Japanese cultural considerations inform Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars. From the first century AD until the early nineteenth century, Japan was ruled under a feudal system that included a class known as the samurai. These powerful men directed personal armies of doshin and fought to maintain land ownership, regional influence, and societal order. The samurai prided themselves on honor, ancestry, bravery, and fighting skills. Their training began at a young age with mental discipline, a broad education that included poetry and reading, and instruction on social manners. In preparation for battle, the samurai trained in all aspects of war, including horse riding, knot tying, and sword fighting. The goal of the samurai was to achieve perfection on both the battlefield and in his personal life.
Samurai also believed in Buddhism and practiced the art of meditation — a state they were taught to enter by keeping their heads erect and their backs straight — as a way to calm their minds. Buddhists view desire and greed as the cause of all human suffering. They believe the end to suffering is by living a life on the Middle Path, between luxury and hardship. Truthful speech, actions done for goodness rather than reward, and a mindfulness of self are three important actions that Buddhism encourages. Buddhists admire and seek to have compassion, kindness, patience, and humility. Anything done in a deliberate way reflects back on the doer. If the motivation behind an action is dishonest, then the return will be negative. All people are part of a chain, and who they are today influences who they will become tomorrow.
