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jatinnagpal's review against another edition
3.0
Well-written? Certainly not. I presume it was intended to be a bunch of scrolls by someone who prided himself for being in a society where military valour mattered over your glib, mainly for people of his extended family to learn the important principles of being a Samurai in feudal Japan. Also to be passed down as oral stories for inspiration of sorts. So yes, for a real modern book, it is pretty badly written.
Would I still recommend someone to read it? Depends. I can imagine people getting offended by its contents because modern westernised values are just different. However, at the very least, it is an interesting read.
Edit: From other reviews I've gathered that the author wasn't actually a warrior. That affects the purpose and my other presumptions, but doesn't affect the review much. Still, the purpose of the book was to save an idolised version of samurais in case the peace ever came to an end. Just keep in mind that it's written by someone who hadn't seen much of actual war directly and had been basically dismissed from service, living like a hermit. Though that's a good reason for romanticising an older era when he would've felt a greater purpose, he isn't a credible authority over how wars are pure and beautiful.
Would I still recommend someone to read it? Depends. I can imagine people getting offended by its contents because modern westernised values are just different. However, at the very least, it is an interesting read.
Edit: From other reviews I've gathered that the author wasn't actually a warrior. That affects the purpose and my other presumptions, but doesn't affect the review much. Still, the purpose of the book was to save an idolised version of samurais in case the peace ever came to an end. Just keep in mind that it's written by someone who hadn't seen much of actual war directly and had been basically dismissed from service, living like a hermit. Though that's a good reason for romanticising an older era when he would've felt a greater purpose, he isn't a credible authority over how wars are pure and beautiful.
sugarpop's review against another edition
5.0
Very entertaining read. The book offers great insight on the importantness of correct beheading techniques and also perfumed hair routines. I now know to look for a husband who can do both and has a mustache.
Would read again.
Would read again.
iamericat22's review against another edition
3.0
This book goes way back...like approximately the year 1709 back. As such, it has some proverbial wisdom and some really dated crazy stuff.
The book involves sayings from Tsunetomo who was a Samurai to a Lord who looked down on the practice of Seppuku (disemboweling yourself with a sword) and therefore forbid his warriors to do so upon his death. This led to Tsunetomo becoming a monk and spewing his good ole days story to anyone who would listen.
These stories in Hagakure mainly involve who Seppuku'ed who. Living with honor and not fearing death is a central theme. There are some nuggets of wisdom about living a good life, but there's also some hate speech against women and talk of how best to behead a man. All advice may not be applicable to your life, but do what you will with it. For my part, my rating is on its usefulness to present day and readability (very easy).
#3StarRead
The book involves sayings from Tsunetomo who was a Samurai to a Lord who looked down on the practice of Seppuku (disemboweling yourself with a sword) and therefore forbid his warriors to do so upon his death. This led to Tsunetomo becoming a monk and spewing his good ole days story to anyone who would listen.
These stories in Hagakure mainly involve who Seppuku'ed who. Living with honor and not fearing death is a central theme. There are some nuggets of wisdom about living a good life, but there's also some hate speech against women and talk of how best to behead a man. All advice may not be applicable to your life, but do what you will with it. For my part, my rating is on its usefulness to present day and readability (very easy).
#3StarRead
melanchthon2017's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
An absolute classic! You have to abstract some lessons for the Japanese swordsmen of the past but you can really learn something for the present.
eelsmac's review against another edition
2.0
2 parts Eastern philosophy (1 part specifically Confucian piety), 2 parts toxic masculinity. To sum up the whole of the book very briefly: because piety many people committed seppuku, also don't yawn in public.
rotorguy64's review against another edition
2.0
The first third of this book was fairly interesting, but by the end, it has devolved into descriptions of random acts of barbarism. Servants committing suicide over petty failures, arbitrary executions, spontaneous killigs fueled by nothing but a hurt ego, page after page. No context to them, no system behind them, and on a few occassions I didnt even know what lesson the author wanted me to learn. Most of the ones I did understand were about death-worship, how to be subservient to your master, and how to be liked by your peers.
Granted, this book had considerable humorous value. A man whose spinal cord was severed in battle put his head back in place with his hands, was treated with oil and resin, and recovered completely. An incident with a kaishakunin who, upon hearing a comment on his skills at beheading, lost his temper, ripped off the head of the corpse of someone who had just committed seppuku and held it up in the air was described as "rather chilling". There's a page dedicated to explaining why cowardice is the only reason why one wouldn't want to behead a criminal, and a description of how one can flay a decapitated head, by - among other things - urinating on it. The latter is seen by the author as "information to be treasured".
This level of brutality and disregard for life seems to me to be well beyond what was usual at the time. The feuds and territorial wars common in Europe, especially some centuries earlier, were far more civilized than what Hagakure preaches and praises. As the book did have some interesting bits, and as the writing style itself wasn't unpleasant, I'll still rate it with two stars instead of one, despite the immorality and blandness of its philosophy.
Granted, this book had considerable humorous value. A man whose spinal cord was severed in battle put his head back in place with his hands, was treated with oil and resin, and recovered completely. An incident with a kaishakunin who, upon hearing a comment on his skills at beheading, lost his temper, ripped off the head of the corpse of someone who had just committed seppuku and held it up in the air was described as "rather chilling". There's a page dedicated to explaining why cowardice is the only reason why one wouldn't want to behead a criminal, and a description of how one can flay a decapitated head, by - among other things - urinating on it. The latter is seen by the author as "information to be treasured".
This level of brutality and disregard for life seems to me to be well beyond what was usual at the time. The feuds and territorial wars common in Europe, especially some centuries earlier, were far more civilized than what Hagakure preaches and praises. As the book did have some interesting bits, and as the writing style itself wasn't unpleasant, I'll still rate it with two stars instead of one, despite the immorality and blandness of its philosophy.
ttbomb's review against another edition
4.0
I just read Hakagure: The Book of the Samurai. "When faced with a crisis, if one puts some spittle on his earlobe and exhales deeply through his nose, he will overcome anything at hand. This is a secret matter. "
overheat4600's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book full of bizarre tales, ranging from how to remove skin from a skull to reminding a samurai to carry make-up in case his complexion is poor. Some are pithy, several are obscure, many are about ritual suicide.
lucas12345's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Very fun read. Great for anyone interested in the samurai or feudal Japan.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, War, and Suicide