Giri - Duty and Obligation
The moral obligations that arise from one's relationships and social position.
Giri encompasses the duties and obligations arising from social relationships. These obligations to family, community, and superiors create the structure of ethical life. Fulfilling giri, even when difficult, maintains social harmony and personal honor.
Giri may be heavy, but it is the framework that holds society together.
Giri remains a powerful force in Japanese social and business relationships.
Cultural traditions
Written about in
- What Shinto says about conflict with people close to you
Giri is the obligation that does not lapse because you are angry. The tradition's own phrasing concedes it is heavy — you stay bound to the person, and it is the bond rather than your feelings about it that is treated as holding things together.