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Book Description
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ONE WHO IS SUPPOSED to be a warrior considers if his foremost concern to keep death in mind at all times, every day and every night, from the morning of New Year's Day though the night of New Year's Eve. Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Clear, Concise & Practicable,
This review is from: Code Of The Samurai (Hardcover)
The reason I love this book as I do is because of the strength, clarity and conviction evident in the language used to state and defend its recommendations on how one ought to live. The opening passage stirs and steels the soul, even so many years after it was first written: "One who is supposed to be a warrior considers it his foremost concern to keep death in mind at all times, every day and every night, from the morning of New Year's Day through the night of New Year's Eve." At first blush, you may think that this is a martially-focused work, encouraging violent tendencies in the individual, but nothing could be further from the case. Much of the text revolves around how the individual's tempers and inclinations should be moderated by the obligations of duty to cause and family. The most significant source of its appeal, I believe, lies in its secularity; regardless of your religious persuasion, you will be able to take practicable advice from its pages.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still applicable today,
By
This review is from: Code Of The Samurai (Hardcover)
At first glance, this is just a wonderful historical relic. It's stiff and formal, as you might expect of a guide to proper behavior. It was meant to guide young men of the warrior class in an era when war was a fading memory. Even in its day, somewhere around 1700AD, during the Tokugawa era, it was probably a bit old-fashioned.For all that, Shigesuke's advice is remarkably applicable to modern society. Things like loyalty to an employer have almost gone out of style. Today's employers are different, but some employees need the reminder that a paycheck imposes obligations on the receiver. The advice about treating one's wife with courtesy is painfully up to date, as counter-examples in every day's news will show. The idea of maintaining professional skills, even when not immediately needed, is still quite current. So are the needs for basic skills in social setting and for basic education. I am not a student of martial arts. I am a participant in today's business world. This slim volume still has something to say to me, in this different place and century.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Death is the central issue...,
By
This review is from: Code Of The Samurai (Hardcover)
In a time of peace, at the end of the Tokugawa regime, (1603-1867), the Samurai extended their duties into the administrative class, developing from mere 'attendants' to philosophers, scholars, physicians, and teachers, creating concise systems of mental and moral training. This class influenced the country's culture in profound ways, which continues to be felt and seen in modern day Japan. Fearing that the Samurai would lose their basic purpose and essential character, author Taira Shigesuke, (1639-1730) a Confucian scholar, wrote this handbook for the novice knight. For the beginning knight, this book would have been indispensable, in terms of conducting oneself in the true spirit of the Samurai. The book is structured in three parts, including subjects ranging from education, familial duty, frugality, courtesy and respect, laziness, discretion to military service, vassalage and loyalty to dealing with one's superiors. What is so valuable about this book for the modern western reader is that it provides age-old ethical guidelines that are exceedingly practical and relevant to the present day. Central to the Samurai philosophy is the notion of concerning oneself daily with death. Shigesuke emphasises from the outset, that, "As long as you keep death in mind at all times, you will also fulfil the ways of loyalty and familial duty." In other words, everything else follows from this basic attitude - a long life, and a character that will improve and virtue that will grow. This makes sense, of course, because as the author points out, when you think your time here will last, you're inclined to take it for granted, thereby saying things you shouldn't say and letting important matters slide because "...it can always be done tomorrow." This powerful little book is as compelling and relevant as it was over 400 hundred years ago. It will not take more than an hour to read, but its contents hold treasures that should be referred back to in order to remind one that life is short and should never be taken for granted. This book is also recommended to students of Asian studies as it provides a fundamental understanding of Japanese culture.
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