The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-26
Che aasieha nsig gags Saturday rorng aareI2 rs 1904

J SPO4lOttlts Jdp2il Inc Iiiol4A q SAOI
of the japanese soldier, which makes him
unique among the fighting men of the
world, does not derive from Buddhism
nor from Shinto. the state church Of ia
pan, but from Bushi-do, or the Way OF
! the Warrior, an ethical cult prevailing
| among the sandal or military caste. As
! the Mikado is a sort of warrior demi-god
| and the profession Of arms outranks every
other occupation in Japan, it is natural
that the stern spirit of the Way Of the
Warrior should survive all changes in
| Japanese civilization.
Gen. Yamagi. whose division captured
Port Arthur and Talienwan ten years ago,
pluckod one Of his eyes out at school as
reply to a playmate who doubted his cour-
age. And yet at the battle Of Talienwan
[ was present when he ordered the canary
cages found in the forts TO be opened and
the birds set free. lest they should starve
to death. That order was given while the
Chinese cannons were still laundering. 1t
was he who was mainly responsible for
the great massacre Of unarmed Manchuri-
ans at Port Arthur. In many respects
Yamagi is a type of the samurai spirit
fighting in q modern dress.
is that makes the japanese army so for
midable without taking into account the
traditional heroics of the Way of the
Warrior It is a stole rather than a ia
talistic creed. To the soldier it stands in
the place OF a religion or moral system.
1t is founded on the virilities. on devotion
to d sword-bearing caste, whose highest
obligation is to die without question for
the divinely ordained warrior lord
1t is true that many of the guresome
practices of the Bushi-do have fallen into
disuse. but its underlying spirit animates
the smartly dressed japanese army to-
day. The modern soldier Of Japan has
always in mind the bushi or warrior of
ancient times.
Capt. Brinkley, the wen-known writer
on Japan, says in explanation Of the Way
of the Warrior:
Because bread-winning was originally
the business of those not physically quail
iAed to be soldiers, the bushi regarded
money with indifference and even con
tempt. To be swayed in the smallest de-
gree by mercenary motives was despicable
in his eyes,
This tradition largely accounts for the
to the practice of looting
''The bushi was essentially a stole" says
the captain. He made self-controI the
ideal Of his existence and practced the
coura geous endurance of suffering so thor
oughly that he could without hesitation
inhict on his own body pain of the sever
est description.
The power of surrenderng life with
heroic Calmness has been developed by
men in all ages, and is regarded by phil
osophers as an elementary form of human
virtue, practiced with most success in an
unciviliZed state Of society before the
finer appropriations of the imaginative and
intellectual faculties have been developed
by education. But the courage Of the
bushi cannot justly be ascribed to blunt
ness Of moral sensibility from semi-sav-
age conditions of life The current Of
existence in Japan, from the Nara epoch
onward, set with general steaCiness in
the direction Of artistic refinement and
voluptuous luxury, amid which men could
scarcely fail to acquire habits and tastes
inconsistent with acts of high courage or /
great endurance The bushi's mood, there
fore was not product of emi-barbarous
conditions. but rather protest against
emasculating civilization.
He scho0led himself to regard death in
licted by his own hand as a normal event
uality. The story Of other nations shows
epochs when death was welcomed as a
relief and deliberately invited as refuge
from the mere WEAKNESS of living. But
wherever there has been liberty 70 choose
and leisure to employ a painless mode OF
exit from the world men have invariably
selected it. The euthanasis Of the Romans
was achieved by the opened vein or the
numbiins herb. and only the barbarian
captive, who had to resort TO any avail
able weapon and to seize the earliest OF
portunity. displayed contempt OF physical
suffering in the hour OF death
The bushi. however. deliberately adopt-
Cd mode OF suicide so painful and so
shocking that to school the mind to re-
gard il with Indifference was a feat not
easy to conceive HIS method was TO
plunge n short-sword into the left side of
the abdomen. sweep it across 10 the right 4
giving L a sharp turn upward at the end
Of the cash: then t. withdraw it. thrust
it into the back Of the neck ard cut to-
ward the throat. Assistance was often
rendered by a friend. VIII. sword in hand.
stood ready to docapitate the victim Inn
rodiately had been eashed: but there
We're innumera bic examples Of men who
coasummated the tragedy without AID. es-
pecially when the sacrifice of life was by
way Of protest against the excuses Of q /
feudal chief or the crimes Of a ruler. or
whom some motive for secrecy EXISTED"
The mere contemplation Of such austcre
traditions. with precepts Of frugality and
unfaltering LOYALTY. accounts largely Tor /.
the peculiar spirit Of the army which is
graphing with Russia today 1t is not.
as in the case Of a Mahometan. the hope /
Of paradise as a martyrs reward bur +
rather a studied contempt FOR suffering
and death which makes the little Japanese +
soldier so terrible in the field He goes
into the fight thinking neither Of hell nor
heaven. but rather OF the dauntless sa-
mural whose heir be IS.
The japanese attitude toward arms is .
illustrated by the fact that Kenshin. one .
Of the greatest generals of the sixteenth (
century, condemned one OF his offending 4
vassals To forfeit the privilege of carrying /
a sword. and when powerful intercession /.
was made for the man on the plea chat 4
his father had done great deeds, Kenshfn. I.
as an act Of mercy. committed the sent .
ence to suicide
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