Asakura Clan House Code - Law #6 | Part 6 of 17 Article Series
ORIGINAL TEXT:
Performances of No shall not be given within the castle at night.
MODERN INTERPRETATION:
Prioritize your duty as a Warrior. Never let your guard down and then arrogantly invite trouble, foolishly wondering afterwards “what happened?!” if you even manage to live.
Why Invite Trouble?
Samurai could ill afford to be caught by surprise, or worse, purposely ask for trouble.
Night time back then was actually NIGHT time! There was no electricity. Inviting people into the main headquarters at night time for a performance of No (kind of like a Japanese version of Opera) where officials and soldiers would be distracted and open to a surprise attack, would be a quick path to the grave.
Always be Prepared for the Unexpected - Not Simply a Cliché
Samurai were Warriors. The essence of being a warrior is always ensuring that you are ready and able at all times for war, that you never slacken in your resolve to safeguard your loved ones and your community. One can never slacken in this responsibility. This is the burden a warrior carries, at all times.
“All is fair in love and war,” is a famous proverb from “Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit” by John Lyly (1553 - 1606). War is not fair. Therefore, a true warrior must be prepared for an attack at the most obvious moments of weakness. Gathering influential people into one place during the night time in the 1400s was suicide.
Don’t be a Sucker, Remember that Bad things DO Happen
In modern times, this is equivalent to always locking your door, always looking behind and around you when exiting your front door, checking for any threats, looking backwards occasionally when walking outside to see if anyone is following you. You cannot get complacent with the peace you’ve experienced. What was, will not necessarily be.
Keep your Priorities Straight
A true Warrior bears the responsibility of protection; thus he never allows temptation for entertainment and pleasure to win over his sense of honour, integrity, and compassion for his clan. When you carry the responsibility of a Warrior, you do NOT foolishly invite trouble.
The broader message of the Asakura House Code #6 is that a Warrior MUST have his priorities straight. We can learn a great lesson from this.
Do you have your priorities straight?
Do you have your priorities actually written down?
Are they organized into a sequence?
Do you know which priority is more important than the next?
Getting your values and your priorities and your goals in order seems like a modern business exercise, and often it is, and many personal development coaches espouse the benefits of such an exercise.
But this was commonplace for wise Samurai warriors of old.
NEXT ARTICLE IN THE SERIES: A PREVIEW
The next article, Law #7, is regarding clarity of duty and non-attachment to “fine” items.