This translation is based on the Hagakure version contained in Saiki Kazuma (et al eds.), Mikawa Monogatari, Hagakure (Nihon Shisō Taikei 26), which I consider to be the most academically rigorous. It is based on the aforementioned Kōhaku Book and makes exhaustive comparisons with the other extant copies, providing many notes which aid in the understanding of the obscure references in the text. I have incorporated relevant notes in the hope that this translation of Hagakure will facilitate the reader’s understanding of this complex yet profoundly interesting window on human experience in eighteenth-century Japan, when warriors struggled to find equilibrium between their honor and the dictates of social order.
Finally, I would like to thank Professor Lachlan Jackson, Professor Uozumi Takashi, Professor Yamaori Tetsuo, Trevor Jones, and my research assistant for this project, Remi Yamaguchi, for their opinions and invaluable assistance in completing this translation.
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1 Bushidō (武士道)—literally “the Way of the warrior.” “Bushi” is the common Japanese word denoting warriors in academic circles, although “samurai” is probably better known in the West. Nowadays, both terms are used interchangeably; however, the word samurai is used most frequently in this book.
2 Tsunetomo is written with the kanji characters 常朝. When Tsunetomo took the tonsure following the death of his lord in 1700, he began using his Buddhist name, Jōchō, which uses the same kanji characters in their on reading. Discussions of Hagakure are divided as to which reading is used. As Hagakure was written after Jōchō became a monk, throughout my translation he is mostly referred to as Jōchō rather than Tsunetomo.
3 The Saga domain is also known as the Hizen domain and Nabeshima domain. It is located in the Hizen province in the modern-day prefecture of Saga on the southern island of Kyushu. The region was originally controlled by the Ryūzōji clan, of whom the Nabeshima were originally vassals. Nabeshima Naoshige became the guardian of Ryūzōji Takanobu’s son, Takafusa, when he was killed in battle in 1584. In 1590 Toyotomi Hideyoshi allowed the Nabeshima clan to usurp the region, and the Ryūzōji hegemony was superseded with Naoshige becoming the first Nabeshima daimyo of the fiefdom.
4 Eiko Ikegami, The Taming of the Samurai, p. 297
5 S. Garon, Molding Japanese Minds, p. 8
6 Kevin Doak, A History of Nationalism in Modern Japan: Placing the People, p. 195
7 H. Befu, Japan: An Anthropological Introduction, pp. 50–52
8 Ikegami, Op. Cit., p. 288
9 Koike Yoshiaki, Hagakure–Bushi to Hōkō, p. 44
10 Motoki Yasuo, Bushi no Seiritsu, p. 1
11 Karl Friday, Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan, p. 6
12 Although the lines were often blurred and inter-class mobility certainly existed, shi-nō-kō-shō represented the social strata enforced by the shogunate which placed samurai at the top of the pyramid, followed by farmers, artisans, and merchants respectively.
13 William R. Lafleur, Awesome Nightfall: The Life, Times, and Poetry of Saigyo, p. 653
14 See the timeline for a chronological list of events outlining the history of the Saga domain from the time of the Ryūzōji clan and the transition to the Nabeshima clan.
15 Olivier Ansart, “Embracing Death: Pure will in Hagakure,” Early Modern Japan: An Interdisciplinary Journal v. 18, (2010): pp. 57–75
IDLE TALK IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT16
Our first meeting was on the fifth day of the third month,
in the seventh year of Hōei (1710).17
How far away from the wretched world,
Are the mountain cherry trees? (Komaru)18
We met at last under the white clouds,
With cherry blossoms blooming.19 (Kisui)20
All retainers of the Nabeshima clan must be familiar with the lore and customs (kokugaku) of the domain.21 It is lamentable that such learning has been neglected of late. Why is it necessary? It helps one understand the origins of the Nabeshima clan, and appreciate the great sacrifices and generosity of the domain’s forefathers to ensure its continued prosperity. Gratitude is owed to Lord Gōchū22 for his compassion and valor, and to Lord Risō23 for his benevolent deeds and faith. For it was thanks to them that the might of Lord Takanobu24 and Lord Nippō25 ensured the clan’s longevity and an enduring, honorable reputation in the world still unmatched.
It is incomprehensible how warriors these days have forgotten the magnitude of these historical events, and even revere unrelated lords instead.26 Sakyamuni, Confucius, Kusunoki Masanari, and Takeda Shingen were never a part of the Ryūzōji-Nabeshima brotherhood, and are not compatible with the customs of our domain. In times of both peace and war, it is important for men of high or low status to revere our own clan’s ancestors and abide by their teachings. Disciples of a school or tradition27 venerate the master of their style. But retainers of the Nabeshima clan need not study anything outside the domain. Only after becoming familiar with the lore of our own principality is it permissible to learn other things. A retainer does not require anything more than a comprehensive understanding