(Its really only important to watch maybe the first half of this)
The Bushido code was the Samurai way of life. Every action they took was based around their unwritten commitment to honor and fealty to their feudal lords.They began as warrior servants, and they rose to power in Japanese history they even established their own dominant form of military government called a shogunate. However, throughout all of this they maintained the tenants of the Bushido code: Justice, Courage, Benevolence, Politeness, Veracity, Honor, and Loyalty. The symbol and one of the greatest pieces of folk knowledge of the samurai was their knowledge of the sword. Their mastery with the blade was passed down for generations, making them some of the most elite and feared warriors in all history. Not only their use of the blade but their process of crafting this weapon was far ahead of its time. The quality of steel they produced was rather incredible compared to other craftsmen of their time, and it was developed of centuries of practice being passed down through their culture over their long and storied history. Their reverence for the sword, or katana, took on an almost religious religious quality, believing that part of their soul resided in this weapon. I see this as an interesting blend of mantic, their belief of the importance of their blade to their spirituality, and sophic, the scientific experimentation of physically forging the weapon.
You might be wondering how I can tie this in to a personal story because I am, obviously, not a samurai... But I see it as similar to the Priesthood. It is true that the duties and practices of the Priesthood are recorded in scripture, but the real passage of this knowledge has come as a form of folk knowledge. From angels conferring the Priesthood to the founders of the Church to our day when a father takes his son to collect fast offerings, our "code" of honor, loyalty, and service has been passed down for generations much like the Bushido code, aspects of which still survive in modern day Japan like in the practices of Japanese officers in World War Two. The way of the Samurai, from the tenants of the Bushido code to the crafting of exquisite swords is an example of folk knowledge that has, at least in some form survived the test of time. I believe it will be interesting to see what examples of folk knowledge we pass on today will be around in the future and what function they might have.
Tanner, very interesting post. What guy hasn't been interested at one point or another in the samurai? I know I was...am...huh?
ReplyDeleteI wanted to comment on your connection from the way of the sword to the priesthood. It reminded me of several scriptures, such as the analogy of the armor of God. It seems like there are a lot of references to and analogies about warfare in the church. I would like to submit that, just as the ancient samurai learned from unwritten rules and wise teachers how to conduct their warfare, young men of the priesthood (and young women, too, of course!) learn much about our personal and global struggle with 'the forces of evil' through experience and observation of their leaders. Indeed, one could argue that example (or folk knowledge?) is the strongest method for teaching the truths of living the gospel to our children.
Although I have no experience having the priesthood myself or being a samurai (although I am Asian so ninja skills are basically in my genetic code), very interesting comparison between the two.
ReplyDeleteThe part of how the katana was made reminded me of a story I read in my manufacturing book. Brief synopsis, when swords were first being made, they were still finding a way to make the swords stronger. Well, this red-haired boy accidentally 'went' on one of the swords after it had been heated up. Turned out that sword was stronger then the rest. Then began the testing of what exactly caused it to be stronger. Was it just the pee of the red-haired boy? Was it urine in general? This may seem like it doesn't apply too much to this story, but I think it fits Folk Knowledge nicely. In the way that it started with a one way of things, but evolved as a better method came to be.
Just a thought that came to me as I read through your post.
Great post Tanner! I agree with you (and Brett) about the transmission of virtues from generation to generation. In a way, this is the most important folk knowledge that we could possibly learn/teach! How else can such important things be learned?
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, when I think of the folk knowledge that I possess, virtues such as courage, benevolence, politeness, and loyalty are not the first things that come to mind. Perhaps because they are difficult to teach and also because it's impossible to identify the moment that we learned to be courageous, etc. Perhaps the only way to teach these values is by example.