Overview

Written in the early 18th century by Samurai retainer Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure is the classic exposition of Bushido, the warrior code of the Samurai, divided into a collection of commentaries. Combining elements of both Zen Buddhism and Confucianism, Hagakure teaches a wisdom centered on loyalty, devotion, purity and selflessness, placing a strong emphasis on the notion of living in the present moment with a strong and clear mind. With a focus on living with honour and a willingness to die at any moment in service of a lord, Hagakure was a popular and widely-read guide to Samurai ethics for Japanese soldiers during World War II. This illustrated edition with a brand new modern translation offers hundreds of selected anecdotes from the original, covering topics as wide-ranging as how to avoid selfishness, the importance of paying respect to elders, teachers and parents, gaining self-knowledge through modestly and discipline, committing to a task no matter what the odds are, and how to achieve the state of a pure and uncomplicated mind. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, Hagakure Illustrated is a classic collection of instructive and entertaining sketches, stories and aphorisms reflecting on every aspect of life and death according to Bushido, the moral code of the Samurai.

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9781838864651

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Yamamoto Tsunetomo (山本 常朝), (1659–1719), was a Samurai of the Saga domain in Hizen province under his lord Nabeshima Mitsushige. He became a Zen Buddhist priest and relayed his experiences, memories, lessons, ideas, and aphorisms to the Samurai Tashiro Tsuramoto, who compiled them under the title Hagakure. Melanie Clegg holds a BA (Hons) in Japanese Studies from the University of Oxford. After almost a decade spent in Japan, she now resides in the UK where she works as a freelance Japanese to English translator of video games and other entertainment media. She lives with her husband and their two one-eyed cats.

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