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(*)Translated by William Scott Wilson (★)(1.The dawn of the seventeenth century saw peace descend on Japan. With the value of their martial skills on the decline, the samurai sought new spiritual, moral, psychological, and physical moorings. Yamamoto Tsunetomo, author of the classic´Hagakure´, combined a Confucian sense of justice with a Zen-influenced abandonment of the ego to espouse loyalty and death as paramount qualities of the samurai´s calling. Kaibara Ekiken, a samurai physician with philosophical and Buddhist leanings, took the opposite approach. He sought ways for a healthier, more rewarding life. In his´Yojokun : Life Lessons from a Samurai´, he collected six decades of study and observation to compile one of the most remarkable commentaries of his age. Ekiken´s sweep was vast. While serving as chief medical doctor and healer to the Kuroda clan, he soon came to understand that physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the samurai were connected. He combined his knowledge of holistic health, the principles of ch´i [the natural force that pervades all things] and´jin´[human heartedness], Buddhism, Confucianism, and the art of living. He addressed concerns that ran from mental and physical health to spiritual matters. His discourses examined the intake of food and drink, sexual practices, sustaining stamina and health from youth to old age, overindulgence and restraint, bathing, healthy habits, amd more. And throughout his discussion he wove a subtle but potent spiritual and philosophical thread. Ekiken´s basic premise is simple : at birth, we are all given, with rare exception, a body meant to last 100 years. How we take care of it mentally, spiritually, and physically determines whether we will live out our life to the fullest, and enjoy it to the limit. The key lies in moderation, controlling our desires, appreciating the right things, and regulating the life force within. With copious notes based on the Chinese classics, his medical practice, extensive travel, and the life all around him, the samurai doctor slowly unveils his Way of Nurturing Life, a method surprisingly intuitive and startlingly appropriate even today, nearly 300 years after it was first written. Treasured by the Japanese for three centuries and still a brisk seller in its native land, this classic offers a wealth of wisdom and insights from an educated, powerfully observant samurai gentlemen that remains relevant to this day. 2.Born in 1630 to a samurai family during the lifetime of renowned swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, Kaibara Ekiken[1630-1714] was a samurai physician and neo-Confucian scholar who eventually became known for his intellect and wide interests, which encompassed a myriad of subjects, including Confucianism, Buddhism, education, history, herbal remedies, spiritual issues, and philosophy. But earlier in his career, he fell into disfavor with his lord and was stripped of his income and forced to become a ´ronin´[a wandering unemployed samurai]. After being reinstated by the new daimyo lord of the Fukuoka region, he began an intense period of study in Kyoto, where he met some of the luminaries of the time. Kaibara became known for his keen intellect and wide interests. He published a number of books, one of his last being the´Yojokun´, released when he was 84. 3.William Scott Wilson was born in 1944 and grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College in 1966, he was invited by a friend to join a three-month kayak trip up the coast of Japan from Shimonoseki to Tokyo. This eye-opening journey, beautifully documented in´National Geographic´, spurred Wilson´s fascination with the culture and history of Japan. After receiving a B.A. degree in political science from Dartmouth, Wilson earned a second B.A. in Japanese language and literature from the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies in Monterey, California, then undertook extensive research on Edo-oeriod [1603-1868] philosophy at the Aichi Prefectural University, in Nagoya, Japan. Wilson completed his first translation,´Hagakure´, while living in an old farmhouse deep in the Japanese countryside.´Hagakure´saw publication in 1979, the same year Wilson completed an M.A. in Japanese language and literature at the University of Washington. Two decades after its initial publication, Hagakure was prominently featured in the Jim Jarmusch film´Ghost Dog´. Wilson´s other translations include´The Book of Five Rings´,´The Life-Giving Sword´,´The Unfettered Mind´, The Eiji Yoshikawa novel´Taiko´,´The Flowering Spirit : Classic Teachings in the Art of Noo´, and´Ideals of the Samurai´, whicha has been used as a college textbook on Japanese history and thought. Wilson is also the author of the´The Lone Samurai´, a best-selling study of the life of legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Traveling frequently to Japan for research and pleasure, Wilson currently lives in Miami, Florida.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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