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See also: Bushido - Code of the Samurai Warrior
1. Bushido / The Way of the Samurai
2. In Flowers the Cherry Blossom, In Men the Samurai
4. Samurai
5. Heart of a Warrior / Samurai Heart
6. Samurai Kata
武士道 is the title for “The Code of the Samurai.”
Sometimes called “The Seven Virtues of the Samurai,” “The Bushido Code,” or “The Samurai Code of Chivalry.”
This would be read in Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja as “The Way of the Warrior,” “The Warrior's Way,” or “The Warrior's Code.”
It's a set of virtues that the Samurai of Japan and ancient warriors of China and Korea had to live and die by. However, while known throughout Asia, this title is mostly used in Japan and thought of as being of Japanese origin.
The seven commonly-accepted tenets or virtues of Bushido are Rectitude 義, Courage 勇, Benevolence 仁, Respect 礼(禮), Honour 名誉, Honesty 誠, and Loyalty 忠実. These tenets were part of oral history for generations, thus, you will see variations in the list of Bushido tenets depending on who you talk to.
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here
See Also: Warrior
This Japanese proverb simply reads, “[In] Flowers it's Cherry Blossoms, [In] Men it's Warriors.”
花は櫻木人は武士 is meant to say that of all the flowers in the world, the cherry blossom is the best. And of all men in the world, the Samurai or Warrior is the best
This proverb has been around for a long time. It's believed to have been composed sometime before the Edo Period in Japan (which started in 1603).
Some will drop one syllable and pronounce this, “hana wa sakura hito wa bushi.” That's “sakura” instead of “sakuragi,” which is like saying “cherry blossom” instead of “cherry tree.”
The third character was traditionally written as 櫻. But in modern Japan, that became 桜. You may still see 櫻 used from time to time on older pieces of calligraphy. We can do either one, so just make a special request if you want 櫻.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
The 浪人 or Ronin have no master - The most famous are the 47 ronin created after their Lord committed suicide. This term was not a positive title for the Samurai of ancient Japan. However, in recent years, movies and video games have glorified the term Ronin.
In Chinese, this term has the original meaning of a hobo, vagabond, or ruffian.
In Korean Hanja, these characters would be read as adventurer, wanderer, someone without a steady job, or someone who is wasting away time.
In modern Japan, this term is used as a nickname for a high school student who has failed a college entry exam (and is trying again).
In Chinese and Korean, the Japanese definition of “Masterless Samurai” is known because of the historical context. Even in Japanese, the literal translation is closer to the Chinese and Korean definitions shown above.
This will make a fine wall scroll if you are a fan of the Ronin or see yourself as a Ronin of sorts. However, please think twice before getting a Ronin tattoo!
In Japanese, 侍 represents the warriors that attempted to hold peace when there was no Emperor in Japan.
Be cautious though, as it is an old way to express “servant” or “waiter” in Chinese and Korean. Of course, if you are a samurai, you are a servant to your Shogun-ate, Lord, or the people (which is the root meaning).
