The samurai myth in Japan’s imaginary: men and gods in the plot of the senses

Abstract

The study indicates that the Japanese resignified the image of the samurai in the Meiji era. This artifice proved to be effective in unifying the new Japanese identity within and outside Japan with a focus on Yamato Damashi, whose strength even outside Japan maintained the sense of belonging. The study indicates that this feeling is reinvigorated by the practice of martial arts such as karate where ritual and ritual values reinforce subjective belief in a common origin.

Keywords

• Arte marcial
• Karate
• Esporte
• Ética