel, Okaru is certain this marriage will free her and she will no longer be a disgrace to her parents and her husband. But Okaru’s brother, Heiemon, tells her about the death of their father and her husband, Kampei and she is quick to end her life. Okaru follows the Confucian philosophy of husband-wife, and is willing to commit seppuku to join her dead husband. Tonase, the wife of Honzo, is ready to give up her life when she finds out her daughter, Konami, is so eager to marry Rikiya. Minutes away from committing suicide she says, “It is especially humiliating for me because you are not my child but Honzo’s by a previous marriage, and he may wonder if I neglected you for that reason” (Keene 138). However, Rikiya’s parents have a change of