Gosei (meditation)

Gosei (五省, go-sei, lit., five reflections) are subjects for daily meditation at Japan's Naval Academy.

These reflections were originally devised by Vice Admiral Hajime Matsushita, who was the Chief of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, and used from 1932. Every evening cadets are expected to meditate on these inter-related questions.^[1]

1. Hast thou not gone against sincerity (至誠に悖る勿かりしか)
2. Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds (言行に恥づる勿かりしか)
3. Hast thou not lacked vigor (気力に缺くる勿かりしか)
4. Hast thou exerted all possible efforts (努力に憾み勿かりしか)
5. Hast thou not become slothful (不精に亘る勿かりしか)

The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), from its establishment in 1954, The students of the Maritime Self-Defense Force No. 1 Technical School and the Maritime Self-Defense Force Officer Candidate School have inherited the tradition of the former Navy, and even now, five minutes before the end of their self-study every night, they meet the five ministries in the same style as when they were at the military academy. Through chanting, I look after myself and work hard on my daily training.

The crux of this contemplative practice has been translated into English and has been discussed at the United States Naval Academy.^[2]

• Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor. (2009). Danger's Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743260800; OCLC 259953844
• Smith, Peter C. (2006). Fist from the Sky: Japan's Dive-Bomber Ace of World War II. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole. ISBN 9780811733304; OCLC 70986720

• Five Precepts

• Precepts of Ieyasu Tokugawa