Yukio Mishima,Kathryn Sparling,Yamamoto Tsunetomo
The original ,Hagakure, contains the teachings of the samurai-turned-priest JÅchÅ Yamamoto (1659-1719), and was for generations preserved as moral and practical instructions for ,daimyo, and ,samurai, of Saga Han, a large domain in northwestern Kyushu. It later became known all over Japan, and during the Second World War JÅchÅâ€™s precept â€˜I found that the Way of the Samurai is deathâ€™, became a slogan to spur on Kamikaze pilots. ,But the ,Hagakure, is not only about death. In this, his adaptation and interpretation of it, Yukio Mishima deals with its teachings on action, subjectivity, strength of character, passion and love, and delights in giving prolific examples of JÅchÅâ€™s practical advice from proper behavior at a drinking party to child rearing. In the ,Hagakure,, the most important influence on his life â€“ and his death â€“ Mishima saw striking similarities between his criticisms of materialistic post-war Japan and JÅchÅâ€™s criticisms of the sumptuous decadence of his contemporaries; and it is this emphasis which gives it its immediacy.
Cultural,Japan,Philosophy,Nonfiction,Asian Literature,Japanese Literature,Combat,Martial Arts,Literature,History,Literature,Asian Literature,LGBT,Cultural,Asia
Way Of The Samurai