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Hagakure
The Book of the Samurai
Tsunetomo Yamamoto
Translated by William Scott Wilson
Paperback 184 pages
110 x 182mm 160g
ISBN : 978-4-7700-1106-0 / 4-7700-1106-7
Publish : 1 Mar, 1983
Price : $9.00 |
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[ About the Book ]
Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves"') is a manual for the samurai classes consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction-in the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido-the Way of the Warrior. It is not a book of philosophy as most would understand the word: it is a collection of thoughts and sayings recorded over a period of seven years, and as such covers a wide variety of subjects, often in no particular sequence.
The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and possesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima.
This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original.
Hagakure was featured prominently in the filmGhost Dog, by Jim Jarmusch.
Reviews
"A classic of Japanese thought Poetic, robust a feast of aphorisms and martial anecdotes."
—New York Review of Books
"Hagakure became a kind of magical discovery for me, and 'hidden under its heaves' were some important gifts."
—Jim Jarmusch, Director of Ghost Dog
"The most influential of all samurai treatises ever written."
—Ivan Morris
"A guidebook and inspiration for any modern student of martial arts, or anyone interested in achieving a courageous and transcendent understanding of life."
—East-West Journal
"A fascinating glimpse into another place and time."
—Library Journal
"Yamamoto brought together three temperaments: Loyalty to his master, a literary sensitivity, and the enlightenment of Zen."
—Choice
About the author
YAMAMOTO TSUNETOMO [1659-1719] was a samurai retainer of the Nabeshima Clan, Lords of Hizen province, who became a Buddhist monk in 1700 after the Shogunate government prohibited the practice of tsuifuku: suicide of a retainer on the death of his lord. The book was dictated to a younger samurai during the author's seclusion over a seven year period.
WILLIAM SCOTT WILSON, the translator, was born in 1944 and grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College in 1966, he was invited by a friend to join a three-month kayak trip up the coast of Japan from Shimonoseki to Tokyo. This eye-opening journey, beautifully documented in National Geographic, spurred Wilson's fascination with the culture and history of Japan.
After receiving a B.A. degree in political science from Dartmouth, Wilson earned a second B.A. in Japanese language and literature from the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies in Monterey, California, then undertook extensive research on Edo-period (1603-1868) philosophy at the Aichi Prefectural University, in Nagoya, Japan.
Wilson completed his first translation, the classic martial arts philosophy text Hagakure, while living in an old farmhouse deep in the Japanese countryside. Hagakure saw publication in 1979, and two decades later was prominently featured in Jim Jarmusch's movie Ghost Dog. Wilson's other translations include The Book of Five Rings, The Life-Giving Sword, The Unfettered Mind, Eiji Yoshikawa's historical novel Taiko, The Flowering Spirit Classic Teachings on the Art of Nō, and Ideals of the Samurai, which has been used as a college textbook on Japanese history and thought. He is also the author of The Lone Samurai, the recent bestselling study of the life of legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
Traveling frequently to Japan for research and pleasure, Wilson currently lives in Miami, Florida.
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