[Rebeldawg]

I found an interesting observation about bushido by a user named not-i on another forum called kendo-world. A user asked about bushido
and samurai so I figured I'd quote it here as it's a good explanation on bushido.

Hi Lnguyen,

You've posed an interesting question, and one that could be asked of any ethical system, be it Aristotelean, Christian, or Kant's categorical imperative. It concerns the gap between theory and practice. Inaza Nitobe wrote a book in 1905 called Bushido (Boston, Tuttle Publishing: 1969). It is an interesting read, although sometimes a bit strange, since Nitobe was a Christian and often seeks to draw analogies with Christianity that simply can't be sustained. In any case, he listed Justice, Courage, Benevolence, Politeness, Sincerity, Honor and Loyalty as the virtues of the bushi. (You may also know that the six pleats of the hakama supposedly symbolize harmony, compassion, trust, fidelity, love of parents and faithfulness.) Nitobe concluded his book by asking about the future of bushido and wrote, "Bushido as an independent code of ethics may vanish, but its power will not perish from the earth; its schools of martial prowess or civic honour may be demolished, but its light and its glory will long survive their ruins." This illustrates that the concept of Bushido was always, and always will be, an ideal, more or less approximated by mere mortals. In Japan, the ideal survives in values like punctuality, "being present," and respecting status, although this is changing rapidly with the influx of western "individualism." In any good dojo, the ideal also lives on, the question is whether we choose to try and just keep it there, or apply it in our daily lives.

As to the historical samurai, i think the question for them was much more urgent, as their status as samurai obligated them to act as such. Acting in a non-honorable way could get them banished or condemn them to suppuku. It is also important to note that the code of bushido developed over time, and was mainly refined during peacetime, after the sengoku-jidai, where there was much more time for education, the arts, and polite society. Also, bushido was heavily influenced by Confucian principles which, simply put, demand that you find your place in society and respect those above you and have mercy with those below you. Certainly samurai tried to follow the code, but the real question is how many of them did it out of conviction and commitment, or just because of their education and training, fear of punishment / losing face in front of their fellows, etc. As we know, many of them were so proud of their status, that they might cut down a "commoner" for what they perceived to be an insult (though this didn't happen much in a Tokukawa era). True ethical behavior requires action according to principles, rather than action based on habit, pride or fear.

There was however another, less Confucian approach to bushido, which also developed during the long peace, namely a Buddhist one. Buddhism's virtues can be narrowed down to two: wisdom and compassion. These are symbolized by two Boddhisatvas, Manjushri, whose sword cuts off ignorance, and Kannon, whose many arms help people. Wisdom, gained for instance through meditative practice, automatically leads to compassion. Hence the talk of "no-sword," "a good sword remains in the saya," "no enemey, no self," etc. as seen in the works of Takuan (a Zen monk who wrote specifically to samurai) or Tesshu (a master swordsman and late-19th century Zen master). These are not ethical codes, but experiencial ways of life.

As to the Japanese soldiers in WWII: It's important to note that the samurai had been abolished during the Meiji era in the late 19th century. An extreme militant ideology sought to resurrect the "ancient" code of bushido during the war, but they focussed on loyalty, which they mainly read as obedience, to the detriment of all the other virtues, and many neo-Confucian thinkers and Buddhist priests went along for the ride. Every ethical principle was made subservient to serving the Emperor and Japan -- the end justified the means, as it were. A "pick-and-choose" attitute towards past values tied to a revisionist history is not uncommon among modern extreme nationalist movements, be they Serbian, Croatian, Basque, Irish, or what have you.
Also, what modern soldiers often mean by honor is obedience, whatever the costs, although in the armies of democracic countries soldiers are obligated to disobey orders that are clearly illegal, violate basic human rights, etc. But this is also a fine line (see Vietnam, Guantanamo Bay, etc.)

So, it looks like i've written another essay. My apologies to the more consise. I just enjoy writing. Thanks for the opportunity, Lnguyen.

not-I.

[Kincaid]

Just a L5R sidenote, but Akodo's Leadership does allow for deception as long as it's performed in the service of your lord.  The Lion don't really advertise this and generally speaking, anyone who realizes it doesn't have the chance to tell anyone else since they're about to get Matsu'd.  As a GM, I like codes because they let me put characters in awkward, uncomfortable situations that really get at the root of a character's motivations and beliefs.  Using them as a blunt tetsubo to punish the player isn't very appealing.  It's the struggle to achieve the standard that's interesting.

[Imveros]

So it seems the consensus is Bushido varies greatly based on the ruling lord and ones definition of War Vs Personal Conflict. Though it seems like lord choice would greatly impact the other

Would it be reasonable to have the mentor spirit be the master? Seems like it would be easy enough to extrapolate what wise warrior wants out of his warriors. Or should he have some master back in Japan that sends him to Seattle for "REASONS tm" Do you guys have any suggestions on that front?

[Marcus]

So it seems the consensus is Bushido varies greatly based on the ruling lord and ones definition of War Vs Personal Conflict. Though it seems like lord choice would greatly impact the other

Would it be reasonable to have the mentor spirit be the master? Seems like it would be easy enough to extrapolate what wise warrior wants out of his warriors. Or should he have some master back in Japan that sends him to Seattle for "REASONS tm" Do you guys have any suggestions on that front?