See Also: Warrior
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Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your samurai search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
侍 see styles |
shì shi4 shih hito ひと |
More info & calligraphy: Samuraiwarrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai; (1) warrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai; (2) (archaism) man in attendance (on a person of high standing); retainer; (given name) Hito Attend; wait on; attendant. |
武士 see styles |
wǔ shì wu3 shi4 wu shih mononofu もののふ |
More info & calligraphy: Warrior(poetic term) warrior; soldier; samurai; (place-name) Mononofu |
浪人 see styles |
làng rén lang4 ren2 lang jen rounin / ronin ろうにん |
More info & calligraphy: Ronin / Masterless Samurai(n,vs,adj-no) (1) ronin; wandering samurai without a master to serve; (2) out of work; (3) waiting for another chance to enter a university; (given name) Rounin |
騎士 骑士 see styles |
qí shì qi2 shi4 ch`i shih chi shih kishi きし |
More info & calligraphy: Knight(1) (hist) (medieval) knight; (2) (hist) samurai on horseback; (female given name) Naito |
武士道 see styles |
wǔ shì dào wu3 shi4 dao4 wu shih tao bushidou / bushido ぶしどう |
More info & calligraphy: Bushido / The Way of the SamuraiBushido; samurai code of chivalry |
花は桜木人は武士 see styles |
hanahasakuragihitohabushi はなはさくらぎひとはぶし |
(expression) (proverb) the best flowers are the cherry blossoms, the best individuals are the samurai; as the cherry blossom is first among flowers, so is the samurai first among men |
卒 see styles |
zú zu2 tsu sotsu そつ |
soldier; servant; to finish; to die; finally; at last; pawn in Chinese chess (1) (hist) low-ranking soldier; (n-suf,n) (2) (abbreviation) (See 卒業・1) graduation; (n-suf,n-pref) (3) (abbreviation) (See 卒業・2) moving on (from); outgrowing (something); (4) (abbreviation) (hist) (See 卒族) low-ranking samurai (1870-1872); (5) (abbreviation) (See 卒去) death (of a noble, etc.); (given name) Sosu suddenly |
士 see styles |
shì shi4 shih shi し |
member of the senior ministerial class (old); scholar (old); bachelor; honorific; soldier; noncommissioned officer; specialist worker (1) man (esp. one who is well-respected); (2) (See 侍・1) samurai; (suffix noun) (3) person (in a certain profession, esp. licensed); member; (personal name) Mamoru A gentleman, scholar, officer. |
戎 see styles |
róng rong2 jung munemori むねもり |
generic term for weapons (old); army (matters); military affairs Ebisu; god of fishing and commerce; (1) (archaism) peoples formerly of northern Japan with distinct language and culture (i.e. the Ainu); (2) provincial (i.e. a person who lives far from the city); (3) brutish, unsophisticated warrior (esp. used by Kyoto samurai to refer to samurai from eastern Japan); (4) (derogatory term) foreigner; barbarian; (personal name) Munemori |
糒 see styles |
bèi bei4 pei hoshii / hoshi ほしい |
food for a journey; cakes dried boiled rice used mainly as provisions of samurai troops and travelers (travellers); (place-name, surname) Hoshii |
裃 see styles |
kamishimo かみしも |
samurai costume; old ceremonial costume; (surname) Kamishimo |
三一 see styles |
sān yī san1 yi1 san i sanpin さんぴん |
(1) (abbreviation) (derogatory term) (See 三一侍) low-ranking samurai; (2) (orig. meaning) rolling three and one (in a dice game); (given name) Mitsukazu Trinity; also 31. |
両個 see styles |
ryanko りゃんこ |
(1) two; (2) (archaism) (derogatory term) samurai |
中臈 see styles |
chuurou / churo ちゅうろう |
(1) court ladies of the middle rank serving in the inner palace (Heian period); (2) female servant for a samurai family; (3) lady-in-waiting working in the inner palace of the Edo castle (Edo period) |
侍所 see styles |
samuraidokoro; saburaidokoro さむらいどころ; さぶらいどころ |
(1) (hist) (esp. さむらいどころ) Board of Retainers (Kamakura and Muromachi-period government office); (2) (hist) (esp. さぶらいどころ) samurai guard house (Heian and Kamakura periods) |
侍蟻 see styles |
samuraiari; samuraiari さむらいあり; サムライアリ |
