Imagawa Sadayo (Ryōshun) - The Double-edged Sword of Loyalty
“When I consider the circumstances, I exerted myself in vain because I foolishly thought of past connections and duty, and I lament having wasted the honor and wealth I accrued over long years. ”
“Your time on this earth is limited. Your ability to take action is powerful. These are gifts to treasure. Be mindful of giving these gifts to people who don’t value them as you do. You’ll likely regret pledging your loyalty to those who don’t love & appreciate you.”
Reflecting back upon his life, Ryoshun thought, “I exerted myself in vain. I foolishly thought of past connections. I placed my sense of duty above my understanding of my place & rank. I regret wasting the honour, wealth, relationships, and even my family’s land as a result. Others grow resentful of those who perform service beyond their station.”
”The #truth is simply that I did not know my place. Though I was not necessarily as favored by or as close as others to Yoshimitsu (the #shogun), I put my own concerns aside entirely and entrusted myself to that decision, all because I thought only to do my #duty for the Ashikaga (family of the shogun).”
“Not in their wildest dreams did my followers think that I would lose hundreds of relatives and housemen, my #honor, and now even my hereditary lands as a result. “
He came to the conclusion that, “men ought to perform loyal service according to their rank, for others will become #resentful of those who perform service above their station.”
Ryoshun risked his life, wealth, lands, honour, and the lives of those he commanded. In return, he lost time, sacrificed wealth, and brought shame upon his family.
But he did gain something - #wisdom.
Your time on this earth is limited. Your ability to take action is powerful. These are gifts to treasure. Be mindful of giving these gifts to people who don’t value them as you do. You’ll likely regret pledging your loyalty to those who don’t love & appreciate you.
Many people in our modern age share a common experience, a similar #regret. Imagine - for years you dedicate yourself to a company, going above and beyond in order to get ahead. You work extra hard, doing overtime, doing #unpaid projects on personal time, taking work calls and dealing with work matters after hours. You do this, and believe that your seemingly positive and fair employer (“#boss”) will recognize this effort with extra pay, promotions, extra leverage, time off, respect, appreciation, etc. Instead, years later, you realize that you were the target of #manipulation. You find yourself passed over for promotions through political maneuvering or nepotism to people much less deserving than you. You may even find yourself the recipient of a sudden layoff or termination.
Why work so hard, sacrificing time with family, giving up your passions for obligations, missing those big moments and memories one can never get back - all to have your sacrifice and effort rewarded with… #punishment?
Imagawa Sadayo (Ryōshun) (1326-1420) is a Japanese poet and military commander. In his youth he was taught Buddhism, Confucianism, Chinese, archery, military arts, and strategy. His father supported the first #Ashikaga family Shogun. #Ryoshun was called upon to serve the 3rd Ashikaga Shogun, Yoshimitsu, to travel to Kyūshū and assume the post of constable of the region in 1370 to quell th rebel uprisings in the region. Ryoshun crushed the rebellion, and upheld his duty for 25 years! However, in 1395, two families conspired against him, providing misinformation to the Shogun that Ryoshun was plotting against him. This resulted in Ryoshun being stripped of his post, having his lands confiscated, and living under the threat of assassination.
Ryoshun’s account of this matter is recorded in the Nan Taiheki. Ryōshun did not see himself as a rebel. He placed the blame on Yoshimitsu’s lack of ability as a leader. He regretted placing his full commitment and loyalty to his dreamy illusion of the Ashikage family, instead of carefully considering the right amount of trust and effort to give, based on his place and rank.