Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

by Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Overview

Hagakure (Kyūjitai: 葉隱; Shinjitai: 葉隠; meaning In the shadow the Leaves or hidden leaves.), is a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo, a former retainer to Nabeshima Mitsushige, the third ruler of what is now the Saga prefecture in Japan. Tsuramoto Tashiro compiled these commentaries from his conversations with Tsunetomo from 1709 to 1716 and recorded Tsunetomo's views on bushido, the warrior code of the samurai. Hagakure is sometimes said to assert that bushido is really the "Way of Dying" or living as though one was already dead, and that a samurai retainer must be willing to die at any moment in order to be true to his lord. Note: There is no existing text for Chapter 5.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935785958
Publisher:	Bottom of the Hill Publishing
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.22(d)

About the Author

Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Buddhist monastic name Yamamoto Jōchō (June 11, 1659 - November 30, 1719), was a samurai of the Saga Domain in Hizen Province under his lord Nabeshima Mitsushige. He became a Zen Buddhist priest and relayed his experiences, memories, lessons, ideas, and aphorisms to the samurai Tashiro Tsuramoto, who compiled them under the title Hagakure.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	7
	Introduction	9
	From the 1st Chapter	17
	From the 2nd Chapter	65
	From the 3rd Chapter	89
	From the 4th Chapter	91
	From the 6th Chapter	93
	From the 7th Chapter	99
	From the 8th Chapter	111
	From the 9th Chapter	128
	From the 10th Chapter	137
	From the 11th Chapter	153
	Late Night Idle Talk	167
	Notes	170
	Names, Places and Words	174
	Bibliography	179

What People are Saying About This

Jim Jarmusch

HAGAKURE became a kind of magical discovery for me, and ‘hidden under its leaves’ were some important gifts.

Editorial Reviews

A Classic of Japanese thought...Poetic, robust...a feast of aphorisms and martial anecdotes.

New York Review of Books

Yamamoto brought together three temperaments: loyalty to his master, a literary sensibility, and the enlightenment of Zen.

Choice

The most influential of all samurai treatises ever written.—Prof. Ivan Morris

East West Journal

"This is a great book for anyone looking for a more centered way of life, or just some good advice about living." —Sacramento Book Review

From the Publisher