| NOTA |
()(Translated by William Scott Wilson)(Hagakure (LIn the Shadow of LeavesL) is a manual for the samurai classes consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction in the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido --the Way of the Warrior. It is not a book of philosophy as most would understand the word : it is a collection of thoughts and sayings recorded over a period of seven years, and as such covers a wide variety of subjects, often in no particular sequence.@^The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism. It possesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Nabeshima fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations of Japanese, among whom Yukio Mishima was a notable example.@Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659-1719) was a samurai retainer of the Saga clan before retiring to a hermitage near Saga Castle in Kyushu. This was brought about by his being legally prohibited in the 1660s from following his lord, Nabeshima Mitsushige, in death, a samurai practice forbidden by the Tokugawa shogunate and the governing body of the Nabeshima fief. Though he expressed an interest in poetry from an early age, Yamamoto is known only for Hagakure, a work transcribed by younger samurai over a period of seven years.@^William Scott Wilson was born in 1944 in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in Florida. He received B.A. degrees from Dartmouth College and the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, and an M.A. in Japanese literary studies from the University of Washington. His long-selling translations of LHagakureL, LThe Unfettered MindL, and LTaikoL have become standards. His most recent translation is a new rendition of Miyamoto MusashiLs LThe Book of Five RingsL.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
Print Page