“Giri，”runs the Japanese saying，is“hardest to bear。”A person must repay giri as he must repay gimu，but it is a series of obligations of a different color。There is no possible English equivalent and of all the strange categories of moral obligations which anthropologists find in the culture of the world，it is one of the most curious。It is specif-ically Japanese。Both chu and ko Japan shares with China and in spite of the changes she has made in these concepts they have certain family likeness to moral imperatives fa-miliar in other Eastern nations。But giri she owes to no Chinese Confucianism and to no Oriental Buddhism。It is a Japanese category and it is not possible to understand their courses of action without taking it into account。No Japanese can talk about motivation or good repute or the dilemmas which confront men and women in his home country without constantly speaking of giri。
Giri has two quite distinct divisions。What I shall call“giri to the world”-literal-ly“repaying giri”-is one's obligation to repay on to one's fellows，and what I shall call“giri to one's name”is the duty of keeping one's name and reputation unspotted by any imputation，somewhat after the fashion of German“honor。”Ciri to the world can roughly be described as the fulfillment of contractual relations-as contrasted with gimu which is felt as the fulfillment of intimate obligations to which one is born。Thus giri in-cludes all the duties one owes to one's in-law's family；gimu，those to one's own immedi-ate family。The term for father-in-law is father-in-giri；mother-in-law is mother-in-giri，and brother-and sister-in-law are brother-in-giri and sister-in-giri。This terminology is used either for spouse's sibling or for sibling's spouse。Marriage in Japan is of course a contract between families and carrying out these contractual obligations throughout life to the opposite family is“working for giri。”It is heaviest toward the generation which ar-ranged the contract-the parents-and heaviest of all on the young wife toward her mother-in-law because，as the Japanese say，the bride has gone to live in a house where she was not born。The husband's obligations to his parent-in-law are different，but they too are dreaded，for he may have to lend them money if they are in distress and must meet other contractual responsibilities。As one Japanese said，“if a grown son does things for his own mother，it is because he loves her and therefore it couldn't be giri。You don't work for giri when you act from the heart。”A person fulfills his duties to his in-laws punctiliously，however，because at all costs he must avoid the dreaded condemnation：“a man who does not know giri。”
The way they feel about this duty to the in-law family is vividly clear in the case of the“adopted husband。”When a family has daughters and no sons the parents choose a husband for one of their daughters in order to carry on the family name。His name is e-rased from the register of his own family and he takes his father-in-law's name。He en-ters his wife's home，is subject“in giri”to his father-and-mother-in-law，and when he dies is buried in their burying ground。In all these acts he follows the exact pattern of the woman in the usual marriage。The reasons for adopting a husband for one's daughter may not be simply the absence of a son of one's own；often it is a deal out of which both sides hope to gain。These are called“political marriages。”The girl's family may be poor but of good family and the boy may bring ready cash and in return move up in the class hierarchy。Or the girl's family may be wealthy and able to educate the husband who in return for this benefit signs away his own family。Or the girl's father may in this way associate with himself a prospective partner in his firm。In any case，an adopted husband's giri is especially heavy-as is proper because the act of changing a man's name to another family register is drastic in Japan。In feudal Japan he had to prove him-self in his new household by taking his adopted father's side in battle，even if it meant killing his own father。In modem Japan the“political marriages”involving adopted hus-bands invoke this strong sanction of giri to tie the young man to his father-in-law's busi-ness or family fortunes with the heaviest bonds the Japanese can provide。Especially in Meiji times this was sometimes advantageous to both parties。But resentment at being an adopted husband is usually violent and a common Japanese saying is“If you have three go of rice（about a pint），never be an adopted husband。”The Japanese say this resent-ment is“because of the giri。”They do not say，as Americans probably would if we had a like custom，“because it keeps him from playing a man's role。”Giri is hard enough anyway and“unwilling”enough，so that“because of the giri”seems to the Japanese a sufficient statement of the burdensome relation。
Not only duties to one's in-laws are giri；duties even to uncles and aunts and neph-ews and nieces are in the same category。The fact that in Japan duties to even such rela-tively close relatives do not rank as filial piety（ko）is one of the great differences in family relations between Japan and China。In China，many such relatives，and much more distant ones，would share pooled resources，but in Japan they are giri or“contrac-tual”relatives。The Japanese point out that it often happens that these persons have nev-er personally done a favor（on）for the person who is asked to come to their aid；in helping them he is repaying on to their common ancestors。When one has to help these more distant relatives，as when one helps one's in-laws，one says，“I am tangled with giri。”
The great traditional giri relationship which most Japanese think of even before the relation with in-laws，is that of a retainer to his liege lord and to his comrades at arms。It is the loyalty a man of honor owes to his superior and to his fellows of his own class。This obligation of giri is celebrated in a vast traditional literature。It is identified as the virtue of the samurai。In old Japan，before the unification of the country effected by the Tokugawas，it was often considered a greater and dearer virtue even than chu，which was at that time the obligation to the Shogun。