I have no parents; I make the Heavens and the Earth my parents.
I have no home; I make the Tan T'ien my home.
I have no divine power; I make honesty my Divine Power.
I have no means; I make Docility my means.
I have no magic power; I make personality my Magic Power.
I have neither life nor death; I make A Um my Life and Death.
I have no body; I make Stoicism my Body.
I have no eyes; I make The Flash of Lightning my eyes.
I have no ears; I make Sensibility my Ears.
I have no limbs; I make Promptitude my Limbs.
I have no laws; I make Self-Protection my Laws.
I have no strategy; I make the Right to Kill and the Right to Restore Life my Strategy.
I have no designs; I make Seizing the Opportunity by the Forelock my Designs.
I have no miracles; I make Righteous Laws my Miracle.
I have no principles; I make Adaptability to all circumstances my Principle.
I have no tactics; I make Emptiness and Fullness my Tactics.
I have no talent; I make Ready Wit my Talent.
I have no friends; I make my Mind my Friend.
I have no enemy; I make Incautiousness my Enemy.
I have no armour; I make Benevolence my Armour.
I have no castle; I make Immovable Mind my Castle.
I have no sword; I make No Mind my Sword.
The forces which define Shogunate life can be summed up in Honor & Status
Honour
Honour is not just something reserved for the Samurai. Every class in the Shogunate partakes of honour. The Emperor is honourable because of his position. The Bushi are honourable because they serve in battle and protect the Shogunate. The Heimin are honourable because they keep society running. Even the Eta are honourable, in their own way. After all, somebody has to do all the crappy jobs.
A person gains honour not only by carrying out their duty, but by living their life properly. Sometimes this leads to conflicts. For example, a Samurai may be ordered by his Shogun to carry out an act which he may find repugnant. If he does not obey his lord, the Samurai will lose honour. However, if he carries out the orders he will lose honour and status for what he has done.
Fortunately these conflicts of honour are rare. But when they occur, they are complex and hard to resolve.
Status
The most important factor within the Shogunate is status. Everyone is superior to somebody and inferior to another. Except for Eta and Gaikojin, who are inferior to everybody, and the Emperor, who is inferior to nobody. When individuals first meet, they usually try and subtly determine their relative status. It is a grave insult to address somebody in an inappropriate manner. Even old friends will observe formalities unless they are very sure of their relationship.
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