Samurai Journey: Culture Basics - Bowing and Greeting

Most people from the West understand that bowing is an important part of many Eastern cultures. In Japan, in particular, bowing remains important even today as one interacts with other people, whether in business or even in many casual settings. In Feudal Japan, however, bowing was even more important as it often held meaning for acknowledgement of one's social status as well as the conveyance of honor or respect. Respect was even given to one's enemies on the battlefield, in fact, or in mortal combat as it was believed that even in conflict, all people are worthy of honor and respect. To refuse honor, therefore, often reflected more upon the one refusing rather than the person being refused, and i heard in my head the words of my own mother about a similar concept when tipping at restaurants.On one occasion when i was younger, we had a server at a restaurant whom i did not believe had served us well. I nudged my mom and asked her why she was still leaving a tip and she replied, "Tipping is a reflection of your generosity, not their service. Never refuse to leave a tip as it reflects more about your pettiness and stinginess than it does about their incompetence as a server. Better to be thought unnecessarily generous than small, petty and stingy." Yeah, my mom is a wise woman, and her sentiment would certainly have accorded well with Japanese Feudal martial culture.

The two most common types of bows in Japan are as follows:

Rit-su Rei (standing bow) - When standing, one places their hands either on top of their thighs (if a woman) or at the sides/seams of their pants (if a man) and bends at the waist with their eyes down. In a martial encounter, one would most certainly not lower their eyes, but would keep them on their opponent, even though striking someone who was showing you respect would have been considered the epitome of cowardice.

Za Rei (sitting/kneeling bow) - When seated or kneeling, one puts their hands into a "triangle" on the floor and touches their forehead to it, making sure to keep their back straight and to bend at the waist rather than bending at the shoulders.

Peri is shown learning both here from Fujii Sensei. Later, Peri remarked, "You know, i really liked bowing. It made me feel good to show respect like that."