Hagakure

The Book in 1 Sentence

The ramblings of an old man about service to their Liege Lord and the state of young warriors.

Brief Review

If you are looking for a book that speaks to the ideas presented in The Last Samurai, this isn't it. This book is the written word of a Samurai Monk takes by his apprentice. I am not sure what else to say. As with any collection of ramblings, some are good and some are down right stupid.

Why I Read this book

I started reading this in July 2021 when attempting to find more information about a Zen mindset. I know from history and other books, that Samurai means to serve and also had a more Buddhist mindset. When looking for books, I ran across this one and learned that at one point it was banned in Japan, so I expected it to be good.

In-Depth Review (Favorite Quotes)

I really debated not writing this review. It has taken me over two years to read this as there is no coherence to what is happening. It feels like some lord just said "Write down what I am saying" while they are on their deathbed.

There is an entire section talking about how the warriors of now don't have someone to look up to or are lazy, but the Shogun says "There is this guy who is a good servant, there is this guy who is good at logistics, but no one for the warriors to follow as a whole." I mean, what world do they think there is a perfect person? I just don't understand.

Also, on that note, I don't understand why this book was banned. I honestly don't remember where I heard/read that, maybe the Forward of this book, but this reddit post talk about this book being propaganda before WWII to justify the expansion of Japan. Also, funny note, there is a bot in the Subreddit that defines words, and it's definition of Hagakure is: "Hagakure: Noun. A book of propaganda by a bitter failure of an old man who was obsessed with the days of yore and was forced into retirement for being too grumpy."

I feel this book isn't what I thought it was and that is probably part of why it took me so long to read it. Also, I will say that this was the working title for John Wick 4 during production and I thought that was cool.

How my life / behavior / thoughts / ideas have changed as a result of reading the book.

There are a couple lines that I thought prudent to save. The first, "Irrespective of the undertaking, sincerity is of the essence," really speaks to the idea of moving with a sense of purpose. My wife and I complain about that with a lot of people in the world now just lollygag around. This is a nice bit of history to explain that feeling of needing to move with sincerity or purpose.

The second line I saved was "One cannot achieve remarkable deeds without flexibility. It is said, “When a man achieves something great, minor blunders are not to be dwelt upon as ‘undutiful.’" I am an advocate of leaders supporting their direct reports with training and mentorship. Failure is only a failure when there is not learning. This is a great reflection of that and the idea that to achieve your goals, you will need to be flexible in that achievement.

Rating

Like I said, this is the ramblings of an old man that are sometimes good and sometimes bad. Mostly bad. I 100% think this book is just not what the author proposes it to be. It is a 3. At best. For someone so grumpy.

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