Asakura Clan House Code - BONUS | Summary & Overview of 17 Article Series

IN SUMMARY:  AN OVERVIEW OF THE HOUSE CODE OF THE ASAKURA CLAN

This concludes the series on the Asakura House Code.  We hope you enjoyed it and gained some “Samurai Wisdom” as a result.

Prioritize Values & Invest in Strengthening a Purpose-based Culture

The Asakura Clan House Code prioritizes a culture of loyalty, unity, ability, continuous improvement, compassion, justice, respect for pragmatism, dependence on accurate preparation and refined strategy, and on the value of investing in good enough and local rather than the best and outside.

Be Pragmatic, Observe and Understand, and Don’t Invite Trouble

Toshikage focuses on centralized power and control, developing a meritocracy combined with a “commitment-ocracy,” not inviting trouble and waking sleeping dragons, and the role of leadership in maintaining constant connection with the people, encouraging support & togetherness and discouraging “status-warfare.”  He put rationality above idealism.

 

What happened to the Asakura Clan?  Did their successors follow the code?

Asakura Toshikage’s successors maintained the house for almost a hundred years.  The Asakura leadership passed through a handful of generations, but aligned with the losing side in a very decisive battle against Oda Nobunaga. 

Asakura Yoshikage, then leader of the Asakura Clan committed seppuku in 1573 after a major defeat.

Even worse, after losing the battle and becoming vassals to the Oda clan, and then vassals to the Toyotomi clan, they lost again when the Tokugawa Clan overthrew the Toyotomi.

The losing side of both battles!  Unfortunate for the Asakura Clan.

They may be GONE, but their Wisdom can Live ON

Fortunate for us, their House Code has lived on.

The 17 Articles of the House of Asakura are available now, over 500 years after they were extracted from the minds of the best of the leadership of the Asakura Clan, and distilled into 17 basic principles.

In Conclusion:

We will conclude this series with a “post-script” to the 17 Articles, written by Asakura Toshikage himself.

There is much more wisdom to be gained in these paragraphs. 

Let us know in the comments if you enjoyed this and want to hear more about the Asakura, or more House Codes in general.

Thanks for reading!  Spread that Samurai Warrior Wisdom around the Globe!

FINAL WORDS FROM ASAKURA TOSHIKAGE

A famous monk once said that “a master of men must be like the two Buddhist deities of Fudo and Aizen.  Although Fudo carries a sword, and Aizen carries a bow and arrows, these weapons are not intended for slashing or for shooting, but for the purpose of subjugating devils.  In their hearts, they are compassionate and circumspect. 

Like them, a master of Samurai must first rectify his own way, and then reward his loyal subjects and soldiers and eliminate those who are disloyal and treacherous. 

If you can discern between reason and unreason and between good and evil and act accordingly, your system of rewards and punishments is deemed compassionately administered.  On the other hand, if your heart is prejudiced, no matter how much you know the words of the sages and study the texts, they all come to naught. 

You may observe that the Analects of Confucius contains a passage saying that, “a gentleman who lacks steadfastness cannot command respect.”  Do not consider that the term “steadfastness” represents only heavy-handedness.  It is essential that you conduct yourself in such a way that both heavy-handedness and leniency can be applied flexibly as the occasion demands.

It will be of no value to you if you take the above articles lightly.

I, now a member of a Buddhist order, began my career as a young man and alone. By a determined effort, miraculously I became lord of this domain.

Day and night, without closing my eyes, I have made plans. I have preserved in my ears the words of those who are well known in their crafts. I have commanded the soldiers, and now our domain is free from turmoil.

If my descendants will adhere to these precepts, obey and consider them as something akin to the teachings of the great deity, Hie Hachiman, the province can be preserved and the Asakura name can be maintained.

If there is anyone at the end of our lineage who will conduct himself capriciously, he may not live long enough to regret it.