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 Good book, well worth a look September 9, 2008
This book is a must have for any serious martial artist. Bushido is unfortunately a term which is widely used but in the main part, very poorly understood. Even the modern understanding of Bushido is somewhat lacking, leading people to believe that the samurai were so honourable that they could do no wrong. This simply isn't the case. The samurai were human beings like everyone else and the passages in this book show this nicely. There are many lessons to be learned and applied to everyday life in the Hagakure and any person wanting to follow the way of the samurai should definitely read this book.
On a different note, this is something that REALLY irritates me so I must point it out: hiri kiri is a bastardisation originating from America. The proper term is Seppuku but if you want to call it by its other name, it's HARA kiri, meaning to cut the hara (centre of body energy).
Right, rant over. Buy the book!!
A Strange and Fascinating Little Book July 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It is very diffcult to define Hagakure, it's strange and fascinating, yet also rather repugnant in some of its views. Written in the early 18th century, it is a series of anecdotes written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, a samurai of the Nabeshima clan who became a Buddhist monk followning his master's death. The Tokugawa Shogunate of the time had outlawed the suicide of a reatiner on a Daimyo's death, leaving Yamamoto with no option but live in a hermitage in Kyushu province.
Hagakure has often been seen as a manual for the samurai classes, yet this is slightly misleading. Yamamoto lived during the Edo period, an era of peace and stability that followed the long period of civil wars that had broken Japan in the 16th century. Yamamoto was therefore not a true warrior, as the samurai were now becoming administrators living on fixed stipends.
This book is also only the opinions of one man, and shouldn't been seen as guide to the samurai ethos for the entire Feudal Period. It is also worth noting that even during his own life Yamamoto was seen as a fanatic with extremist opinions, a fact that he himself would not deny.
The book's contents deal with allsorts of topics, but its main emphasis is on the proper conduct of the samurai class. Yamamoto believes that a samurai must always be ready for death, and that when not engaged in fighting, he should meditate on getting torn apart with swords, arrows, pikes and bullets. His obsession with death and discipline seems to permeate throughout the book. He also provides plenty of anecdotes of stories he has heard about samurai who kill anyone on the slightest provocation. Yamamoto believes that this should be the proper conduct of the samurai, as long as it does not contradict the master's wishes.
His opinion on these matters seem terribly odd for modern western readers. His xenophobic and misogynistic views, as well as his frequent calls for violence to resolve situations, and his obsession with death and the supression of one's own desires and personality for the master, make this an often uncomfortable read. It is not surprising that Hagakure became popular among fascists in Imperial Japan during the 1930s.
The book also has some sections of wisdom, but these are sometimes countered by Yamamoto's bizarre outlook on life. Here is a selection of some of his sayings, some good, some bad, while others are simply quixotic:
" Covetousness, anger and foolishness are things to sort out well. When bad things happen in the world, if you look at them comparatively, they are not unrelated to these three things. Looking comparatively at the good things, you will see that they are not excluded from wisdom, humanity and bravery."
"The late Jin'emon said that it is better not to bring up daughters. They are a blemish to the family name and a shame to the parents. The eldest daughter is special, but it is better to disregard the others."
"If you cut a face lengthwise, urinate on it, and trample on it with straw sandles, it is said the skin will come off. This was heard by the priest Gyojaku when he was in Kyoto. It is information to be treasured."
"The Master took a book from its box. When he opened it there was a smell of drying clovebuds."
These are are just a few examples from among hundreds. Sometimes Yamamoto contradicts himself. He argues against rashness in one section, while in another he complains that the Forty Seven Ronin did not act quickly enough to avenge their dead master, a rash act that would have seen them fail. That said, it is those very same contradictions that often reminds us that he was only human. This is a fascianting look into the long dead samurai culture, with plenty of anecdotes to make you think. That said, it shouldn't be seen as guide book for life in the 21st century, but rather as an incredible historical document. A must read for anyone with an interest in the samurai or Feudal Japanese Culture.
Ignore the cheesy title... April 20, 2006
28 out of 40 found this review helpful
If one had to choose a single text to be stranded on an island with, then you could find no better work than this. The more I read this book the higher up my 'ranking' it goes, to the point where it has toppled Mencius:Mencius (D.C.Lau translation) of the top spot and pushed Confucius:The Analects (D.C.Lau translation) into third place. Congratulations HA GA KU RE!
I appreciate that the title 'The Book of the Samurai' is fairly cheesy, and riding on the back of Tom's 'Last Samurai' (a highly admirable film, incidentally) one is inclined to feel that there is some wobbly 'Samurai Bandwagon' rolling into town and the party had best be avoided, but not so. HA GA KU RE (hidden by the leaves) is a work of immense beauty and wisdom, a rare breed indeed. A book penned around 1700 that is as relevant to your life today as any 'healing' or 'self-help' book will ever be, only MORE so. What HA GA KU RE truly delivers is not hippy-dippy fake compassion and moral guidance based upon the lowest common denominator. What it offers is a 6 O'clock roll call awoken by a cold shower and a mirror shoved in your sleepy face so that you can see yourself all puffed up in the morning and your hair standing on end. You are NOT beautiful, you simply ARE.
Page after page this book is filled to the brim with startlingly obvious and brilliantly simple maxims, ideas, quotations and distilled wisdom that will offer a torch-light to anyone out their who is lost and looking to get back to the Way. The truth be told, whether you approach this book from a Bushido perspective, a historical perspective, a Zen perspective or a Cha No Yuu perspective, your cannot help but feel honoured to be reading such an insightful text. And whichever is your chosen Way one thing is sure, it will bring together a number of other areas of your life, or your interest in things Japanese, polish them all up and give them a whole new lease of life.
N.B. I think that due credit must be given to William Scott Wilson for his perfect translation
 'Zen Flesh, Zen bones' for those with a dark side ! August 6, 2005
13 out of 20 found this review helpful
Buy the 2000/2001 reprint edition of the paperback as it has
included the illustrations and calligraphy, etc that are in the
hardback version. The cover is very slightly different too, the
Samurai symbol is bigger and nearer the bottom of the cover.Anyway, I really like this book. If you like pearls of Oriental
wisdom buy this, if it's too disturbing, buy Zen flesh, Zen bones! You can pick up Hagakure for ten seconds at any time and read a
two or three line segment which might shock you, make you laugh
or even give you one of those 'enlightened/profound' feelings. For martial artists, sift through it, there's LOADS of very
good advice.
 Some nice quotes, but generally just wacky. February 23, 2005
25 out of 34 found this review helpful
Anyone interested in Japanese feudalism and the arts
risen from it, not to mention WWII should read this
book, or at least read it on-line as it's available
in it's entirety on several sites.
Those who have seen the film Ghost Dog will have already
'read' the best quotes from the book, as there are some
delightfully quirky quotes in there.
Personally what I find most distasteful about hagakure
is that it is negatively Confucian. The Samurai's be all
and end-all is to serve and die. Not so glamorous !
Also an over-obsession with ritual suicide throughout.
Remember the author was a retired member of the Samurai
class, not a warrior. His only killings were performing
executions. This book is a lament about the decline of
true Bushido (from the author's perspective), and hence
it is a book that was used to foster self sacrifice during
WWII. Also interesting is the mentions of Shodo: initiation
into male homosexuality which most samurai practiced, and
is conveniently glossed over by the macho 'martial' folks.
All in all recommended as the most 'different' Samurai book.
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