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Hagakure
- The Book of the Samurai
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
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Hagakure
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Summary
Living and dying with bravery and honor is at the heart of Hagakure, a series of texts written by an 18th-century samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo. It is a window into the samurai mind, illuminating the concept of bushido (the Way of the Warrior), which dictated how samurai were expected to behave, conduct themselves, live, and die. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Nabeshima clan to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought. The original Hagakure consists of over 1,300 short texts that Tsunetomo dictated to a younger samurai over a seven-year period. William Scott Wilson has selected and translated here 300 of the most representative of those texts to create an accessible distillation of this guide for samurai. No other translator has so thoroughly and eruditely rendered this text into English.
For this edition, Wilson has added a new introduction that casts Hagakure in a different light than ever before. Tsunetomo refers to bushido as "the Way of death", a description that has held a morbid fascination for readers over the years. But in Tsunetomo's time, bushido was a nuanced concept that related heavily to the Zen concept of muga, the "death" of the ego. Wilson's revised introduction gives the historical and philosophical background for that more metaphorical reading of Hagakure, and through this lens, the classic takes on a fresh and nuanced appeal.
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What listeners say about Hagakure
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Eleanor
- 30-09-21
A look into how it really was
I think I was expecting to learn life lessons from this and develop my values. Rather than that, it's a look into the samurai world on a more menial and realistic level. It probably won't guide you on your ideals, but will highlight some old fashioned views on women, yawning, art (a sin), letting strangers use your toilet etc. The overall book is disjointed too, as the translator mentions. The writer appeared to write down whatever he thought at the time.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tyler
- 03-10-16
Samurai
Thought provoking and enlightening read. Well translated and interpreted. Definitely recommend for anybody with an open mind!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Neil
- 23-01-24
Interesting
I'm not really sure what I was expecting from this book but it came across as highly academic and not particularly easy digestion for the layman.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-06-23
Incredible book.
This is an amazing book and is valuable even in this day and age. I recommend it wherever I go.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrew F.
- 13-08-22
Great book on the way of the Samurai
An excellent book on various accounts of Samurai as well as learning of their discipline.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 15-07-22
A good listen!
If the samurai-mentality is of your interest this book is quite illuminating and very interesting!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Martin D.
- 10-02-22
Well presented
I have read this book multiple times so when I saw it available as an audible I grabbed it.
Brian Nishii presents the book well and did far better justice than my silent reading of all those foreign place and personal names does.
The information is interesting though I daresay will make more sense to those who practice Japanese martial arts. Gives a different view of Samurai than some books by Westerners have done over the years, some good anecdotes and sayings.
I'll listen to this one again sometime. And I've downloaded a couple more Brian Nishii narrated books, he grows on me. :)
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jack
- 15-07-21
Insightful
Good life lessons
Some stories lost in translation however
If you're looking for moral guidance check it out
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-08-20
A modern interpretation of old text is still old
This was a fascinating listen and gave me all the insights I imagined I would gain from such a book. While the narrator does a great job it is still quite a dry listen in places. Do not let this deter you though, just chose your place to listen to it wisely.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- IM1
- 17-01-20
would be better as physical book
Japanese words are difficult to understand and remember for non Japanese readers/ listeners. would certainly be better as a physical book.
didn't work for me.
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