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Hagakure - Book of the Samurai
 
 
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Hagakure - Book of the Samurai (Paperback)

by Yamamoto Tsunetomo (Author), William S. Wilson (Author) "Although it stands to reason that a samurai should be mindful of the Way of the Samurai, it would seem that we are all negligent..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 180 pages
  • Publisher: Kodansha International Ltd; Reissue edition (Mar 1992)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 4770011067
  • ISBN-13: 978-4770011060
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11.2 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 120,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Review
"A Classic of Japanese thought....Poetic, robust...a feast of aphorisms and martial anecdotes." -The New York Review of Books
"HAGAKURE became a kind of magical discovery for me, and 'hidden under its leaves' were some important gifts." -Jim Jarmusch
"A fascinating glimpse into another place and time." -Library Journal
"Yamamoto brought together three temperaments: loyalty to his master, a literary sensibility, and the enlightenment of Zen." -Choice
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Prof. Ivan Morris
"The most influential of all samurai treatises ever written. " --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Although it stands to reason that a samurai should be mindful of the Way of the Samurai, it would seem that we are all negligent. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
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 (8)
3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourite books, 1 Mar 2004
By Henry S. Baker (Plymouth, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (Paperback)
Despite being written 300 years ago in Japan, this book contains so much wisdom and insight that can be successfully applied to modern life. It is very easy to read because it is made up of short passages usually only a paragraph long, so it is excellent to read a few pages at a time for a little inspiration. The stories are sometimes funny, and frequently confusing and illogical to the western mind which makes it a great read. This book is a great insight into the philosophy and mindset of the samurai. I would recommend it to anyone, and it makes a great gift.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Learn the true meaning of Seppuku, 17 May 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (Paperback)
Hagakure may be familiar to anyone who has seen the film 'Ghost Dog'. It contains anecdotes relating to the way of the samurai, but can be (unfairly) summarised as follows: the way of the samurai lies in death, death must be contemplated on a daily basis, even the slightest example of disrespect should be met by immediate and fatal remedy. In particular, seppuku (hiri kiri) is the noble and glorious end to virtually all anecdotes.

It is a remarkable book, and probably the most interesting of the Samurai guides (eg Book of Five Rings). However, it should be remembered that Hagakure was considered exceptionally fundamentalist when it was written (17th century) and was disapproved of due to its overemphasis on death.

It was also a favourite text of Yukio Mishima, which if you know about Mishima, tells its own story.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Face death with dignity, 18 Jan 2005
This review is from: Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (Paperback)
The beauty of this book is the fact that it can be picked up and opened at any page and you will find a paragraph or event that will captivate you and urge you to read on, discovering an insight to the bottled up world of feudal Japan, from the sacred code of the Samuari to the work of an ordinary peasent.

As you make your way through the book you can easily relate some of the events to your own everyday encounters with the world (with exempt to cutting down passers by over seemingly minor reasons), this is a book that dosent try to educate or be something its not but is naturally bursting with politeness and touching to read.

This book has great meaning to me as it helped my way of thinking. Do not hesitate buy this book, you wont regret it.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars SAMURAI FOR BEGINNERS
it's okay, but I didn't go crazy for this kind of simple wisdom. if you want a first bite about samurai lifestyle and code of honour, it's a good buy, though...
Published 2 months ago by Carlo Muttoni

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional book
Hagakure is a truly exceptional book. It cuts straight and deep and finds the epitomy of the way of the Samurai. Read more
Published 2 months ago by A. Vrakas

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, well worth a look
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. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. N. Wildman

4.0 out of 5 stars A Strange and Fascinating Little Book
It is very diffcult to define Hagakure, it's strange and fascinating, yet also rather repugnant in some of its views. Read more
Published 11 months ago by D. Evans

4.0 out of 5 stars Ignore the cheesy title...
If one had to choose a single text to be stranded on an island with, then you could find no better work than this. Read more
Published on 20 April 2006 by Andrew Woollock

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Zen Flesh, Zen bones' for those with a dark side !
Buy the 2000/2001 reprint edition of the paperback as it has
included the illustrations and calligraphy, etc that are in the
hardback version. Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars Some nice quotes, but generally just wacky.
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... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Hagakure - i agree, good book for the open minded
i think that the book may be difficult to understand for alot of people, even i read through things more than once but if is truly interested in the way, this is a great book. Read more
Published on 21 Jul 2003 by yucali

5.0 out of 5 stars Open Minding Reading Changed My Outlook
I read this book, along with Miyamoto's 5 Rings, as a little side to martial art training, and I fully believe Yamamoto's pearls of wisdom have altered my attitude. Read more
Published on 1 May 2003 by Dominic Marr

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly inspirational and insightful book
I had been meaning to buy this book for a while, but know that I have finally gotten around to it; I wish I had done it sooner. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2002 by dannyboy_1234uk@hotmail.com

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