The Art of the Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo

People tend to say “do not judge a book by its cover”. But here I am saying otherwise especially for this book entitled “The Art of the Samurai (Hagakure) by Yamamoto Tsunetomo”.
It is a hardcover with cloth material as its cover (nice, eye-catching orange coloured cover); plus there’s a sliver of book marker sewn into the book itself. Notice the bottom right of the end cover :-)

I have to admit that the title is really enticing too as it touches on bygone era when code of samurai rules the Land of the Rising Sun.
To be frank, I haven’t actually finished the book because:

1. It is a non-fiction. So I kinda get bored after some time :-P
2. It touches on the art of being a samurai. So the reader would have to reinterpret the meaning in the book based on their own understanding.
3. Please refer to Item #1 :-D

Okok, I admit that I’m being bias with this book but I can’t help it. I don’t seem to be able to finish any non-fiction book at all.

Those non-fiction books which I managed to finish (I can count using my fingers mind you) is either really thin or highly readable book like “1421: The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies”.
I’m deviating from book review again :-P

For the uninitiated, this book is written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo; a samurai and a former retainer for Nabeshima Mitsushige; one of the countless ruler of ancient Japan.
It is one of the most important works in the era of feudalistic Japan where code of honour is above everything else.

This book captures the essence of bushidō (“The Way of the Warrior”) in which one will have to prepare himself in such a way that it would be an upmost honour to serve and die for his lord.

In the same breath, it can also be noted that the person who embodies the true spirit of bushidō will live his/her life as though he/she was already dead.
Wait, I can hear the song by Kris Allen – Live Like We’re Dying playing in my head now…hehehe..

Back to the book :-P
While the idea of living like a dead man (no pun intended) might seem like a foreign concept nowadays, it should be noted that the concept of bushidō is seen as an honourable practice during the age of feudalistic Japan.

Thus, as with any historical non-fiction book/literature/codes/laws (Example: The Code of Hammurabi which I’ve read but not finished as well :-P), this book capture the ideal and concept of practices which might be relevant on those bygone era and might not be applicable to our modern lifestyles.

So, it would be up to the reader to reinterpret the meaning of the book based on their own understanding (as mentioned in Item #2) ala Sun-Tzu; Art of War.

p/s: I hope I can be spiritually calm enough to absorb the hidden meanings of this book one day.

Personal rating: N/A

Cons:
1) N/A

Pros:
1) N/A