386 Cherry Blossoms and Bushido

“Cherry Blossoms and Bushido”

Japan has the spirit of Bushido.
However, after the Meiji Restoration,
The rational spirit of the West came to Japan.
There has been an emphasis on reason and logic.
This has gradually eroded the spirit of the Japanese people.

In the first place, the mind is not rational.
There are emotions and sensibilities.
The arts are built on them.
Bushido is not a rational idea.

During the Siege of Port Arthur,
The Japanese relentlessly attacked with assault after assault.
The West has been shocked by Japanese daredevil tactics.
During the Pacific Theater of WWII,
The U.S. Military was horrified by Japanese suicide attacks.
It was truly a way of fighting that lacked rationality.

There is no Western rationality in the spirit of Bushido.
However, it makes sense from the perspective of the afterlife.
From the perspective of this world a death may seem unnecessary.
But a life given for the sake of others or for the sake of the world,
Is never considered a wasteful death.
That is the original Japanese view of life and death.

Each one of us has to decide,
How to use the life we have been given.
If we run away and hide at times of great national or familial need,
We will have failed.

Behold the cherry blossoms.
We rejoice that the cherry blossoms are now in full bloom,
But soon they will be scattered.
In this, we see the essence of the spirit of Bushido.
A life without attachment is artistic.