Hagakure

Jatin reviewed Hagakure by Tsunetomo Yamamoto

Review of 'Hagakure' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Well-written? Certainly not. I presume it was intended to be a bunch of scrolls by someone who prided himself for being in a society where military valour mattered over your glib, mainly for people of his extended family to learn the important principles of being a Samurai in feudal Japan. Also to be passed down as oral stories for inspiration of sorts. So yes, for a real modern book, it is pretty badly written.

Would I still recommend someone to read it? Depends. I can imagine people getting offended by its contents because modern westernised values are just different. However, at the very least, it is an interesting read.

Edit: From other reviews I've gathered that the author wasn't actually a warrior. That affects the purpose and my other presumptions, but doesn't affect the review much. Still, the purpose of the book was to save an idolised version of samurais …

Well-written? Certainly not. I presume it was intended to be a bunch of scrolls by someone who prided himself for being in a society where military valour mattered over your glib, mainly for people of his extended family to learn the important principles of being a Samurai in feudal Japan. Also to be passed down as oral stories for inspiration of sorts. So yes, for a real modern book, it is pretty badly written.

Would I still recommend someone to read it? Depends. I can imagine people getting offended by its contents because modern westernised values are just different. However, at the very least, it is an interesting read.

Edit: From other reviews I've gathered that the author wasn't actually a warrior. That affects the purpose and my other presumptions, but doesn't affect the review much. Still, the purpose of the book was to save an idolised version of samurais in case the peace ever came to an end. Just keep in mind that it's written by someone who hadn't seen much of actual war directly and had been basically dismissed from service, living like a hermit. Though that's a good reason for romanticising an older era when he would've felt a greater purpose, he isn't a credible authority over how wars are pure and beautiful.

markm reviewed Hagakure by Tsunetomo Yamamoto

Review of 'Hagakure' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

If you learn one thing from this book, it is that advice is cheap.

Dan Oglesby reviewed Hagakure by Tsunetomo Yamamoto (Way of the Warrior)

Review of 'Hagakure' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Although it has some good advice, this treatment of the Bushido also has some very bad ideas. Portions are interesting in that they offer insight into the mind of a dedicated retainer in the Shogunate but there seems to be an arbitrary character to the philosophy as a whole. Serving the master (whether he's good or bad) under all circumstances and following orders even to the point of death might make sense in a feudal system but that level of loyalty resulted in a number of clear injustices in the stories told by Yamamoto. The emphasis on loyalty and death-seeking might make formidable warriors but they also create atrocities and needless slaughter. Many stories involved minor slights being met with extreme violence and I think that's indicative of the overemphasis on the life of the warrior in that society.

Fulminata reviewed Hagakure by Tsunetomo Yamamoto

Review of 'Hagakure' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An excellent look into the mind of a mid 17th Century samurai as to how he viewed the way of Bushido. It really helped bring together some of the concepts of Bushido that I've read about elsewhere, although I don't think it would be a good introduction to those concepts.

As a source of philosophy for modern life, I think it needs to be treated very carefully. There are some really good bits of insight, but nothing that you couldn't get from just about anyone who has managed to live four of five decades and had a bit of time to ponder things. Mixed in with that insight is some absolute horseshit (literally in the case of a recommended treatment for wounds).

Recommended for anyone who has done prior reading on the history of Japan, but not as an introductory text.