(kana only) Polyergus samurai (species of amazon ant) |
其許 see styles |
sokomoto そこもと |
(1) (archaism) that place; there; (pn,adj-no) (2) you (usu. used by samurai when speaking to their equals or inferiors) |
出府 see styles |
shuppu しゅっぷ |
(n,vs,vi) (hist) going to the capital (esp. of a samurai or daimyo during the Edo period) |
切腹 see styles |
qiē fù qie1 fu4 ch`ieh fu chieh fu seppuku せっぷく |
harakiri (formal Japanese: seppuku), a samurai's suicide by disemboweling (noun/participle) (1) seppuku; harakiri; ritual suicide by disembowelment; (noun/participle) (2) (hist) seppuku as a death penalty (where the convict is decapitated by a second as they make the motions to disembowel themself; Edo period) |
剣劇 see styles |
kengeki けんげき |
sword play; samurai drama |
加禄 see styles |
karoku かろく |
increase in a samurai's stipend |
卒族 see styles |
sotsuzoku そつぞく |
low-ranking samurai (1870-1872) |
取り see styles |
dori どり tori とり |
(suffix noun) (1) samurai receiving this much rice as a fee; (2) offering of rice cake containing this much rice; (3) (obsolete) person receiving this amount of money as a salary; (n,n-suf) (1) taking; taker; collecting; collector; remover; removal; (2) last performer of the day (usu. the star performer); last performance of the day; (3) active partner (e.g. in judo demonstration); (prefix) (4) emphatic or formal prefix |
四民 see styles |
sì mín si4 min2 ssu min shimin しみん |
"the four classes" of ancient China, i.e. scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants (hist) the four social classes (of Edo-period Japan; samurai, farmers, artisans, merchants) four classes of people |
国人 see styles |
kokujin(p); kunibito; kokunin; kuniudo; kunyuudo / kokujin(p); kunibito; kokunin; kuniudo; kunyudo こくじん(P); くにびと; こくにん; くにうど; くにゅうど |
(1) indigenous person; inhabitant of a country; (2) (くにびと only) local; native; (3) (hist) local lords and samurai; (4) (くにうど, くにゅうど only) (hist) (See 在国衆) daimyo who did not leave his domains to meet the shogun in Kyoto (during the Muromachi period); (given name) Kunihito |
国侍 see styles |
kunizamurai くにざむらい |
provincial samurai |
地侍 see styles |
jizamurai じざむらい |
provincial samurai in the middle ages, who engaged in agriculture in peacetime |
地士 see styles |
jizamurai じざむらい |
provincial samurai in the middle ages, who engaged in agriculture in peacetime |
士人 see styles |
shì rén shi4 ren2 shih jen shijin しじん |
scholar (1) samurai; (2) person of extensive learning; person of great culture; person of superior social standing a person of extensive learning |
士分 see styles |
shibun しぶん |
status of samurai |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Bushido The Way of the Samurai | 武士道 | bu shi do / bushido | wǔ shì dào wu3 shi4 dao4 wu shi dao wushidao | wu shih tao wushihtao |
In Flowers the Cherry Blossom, In Men the Samurai | 花は櫻木人は武士 花は桜木人は武士 | hana wa sakuragi hito wa bushi | ||
Ronin Masterless Samurai | 浪人 | rou nin / rounin / ro nin | làng rén / lang4 ren2 / lang ren / langren | lang jen / langjen |
Samurai | 侍 | samurai | shì / shi4 / shi | shih |
Heart of a Warrior Samurai Heart | 武士心 | bu shi kokoro bushikokoro | wǔ shì xīn wu3 shi4 xin1 wu shi xin wushixin | wu shih hsin wushihhsin |
Samurai Kata | 侍型 | samurai kata samuraikata | ||
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. |
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All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.
Some people may refer to this entry as Samurai Kanji, Samurai Characters, Samurai in Mandarin Chinese, Samurai Characters, Samurai in Chinese Writing, Samurai in Japanese Writing, Samurai in Asian Writing, Samurai Ideograms, Chinese Samurai symbols, Samurai Hieroglyphics, Samurai Glyphs, Samurai in Chinese Letters, Samurai Hanzi, Samurai in Japanese Kanji, Samurai Pictograms, Samurai in the Chinese Written-Language, or Samurai in the Japanese Written-Language.
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