A review by letitiaharmon
Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo

3.0

I have said before that it's impossible to rate these kinds of texts that were written hundreds of years ago, in a political context and social sphere that no longer exist. On top of that, they are a translation. It's a bit like rating scripture. Do I talk about the part where it says to dash babies' skulls against the rocks or the part where Jesus says sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor? With the Hagakure, I'm not sure whether to rate the section that basically calls anyone a pansy who won't kill a prisoner who has been tied up, because killing is a sign of bravery and manhood, or the section that talks about seeking wisdom from a neutral source as you try to make a decision. One is great advice, the other is insane cruelty.

I think this book serves more as a window into a philosophy of a time gone by, than anything that should apply to modern society. I have heard people talk reverently about it as "the way of the warrior" but for rationality's sake, please don't take this book to heart when studying how to be a better soldier for your cause. It's obsolete. Interesting, but dead, and that's how it should be treated. My concern is that the translator, and the person who wrote the foreword, clearly don't think of this text as dead, but as a living and beautiful instruction manual. That's disturbing.