A SUICIDAL CODE OF HONOR

I've been reading Borges, and most recently found a fascinating story about a Samurai code of honor. The story, based on a Japanese legend, is shocking, to say the least.

The story is variously titled, in translation, "The Insulting Master of Etiquette Kôtsuké no Suké," or "The Uncivil Teacher of Court Etiquette Kôtsuké no Suké."

The emperor sends a master of etiquette to a local warlord's castle to teach him how to handle an emissary from that same emperor, who is due to arrive at the warlord's castle in a few days.

The teacher of etiquette is rude and disrespectful to the local warlord, who finally draws his sword. The master of etiquette runs away, like the coward he is.

The local lord is "allowed" to commit hara kiri, or ritual suicide, and his castle and holdings are decimated. The local lord's Samurai warriors are now reduced to 47 Ronin, or freelance mercenaries, who plot their revenge.

Their revenge takes two years. Finally, the 47 Ronin storm the fortified castle of the etiquette master, who escapes. They find him and ask him to commit hara kiri as an act of honor. He will not, so the warlord's men slit his throat.

The emperor's supreme court finds out and grants the 47 Ronin the "privilege" of committing hara kiri. Amazingly enough, they do. Online, you can see photos of their graves. (Link:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-seven_Ronin

At no point in this story, does any man act as I would, or as any normal Westerner would. If I was the warlord, I would have told the emperor to go make love to himself. If I had been one of famous 47 Ronin, I would have done the same.

But these legendary warriors and most honorable men refuse to defy their emperor or to defile their concept of honor. Wow. I keep thinking about it.

We westerners would die for our country, but not many of us would die like that, for a code of honor that doesn't help us or our kin.

I think we all have a code of honor. Mine can be more or less summed up as follows:

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other men and I expect the same from them."

-- John Wayne in “The Shootist”

Anyway, the Borges tale is much better than I have summarized it here. It is a great story, and I recommend it.

-- Roger

© Copyright 2011, Roger R. Angle