Hagakure: The Book Of The Samurai
by Yamamoto Tsunetomo /
2015 / English / PDF
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Living and dying with bravery and honor is at the heart of
Living and dying with bravery and honor is at the heart ofHagakure
Hagakure, a series of texts written by an
eighteenth-century samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo. It is a window
into the samurai mind, illuminating the concept of
, a series of texts written by an
eighteenth-century samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo. It is a window
into the samurai mind, illuminating the concept ofbushido
bushido
(the Way of the Warrior), which dictated how samurai were
expected to behave, conduct themselves, live, and die. While
Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the
warrior vassals of the Nabeshima clan to which the author
belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition
of samurai thought.
(the Way of the Warrior), which dictated how samurai were
expected to behave, conduct themselves, live, and die. While
Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the
warrior vassals of the Nabeshima clan to which the author
belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition
of samurai thought.
The original
The originalHagakure
Hagakure consists of over 1,300 short texts
that Tsunetomo dictated to a younger samurai over a seven-year
period. William Scott Wilson has selected and translated here
three hundred of the most representative of those texts to create
an accessible distillation of this guide for samurai. No other
translator has so thoroughly and eruditely rendered this text
into English.
consists of over 1,300 short texts
that Tsunetomo dictated to a younger samurai over a seven-year
period. William Scott Wilson has selected and translated here
three hundred of the most representative of those texts to create
an accessible distillation of this guide for samurai. No other
translator has so thoroughly and eruditely rendered this text
into English.
For this edition, Wilson has added a new introduction that casts
For this edition, Wilson has added a new introduction that castsHagakure
Hagakure in a different light than ever before. Tsunetomo
refers to bushido as "the Way of Death," a description that has
held a morbid fascination for readers and listeners over the
years. But in Tsunetomo's time, bushido was a nuanced concept
that related heavily to the Zen concept of
in a different light than ever before. Tsunetomo
refers to bushido as "the Way of Death," a description that has
held a morbid fascination for readers and listeners over the
years. But in Tsunetomo's time, bushido was a nuanced concept
that related heavily to the Zen concept ofmuga
muga, the
"death" of the ego. Wilson's revised introduction gives the
historical and philosophical background for that more
metaphorical reading of
, the
"death" of the ego. Wilson's revised introduction gives the
historical and philosophical background for that more
metaphorical reading ofHagakure
Hagakure, and through this lens,
the classic takes on a fresh and nuanced appeal.
, and through this lens,
the classic takes on a fresh and nuanced appeal.
