The Root of All Fears
11 AugCode of Bushidō: Loyalty (Chuugi)
12 MayCode of Bushidō: Loyalty (Chuugi)
The last virtue of Bushidō
Cannot be practiced by
One without humility
Who holds themselves more high
Than any other person, force
Creator or ideal
Loyalty’s a virtue that
To egos won’t appeal
Loyalty is faithfulness
To family and to peers
To masters who have trained to help
You overcome your fears
Loyalty to your country
And your ideals as well
An automatic adherence
Without the need to dwell
Loyalty is when you won’t
Stab someone in the back
When they’re not around to give
Response to your attack
Loyalty is when you choose
To hold someone up high
Even though everyone else
Just spits into their eye
Loyalty means no gossip
No speaking thoughtless things
Loyalty is standing up
For masters and for kings
For Saviors and for prophets and
For creators and Gods
A warrior will not betray
Just so they’re not at odds
The samurai were loyal to
The point where they would pay
Their very lives so loyalty
Would not be led astray
So for a second, think, is there
Something you would die for?
‘Cause if there’s not, then you have no
Loyalty at your core
You’re only loyal to yourself
Which is called “selfishness”
And since the code is intertwined
Then you will not possess
Any other virtues that
The samurai maintained
When a virtue’s sacrificed
The others aren’t sustained
But when a virtue is practiced
The others grow in turn
That’s the only way to rise
The only way to learn
The only way to walk the path
That samurai did walk
The only way to awaken
Discover and unlock
The warrior that waits within
Who doesn’t care what year
Or part of Earth you live in, only
That your heart is clear
That it’s filled with Rectitude
Courage, Benevolence
Respect, Honesty, Honor
Loyalty that’s immense
Follow that forgotten code
And all of you will know
The strength that Warrior-Knights had
In days of long ago
~Miro
Code of Bushidō: Honor (Meiyo)
9 MayCode of Bushidō: Honor (Meiyo)
Honor is integrity
Adherence to a code
Unimpaired and unwavered when
Others choose to goad
Honor’s not a part-time thing
No momentary lapses
In integrity when someone
Else’s peace collapses
Warrior’s will hold fast and
Honor the code they follow
With poise and grace through difficult
Times while others will wallow
Honor is a self-respect
That’s earned and can’t be bought
It cannot be stolen and to
The selfish can’t be taught
It is the courage and resolve
To make the right decision
Even when you’re not under
Anyone’s supervision
Honor is not sacrificed
To lie or cheat or steal
To take a shortcut that will make
An easier ordeal
The Warrior-Knights earned themselves
The reputation of
Being men of honor ‘cause
They held themselves above
Basic human desires
Like comfort, ease and pleasure
They knew pursuing just those things
Made men of little measure
Honor’s held in high regard
‘Cause it’s a selfless act
To sacrifice your own yearning
So that your code is backed
And it’s a virtue that lairs
And thieves cannot deny
They say “There goes a warrior
Who’s much stronger than I”
~Miro
Code of Bushidō: Honesty (Makoto)
6 MayCode of Bushidō: Honesty (Makoto)
Lying is the act of cowards
Gutless, craven sneaks
A warrior only recites
Truth when he or she speaks
A warrior does not need to
Embellish the details
They recognize compared to truth
That chicanery pales
They relish in accuracy
Precision, fact and care
To disgrace themselves with a lie
A warrior won’t dare
And being masters of the truth
A warrior knows lies
Whenever they do rear their heads
And can see through their guise
A warrior has faith that truth
Will never lead astray
They do not feel the need to taint
With different shades of grey
They know the truth will not always
Be what some want to hear
But causing others discomfort
Is not something they fear
Through all their constant training of
Conveying honesty
A warrior becomes something
Impressive: a trustee
For trust is faith and trust is hope
And trust is confidence
Optimism, certainty
Within your common sense
The warrior does not tell lies
And will not stretch the facts
Because their honesty is one
Of their virtuous acts
~Miro
Code of Bushidō: Respect (Rei)
3 MayCode of Bushidō: Respect (Rei)
Virtue four of Bushidō:
The ethic of respect
A concept that has long since died
But now we’ll resurrect
To show regard for other folks
To see what they have done
To pay respect for all the work
And miles that they run
To take notice of efforts made
And make efforts as well
To not just think of compliments
But to speak up and tell
To make the little gestures that
Show others our esteem
A bow, a nod, a handshake or
A smile where we beam
Waiting ‘till one’s finished speaking
To give our two cents
Cutting someone off is a
Disrespect so immense
Letting others say their peace
And though we disagree
Having respect for their view
And saying “Let it be”
Keeping promises and taking
The time to respond
Warriors and respect are
An unbreakable bond
Paying back or paying forward
Good deeds paid to us
Action that is second nature
No need to discuss
The key to respect is that others
All come before you
Respect is something that selfish
People cannot accrue
Because they’re too busy concerned
With what they want from you
To be able to pay respect
As true warriors do
~Miro
Code of Bushidō: Benevolence (Jin)
1 MayCode of Bushidō: Benevolence (Jin)
The third virtue of Bushidō
Is their benevolence
Although they possessed deadly skill
Their mercy was immense
They didn’t focus solely on
Themselves or their rich kings
They had acuity to notice
All the little things
The sick, the poor, the downtrodden
The broken ones in need
The samurai were never too
Busy for a good deed
Understanding, slow to anger
Full of patience, grace
Tolerance and charity
For those who could not face
Challenges and struggles that
Were too much to endure
Suffering for Bushidō
Acted much like a lure
A sense of duty to assist
To use their heightened state
For the benefit of others
To reduce their weight
Benevolence is a kind act
That needn’t be returned
It isn’t only saved for those
Who have paid or have earned
Benevolence is doing what
You know deep down is right
An integral part of the ancient
Code of Warrior-Knight
~Miro
Code of Bushidō: Courage (Yu)
28 AprCode of Bushidō: Courage (Yu)
The second virtue followed by
The samurai of old
Is courage, the control of fear
The art of being bold
The willingness to face a test
With fortitude and nerve
Ability through thick and thin
To have your grace preserve
To step forward when most would run
And say, “Give me your best”
And when the storm rages, courage
Means beating on your chest
Snarling with intensity
And fire in the eyes
Where others shrink and cower, the
Warrior does arise
Ability to not let fear
Control your destiny
To not let nervousness or worry
Make you hide or flee
Courage is the knowledge that
What cannot end your life
Only serves to make you stronger
And sharpen the knife
It gives you more experience
And makes you more aware
That is why a warrior
Is not so quick to scare
They see the opportunity
That lies in every trial
Another conquered obstacle
To throw upon the pile
~Miro