The Hagakure: Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening, Motivating, 21st Century Warrior Reading.
Review: Critical reading for anyone passionate about the martial arts. This book focuses on the ethical: compassion, honor, class, style, loyalty, grace and self sacrafice of the Samurai. At the same time "empty mind", controling a situation without thought, but with quick and deadly action. No tought of self. Budo. Filled with the ideology of lives lived in historic times, with drastic measures, suicidal to homicidal, that could never be accepted in MOST these 21st century cultures despite the justifications fo those acient WAYS. This awesome book is not only a non-stop read through, it's a glimpse into the past of a lifestyle that could offer remedies to many modern day issues.

Semper Fi and see U on da Mat uke...

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening, Motivating, 21st Century Warrior Reading.
Review: Critical reading for anyone passionate about the martial arts. This book focuses on the ethical: compassion, honor, class, style, loyalty, grace and self sacrafice of the Samurai. At the same time "empty mind", controling a situation without thought, but with quick and deadly action. No tought of self. Budo. Filled with the ideology of lives lived in historic times, with drastic measures, suicidal to homicidal, that could never be accepted in MOST these 21st century cultures despite the justifications fo those acient WAYS. This awesome book is not only a non-stop read through, it's a glimpse into the past of a lifestyle that could offer remedies to many modern day issues.

Semper Fi and see U on da Mat uke...

Rating:
Summary: Translation form the heart and spirit.
Review: I have been an avid student of The Hagakure most of my life, partly because I love martial arts, but mostly because I love studying perspectives on my heritage. There are several good translations available, but this one seems to better capture the true spirit of the Samurai. In some of the translations I've read it is obvious that the writer knew how to translate the words, but had little or no understanding of the concepts and philosophies that they were teaching.

A very famous line from one translation says. "The Way of the Samurai is found in death." This is an accurate word for word translation but it misses the real intent of Master Tsunetomo. What this says is that the highest achievement of the warrior was to die, but in reality what the samurai wanted was to kill many opponents and if they had to die to do so in the most brave and admirable way possible. Tarver's translation says, "The way of the warrior is fulfilled in death." This subtle difference seems to better capture the idea of duty, bravery, and loyalty culminating in a final end of the warrior rather than the warrior seeking death from the start.

That is just one of many examples but it clearly points out the difference one word can make. Found vs. Fulfilled.

I really enjoyed this book and I am sure any true student of the Samurai ways will also.