As whenever it comes to codes of honor, you ask 12 people you get 14 answers. The warning to take away from this thread, make sure your GM and you have a clear understanding on what your Code of Honor represents.

Making a mentor spirit a character's lord for the purposes of Bushido could be doable, depending on how you both see things. But it's potentially dangerous as it give the mentor spirit far to much influence imo.

[Rebeldawg]

Why do samurai in shadowrun have to follow a lord or master? Wouldn't the way of the samurai evolve to where they no longer
had to serve anyone except themselves? If samurai do continue to serve a master or lord though, wouldn't the lord or master be a
corporation or government body and not a single entity? I honestly like the idea that samurai no longer serve anyone thus providing
them a reason to run in the shadows to find a sense of self worth while following a strict code of honor. One could say that if the samurai
did something dishonorable, they'd still suffer consequences like having to redeem themselves to regain their honor.
 

[Kincaid]

Why do samurai in shadowrun have to follow a lord or master? Wouldn't the way of the samurai evolve to where they no longer
had to serve anyone except themselves? If samurai do continue to serve a master or lord though, wouldn't the lord or master be a
corporation or government body and not a single entity? I honestly like the idea that samurai no longer serve anyone thus providing
them a reason to run in the shadows to find a sense of self worth while following a strict code of honor. One could say that if the samurai
did something dishonorable, they'd still suffer consequences like having to redeem themselves to regain their honor.

I'd allow a corp or other body (the Shiawase kami is loaded with potential here), but not oneself.  One of the main ideas behind many of the codes is that the character sublimates his/her own desires and gratifications to serve a cause outside of him/herself.

[Imveros]

Why do samurai in shadowrun have to follow a lord or master? Wouldn't the way of the samurai evolve to where they no longer
had to serve anyone except themselves? If samurai do continue to serve a master or lord though, wouldn't the lord or master be a
corporation or government body and not a single entity? I honestly like the idea that samurai no longer serve anyone thus providing
them a reason to run in the shadows to find a sense of self worth while following a strict code of honor. One could say that if the samurai
did something dishonorable, they'd still suffer consequences like having to redeem themselves to regain their honor.

I'd allow a corp or other body (the Shiawase kami is loaded with potential here), but not oneself.  One of the main ideas behind many of the codes is that the character sublimates his/her own desires and gratifications to serve a cause outside of him/herself.

thats why i liked the mentor spirit idea as they are the embodiment of a cause. With wise warrior symbolizing Duty and Wisdom. Along the same lines as my code of Bushido, what would trigger Wise Warrior's disadvantage?

Core P324

Disadvantages
If you act dishonorably or without courtesy, whether
by choice or by accident, you take a –1 dice pool modifier
to all actions until you atone for your behavior.

[Sabato Kuroi]

To me, in 2075  bushido can take 2 forms

1) red samurai who see their corporate masters as the feudal lords of old.This leads to a classic approach to bushido

2) street samurai who are better described as ronin.They change "masters" for money but they never betray their johnson unless the johnson proves to be dishonorable, and they never attack unaware/defenseless opponents.But they will utilize every technique/weapon availiable in order to win a fight.Didn't Musashi fight with a wooden sword in order to surprise his opponent after all?

[Rebeldawg]

2) street samurai who are better described as ronin.They change "masters" for money but they never betray their johnson unless the johnson proves to be dishonorable, and they never attack unaware/defenseless opponents.But they will utilize every technique/weapon availiable in order to win a fight. Didn't Musashi fight with a wooden sword in order to surprise his opponent after all?

This is more or less what I was going for since street samurai are based off of feudal samurai except street samurai don't really
have "masters" but employers who act as  temporary masters. Modern samurai could work under the same concept but act in the
same way as feudal samurai except instead of one master their master changes depending on the their job.

[Tirwalker]

2) street samurai who are better described as ronin.They change "masters" for money but they never betray their johnson unless the johnson proves to be dishonorable, and they never attack unaware/defenseless opponents.But they will utilize every technique/weapon availiable in order to win a fight. Didn't Musashi fight with a wooden sword in order to surprise his opponent after all?

This is more or less what I was going for since street samurai are based off of feudal samurai except street samurai don't really
have "masters" but employers who act as  temporary masters. Modern samurai could work under the same concept but act in the
same way as feudal samurai except instead of one master their master changes depending on the their job.

Musashi did in fact use psychological warfare ruthlessly.  In his famous duel with Sasaki Kojiro, known as "The Demon of the Western Provinces", Musashi arrived late, bearing a wooden sword that legend says he carved out of an oar.  Sasaki took both as insults, and became enraged, which many feel was the intended effect, causing the man to fight imprecisely.  A possible reason for the oar is that Sasaki often used a nodachi, a longer version of the standard samurai weapon, and that Musashi thus made a weapon even longer for the duel.  Several versions of the duel have been handed down, in one Musashi is able to strike his opponent's skull while taking only a minor cut due to his long weapon, in another he maneuvers Sasaki into a position where he was blinded by the sun, an then struck the fatal blow.  Overall however, it is clear that fair play has no real place in an actual fight.  Distract, unnerve, or otherwise disturb your opponent, and then take every advantage possible in the duel.  I think a character trying to follow bushido would not attack a non-combatant, but against another warrior it is kick then in the crotch and then drop a grenade in their shorts while they are hopping around.