Bushido: The Way of the Samurai FROM THE PUBLISHER
In eighteenth-century Japan, Tsunetomo Yamamoto created the
Hagakure, a document that served as the basis for samurai warrior
behavior. For the next two hundred years, the Hagakure was
secretly circulated among the "awakened" samurai--the samurai elite. In
1906, the book was first made available to the general Japanese public,
and until 1945, its guiding principles greatly influenced the Japanese
ruling class--particularly those individuals in military power. However,
the spirit of the Hagakure touched a deeper nerve in Japanese
society. It was this book that shaped the underlying character of the
Japanese psyche, from businessmen to politicians, from students to
soldiers.
Bushido: The Way of the Samurai is the first English
translation of the Hagakure. From its opening line, "I have found
the essence of Bushido: to die!" this work provides a powerful message
aimed at the spirit, body, and mind of the samurai warrior. It offers
beliefs that are difficult for the Western mind to embrace, yet
fascinating in their pursuit of absolute service. By reading this book,
one can better put into perspective the historical path that Japan has
taken for the last three hundred years, and gain greater insight into
the Japan of today.
Tsunetomo Yamamoto was born in 1659 and devoted his adult life to
the service of his Shogun master, Lord Mitsushige Nabeshima, and his
clan, rising to become a highly respected samurai warrior. Upon his
master's death in 1700, Yamamoto renounced the world and retired to a
hermitage. While at his retreat, a close friend and disciple recorded
Yamamoto's thoughts and ideas on what it meant to be a Japanese warrior.
Although Yamamoto requested that the work never be published, the
Hagakure--literally meaning "hidden behind the leaves"--did
survive, influencing the development of a culture and serving as the
basis of Bushido, the way of the samurai.
Minoru Tanaka, translator, is a professor of English at a college
in Kyoto, Japan. He has taught English to Japanese speakers for the past
thirty years.
Justin F. Stone, editor, is an accomplished writer, musician,
poet, and artist. He is fluent in the Japanese language and is a Master
of T'ai Chi. Over the past thirty years, Stone has traveled extensively
throughout Japan. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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