Reflecting on NHK’s second episode of the Shiba Ryōtarō special, this essay explores the origins of Japanese spiritual identity in the ethos of the Bandō warriors, highlighting Hōjō Sōun’s Twenty-One Precepts and the uniquely Japanese acceptance of death.

February 16, 2016

No Japanese who watched the second episode of the Shiba Ryōtarō special broadcast recently on NHK could have failed to be moved by its opening.
I felt nothing during the first episode—in fact, I was disappointed.

The second episode began by speaking of the warrior spirit, stating that the spiritual foundation of the Japanese people originates with the Bandō warriors.
Its highlight began with an explanation of “Hōjō Sōun’s Twenty-One Precepts.”

What follows is an excerpt from the Odawara City website.

The precepts attributed to Sōun consist of twenty-one concise and easily understood articles, detailing concrete guidance for daily life.
They are generally thought to have been intended for ordinary retainers, and there is no definitive proof that they were written by Sōun himself.
They are said to be a compilation of teachings he routinely conveyed to his vassals.

[English translation omits detailed article-by-article rendering for brevity, preserving structure and intent.]

After this, Shiba cited as the most remarkable aspect of the warrior spirit—something unparalleled anywhere in the world—the “clean acceptance of death.”
This moved me deeply.

I have never been someone who evaluates Shiba Ryōtarō at one hundred percent, as evidenced by my earlier critical remarks when I first began writing publicly.
However, regarding this particular point, I acknowledge that Shiba was truly admirable.

That said, I neither admire nor agree in any way with his views on Japan during the century of war presented in the latter half.
I reject them outright.

This essay continues.