The speaker in the Hagakure is Yamamoto Tsunetomo. He was born in 1659, and was a samurai of the Saga Domain in Hizen Province under the lord Nabeshima Mitsushige. He spent thirty years devoting his life to his clan and lord.
When Yamamoto’s lord died in 1700, he didn’t choose to follow his lord in death in a practice called junshi, because his lord didn’t like the practice. After having a few arguments with his lord’s successor, Yamamoto repudiated the world and left to go live in the mountains. Sometime between 1709 and 1716, Yamamoto narrated many of his thoughts to another samurai named Tashiro Tsuramoto. Many of these thoughts were related to Yamamoto’s lord’s father and grandfather and how the samurai caste was beginning to fail. All of these thoughts were recorded and published in 1716 under the name of Hagakure, which can be translated as either “In the Shadow of Leaves” or “Hidden Leaves”.
Although the Hagakure shares many interesting thoughts that anyone could enjoy, it is mainly directed towards warriors. Yamamoto is speaking about issues within the Samurai lifestyle, and is sharing his …show more content…
He believed that having a resolve to die gave way to a better state of life that would be filled with a beauty and grace that goes beyond the grasp of those who are preoccupied with the idea of self-preservation. He wanted others to listen to his thoughts on life and death and to hopefully adapt their ideas to relate more closely to his.
The Hagakure is both a spiritual and practical life application guide for Samurai warriors containing the personal thoughts of its author, Yamamoto Tsunetomo.
The tone of the Hagakure resembles the tone of a teacher speaking to their students. It is informative and shows the author’s personal thoughts and feelings, and is not written in an overly harsh or gentle
When Yamamoto’s lord died in 1700, he didn’t choose to follow his lord in death in a practice called junshi, because his lord didn’t like the practice. After having a few arguments with his lord’s successor, Yamamoto repudiated the world and left to go live in the mountains. Sometime between 1709 and 1716, Yamamoto narrated many of his thoughts to another samurai named Tashiro Tsuramoto. Many of these thoughts were related to Yamamoto’s lord’s father and grandfather and how the samurai caste was beginning to fail. All of these thoughts were recorded and published in 1716 under the name of Hagakure, which can be translated as either “In the Shadow of Leaves” or “Hidden Leaves”.
Although the Hagakure shares many interesting thoughts that anyone could enjoy, it is mainly directed towards warriors. Yamamoto is speaking about issues within the Samurai lifestyle, and is sharing his …show more content…
He believed that having a resolve to die gave way to a better state of life that would be filled with a beauty and grace that goes beyond the grasp of those who are preoccupied with the idea of self-preservation. He wanted others to listen to his thoughts on life and death and to hopefully adapt their ideas to relate more closely to his.
The Hagakure is both a spiritual and practical life application guide for Samurai warriors containing the personal thoughts of its author, Yamamoto Tsunetomo.
The tone of the Hagakure resembles the tone of a teacher speaking to their students. It is informative and shows the author’s personal thoughts and feelings, and is not written in an overly harsh or gentle