Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tough_cookie 's review for:
Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai
by Yamamoto Tsunetomo
First off, I have to say how impressed I was by this translation. I've read various books translated from Japanese as well as other Asian languages that were clunky and made it difficult to read. This translation of the first two books of the Hagakure, on the other hand, was a much welcomed deviation from the norm (I chuckled whenever I came across a British phrase like "jolly good").
The text itself is interesting as Yamamoto Tsunetomo (referred to as Jocho in the text) constantly reiterates his beliefs about selfless service to one's lord, to the point of sacrificing one's life even other what we would consider today as trivial matters. Reading the introduction as well as the timeline of important events at the end of the book provide much needed context to better understand Jocho's philosophy. Although the glory days of the samurai were over by the time of these writings, Jocho still sought to maintain the same level of honor and integrity of past warriors, especially as he viewed the next generation of noblemen as being soft and increasingly immoral.
This book is essentially a guide on how to be a selfless servant - a tool really - for one's lord; death is a consistent theme, as Jocho pushes the reader to always be willing to plunge oneself head-first into death for the sake of those they serve. It's a little disconcerting due to our modern ego-centric views on self-preservation, so it's not easy to connect to these beliefs. However, the general sense of selflessness is a worthy teaching that I think ought to be further pursued.
The text itself is interesting as Yamamoto Tsunetomo (referred to as Jocho in the text) constantly reiterates his beliefs about selfless service to one's lord, to the point of sacrificing one's life even other what we would consider today as trivial matters. Reading the introduction as well as the timeline of important events at the end of the book provide much needed context to better understand Jocho's philosophy. Although the glory days of the samurai were over by the time of these writings, Jocho still sought to maintain the same level of honor and integrity of past warriors, especially as he viewed the next generation of noblemen as being soft and increasingly immoral.
This book is essentially a guide on how to be a selfless servant - a tool really - for one's lord; death is a consistent theme, as Jocho pushes the reader to always be willing to plunge oneself head-first into death for the sake of those they serve. It's a little disconcerting due to our modern ego-centric views on self-preservation, so it's not easy to connect to these beliefs. However, the general sense of selflessness is a worthy teaching that I think ought to be further pursued.