How to Read “Even if he takes a gō, a samurai is still a samurai”
ichigō totte mo bushi wa bushi
Meaning of “Even if he takes a gō, a samurai is still a samurai”
This proverb means that even in poverty, a samurai should maintain his pride and dignity. Even when so poor that he can only obtain one gō of rice, a samurai is still a samurai.
He must not lose the behavior and mindset appropriate to his status.
People use this saying to encourage someone facing financial hardship while trying to protect their position and pride. It also warns against losing one’s dignity because of poverty.
People use it when they want to convey that what matters is not money or status, but how you live as a person.
Today, the samurai class no longer exists. But this proverb carries a universal meaning: “No matter how difficult the situation, never lose your beliefs and pride.”
Economic wealth and human dignity are separate things. This saying teaches the importance of staying true to yourself and your values, even in poverty.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of this proverb. However, it likely emerged from the actual living conditions of the samurai class during the Edo period.
A “gō” is a unit measuring rice volume, about 180 milliliters or one rice bowl. “Taking a gō” means being so poor you can only obtain one gō of rice.
During the Edo period, many lower-ranking samurai received extremely low stipends and lived in poverty. Samurai stipends were often paid in rice, so the amount directly reflected their living standards.
Samurai held privileged positions in the class system, but their actual economic situations varied greatly. While high-ranking samurai received large stipends, some lower-ranking samurai were so poor they needed side jobs to survive.
Yet no matter how poor, samurai were expected to maintain their pride and never lose their dignity.
This proverb expresses the spirit of bushido in this harsh reality. It shows that economic wealth and human dignity are separate things.
The saying has been passed down as a teaching about the importance of maintaining spiritual pride without yielding to material poverty.
Interesting Facts
Many lower-ranking samurai in the Edo period made their living through side jobs like making umbrellas or lanterns. But to maintain their samurai appearance, they secretly worked at night.
Or they pretended their wives or children were doing the work. Even when their actual lives were difficult, they tried to preserve their samurai appearance and behavior.
This attitude forms the reality behind this proverb.
One gō of rice is one bowl, but as a day’s food, this represents unimaginable poverty by modern standards. Yet samurai were still expected to keep their swords, maintain their appearance, and behave politely.
This insistence on “maintaining form” was not mere vanity. It was an act of protecting one’s own identity.
Usage Examples
- Even if my salary drops, I’ll follow the spirit of “Even if he takes a gō, a samurai is still a samurai” and maintain the quality of my professional work
- Life is hard, but as they say, “Even if he takes a gō, a samurai is still a samurai”—I want to show my children a way of living they can be proud of
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down because it answers a fundamental question: What is human dignity? We all face the question of how to measure our own worth.
Do we measure it by income, status, or possessions? Or is there another standard?
Humans are social creatures, so we care how others see us. But we also have an inner gaze—how we see ourselves.
This proverb shows that the latter gaze is what truly supports human dignity.
What’s interesting is that while this proverb uses “samurai” as a specific example, it actually speaks universal wisdom that applies to everyone.
Even if you’re not a samurai—whether you’re a craftsman, merchant, modern office worker, or student—everyone has their own version of “a samurai is still a samurai.”
When people face difficulties, they want to choose the easy path. There are moments when you want to prioritize practical benefits over pride, convenience over dignity.
But the power to hold firm in those moments is what makes us human. Our ancestors understood this deeply.
No matter how external conditions change, continuing to protect something core that you value—that is human dignity and the very meaning of life. This profound insight is embedded in this proverb.
When AI Hears This
In physics, coffee always cools and iron always rusts. This is the law of entropy increase. All matter in the universe moves one-way toward disorder.
Yet the essence of the samurai shown in this proverb seems to move in the opposite direction.
What’s interesting is the energy metabolism mechanism that only living organisms possess. Our bodies extract energy from food and use it to repair cells and maintain order.
By taking in external energy, we locally decrease entropy. A samurai remaining a samurai despite poverty resembles a system that maintains internal spiritual order even when external energy from material wealth decreases.
But there’s a crucial difference from physical laws. Cells inevitably collapse when metabolism stops, but human identity can be maintained by memory and belief alone, without external energy supply.
This shows that information—a non-material order—can exist independently of physical entropy.
Because samurai status is stored in the brain as information rather than matter, its essence doesn’t deteriorate even in the high-entropy state of physical poverty.
The order created by consciousness has the mysterious property of transcending even the laws of the universe.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches you the importance of not letting external conditions define your value. Your income dropped, you lost your position, people stopped appreciating you.
Even then, you being you hasn’t changed.
Modern society tends to emphasize only what can be measured in numbers. Annual income, follower counts, test scores. But isn’t your true value found in places those numbers can’t measure?
The attitude of trying to be honest in any situation, the heart that tries to be kind to people, the strength to not bend your beliefs. This invisible dignity is the essence of who you are.
Specifically, in difficult situations, remember the values you hold dear. When work results don’t come, maintain your professional thoroughness.
When times are financially tough, don’t forget human courtesy and compassion. These small choices accumulate to create your dignity.
Others’ evaluations and circumstances change. But the pride you hold for yourself cannot be taken by anyone.
That is the strength as a human being that never changes, no matter the era.
Comments