A.J. Grant Dr.McMahon Pd. 4/5 Discussion of Japanese Literature

A.J. Grant
January 3, 2005
Dr. McMahon
Pd. 4/5
Hn. World Lit
Discussion of Japanese Literature


Many times in Japanese Literature there are obligations in conflict. An obligation in conflict is when a character has a commitment to two or more personal desires. In Japanese Literature the obligations are centered around the honor of the Samurai warrior. Because honor is highly regarded in Japanese society, it is very hard for a warrior to disregard his honor. Many of the Samurai warriors would give their lives in order to uphold their honor. The obligations in conflict make the characters decide what is truly important. In Japanese Literature we see these commitment obligations through the novels Chushingura, Patriotism, and Harakiri.

In the story Chushingura, Lord Asano does not give bribery to a member of the Shogun’s court. His honesty, however, is useless against the corruption of the administration. To save his honor he is forced to commit Harakiri. His Samurai followers are now branded as master-less ronin. The second leader of the Samurai, Oichi, plots with a loyal band of ronin to seek revenge for their master's death. This loyal band of ronin has an obligation in conflict. They can either keep their loyalty to Lord Asano and dishonor their names or maintain their honor but denounce the loyalty to their former leader. The members of the loyal band decide to dishonor themselves and become drunkards to fool everyone who would be expecting their retribution. Three years later they obtain their revenge by killing the man that led to the death of their leader. All of Tokyo admired the loyal deed of the ronin. But only in the ronin’s deaths could their honor be reconciled because they murdered a member of the Shogun’s court. The 47 ronin committed seppuku, the ritual suicide, in which they take their own swords and cut their lower stomachs and drag the sword through their abdomens disemboweling themselves. The loyalty of the ronin outlasts their will to be honorable, even though in Japanese society honor is all that matters to a Samurai warrior.

In the story Patriotism, Shinji Takeyama is a leading Lieutenant in the Imperial forces. Shinji has committed his life to striving to be the best Lieutenant he could be. To become a Lieutenant a person has to show exemplary performance in the forces and it is a highly regarded position. He has worked his whole life to become a Lieutenant and is very proud of his accomplishments. But during his time as Lieutenant the Imperial force experiences a civil war. The group of forces is divided, leaving Shinji loyal to the imperial forces but all his friends have joined the opposing enemy. Shinji’s obligation in conflict is whether to stay loyal to his honorable job and kill his friends, or join his friends but destroy the life he has worked so hard to attain. In this situation there is no possible outcome that is pleasing to Shinji. Shinji and his wife, Reiko, decide to commit the traditional seppuku so they will not have to decide between the two. Some may view this act as being cowardly or craven but in reality it is the bravest answer to the problem. In choosing the traditional seppuku he decides that his friends and his job are of equal importance to him. Also when he commits seppuku he shows how his friends and his job are more important to him than his own life. If he chooses a side he will always be fighting a battle between something he loves.

In the story Harakiri, many wars break out in 17th-century Japan causing the Shogun to breakup many warrior clans. When these clans breakup, thousands of Samurai are out of work and have to live a life of poverty. In Japanese society lies the concept that an honorable death is more desirable than a life in shame. To uphold his honor Hanshiro Tsegumo requests admittance to the House of Iyi commit the seppuku. Through extended flashbacks, Hanshiro tells the story of his Godson Motome Chijiwa. Motome is a ronin warrior that has a dying son Kingo. But, Motome has no other way of making money. He must decide whether his honor involved with being a warrior is more important than his son Kingo. Motome decides to sell his most valuable possession his Samurai swords to get money for his dying son. This is Motome’s first obligation in conflict. A Samurai’s swords are very important to a warrior’s honor. When a Samurai sells his swords, he is selling his soul. Without his swords Motome loses the honor that a Samurai has. After Motome sells his swords he now needs more money because his wife Mijo is becoming ill. Motome decides to go to the House of Iyi and threaten to commit Seppuku on their front step. This was a dishonoring act to the house as well as the person that threatens. Many times the leaders of a house would give a ronin warrior money and food in order to have the ronin leave their house. This is Motome’s second obligation in conflict. He again dishonors his name by threatening to commit Seppuku on the front step of the house. He feels that saving the lives of his dying wife and son are more important than his Samurai honor. Motome is hoping that his threat of Seppuku will scare the house leader into giving him food and money. But the house of Iyi has heard of ronin warriors trying to fool leaders into giving them food and money. The House of Iyi is not deceived by Motome’s threat and forces him to commit the Seppuku. Motome asks the house to give him two days to tell his family of his misfortune. But the leader believes that Motome will run away and not come back within the allotted time. The house savagely forces Motome to commit traditional hara-kiri in an agonizing manner with a dull bamboo blade. Hanshiro Tsegumo, Motome’s Godfather, then goes to the house of Iyi to seek revenge for the death of Motome. Hanshiro Tsegumo then reveals how he takes the honor of three of the leaders in the House of Iyi. Yet instead of committing the ritual Seppuku the leaders of the house hide themselves showing the hypocrisy that is within the House.

Throughout Japanese Literature we see many obligations in conflict. Most of these obligations have to do with sustaining the Samurai honor. In most of the obligation stories dealing with honor, the character will decide that honor is inferior to their personal relationships. The obligations make the characters prioritize their lives and establish what the characters truly believe in.