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A review by jatinnagpal
Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo
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.