Book Analysis Essay on Hagakure

Introduction

Hagakure is a book that shows practical and spiritual guidelines for a Warrior that comes from the commentaries of Yamamoto Tsunetomo. The headlines in the book were written between the year 1709 to the year 1716. However, the book was not published until several years afterwards. At the time before the book was published, the Samurai fighting style was not officially sanctioned, and therefore the book was never official for a long time. Hagakure was forgotten for more than two centuries. Hagakure gives guidelines of maintaining a warrior class in the absence of war and reflects the author's nostalgia for a world that had disappeared before he was born. Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure has been called the "Bible of the Samurai," but it was written after Japan's warrior class had stopped fighting; this essay explores whether Hagakure is a valuable guide for warrior-bureaucrats in an age of peace, or whether it is just anachronistic and closer to work of fantasy fiction.

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About Hagakure

Hagakure is a book that contains the essentials of samurai. The book was written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, a samurai in the early 1790s. The book contains teachings based on Samurai that advocates for spirituality, dedication and Confucianism (Tsunetomo,1979). This book can be analyzed based on the political and social context. It has philosophies that are centered on loyalty, purity and selflessness that was emphasized on by Yamamoto. Purity and selflessness are the basic tenants that an individual need to have a strong mind that is clear and free of all the evils. The Samurai were the Knights who were supposed to defend their lord and fight for them, especially when it came to the farming lands that were seen to be sacred. From a political standpoint, it can be stated that Yamamoto, in his book Hagakure advocated for a strong political position where the samurai Knights were supposed to fights and defend their territories as well as their leaders. It is, therefore, a book that advocates for fighting to guarantee safety and possession. When the book is analyzed from the perspective of the modern lifestyle, it may be stated that the book does not represent the reality of the modern political life Style. On the other hand, it can be stated that people are still protecting their lands but through the use of military forces. These forces are supposed to be considered to be the main samurai Knights who were protecting their territories during the 1700s. The politics behind various leaders and political tensions that existed in the pasts is still evident in several ways. The samurai had the role of protecting the people on power and are similar to the leadership positions in modern-day japan or other modern societies.

The Political Context of Hagakure

From a political perspective, Hagakure gives a reflection and an insight into the philosophy of behavior. The Spirit of Bushido was the way of the Warrior, and it encouraged servants to be loyal to their rulers. This is a philosophical book that makes people understand the world from a variety of subjects and can be applied in modern society. Consequently, the book cannot be dismissed as being inappropriate or inapplicable in the modern world. Instead, the way of the Samurai shows the dedication that the Citizens should have towards their leaders. The way of the Samurai also respects the political perspective of protecting people's own land. The Samurai Warriors who gathered people's farms were always expected to be available in times of need. This is an idea that is still applicable politically in modern society. Political rulers have the ability to lead their people through the most relevant or applicable ways knowing that they are loyal to them. The way of the Samurai represents an attitude that could be said to come from the modern pragmatism and the attitude that people have towards materialism. Everyone possesses the intuition of the modern-day Nationalism. The Samurai has a big influence the political system experienced in the modern world, especially in modern-day Japan. Hence, Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure is still a valuable guide in the modern society of peace, and it is not a fantasy book that is not applicable.

The Contents of Hagakure In Relation to Modern Society

Hakurei gives accounts of the views by Tsunetomo on his opinion about bushido. Bushido is the code of the worrier that was used by the samurai, however. Bushido has also been interpreted to mean the way of dying or living through the already dead. Therefore, the book encourages that the samurai have to be willing to lose his life .at any moment for his lord. This shows how true he is to his lord. However, in relation to the views the society today, the way of the worrier still has the same beliefs but with a looser commitment. The society of today is more civilized and may not encourage an in. this

The Social Perspective of The Hagakure

"The way of the Samurai is death" was one of the iconic phrases from the work of Hagakure. This was an iconic phrase that was used during World War II and was popular in the Japanese media and throughout the globe. It was a project that was formulated by the warrior ethic from a social perspective. Yamamoto had great wisdom to pass to the current generation from his time. There are a lot of ideas that have been quoted from the 1600s as well as the1700s that still apply in the world of today. This book can be seen as a guide that makes an individual better through embarking on Pride and personal inner strength as well as being a good role model. The book also mentions the foolishness that comes with the youth that is still expressed in the world of today. These are sociological issues that can still be applied and will continue to be relevant even in a society that is more civilized like the one that people have today.

Additionally, Yamamoto reflects on the life of a Samurai after Japan had started an era of Peace that was under the leadership of Tokugawa shogunate. The rules during this period were similar to the ones that exist today. It made "The Class of Warriors" to form armed civil servants just the way they are today. the business in Japan today is as a result of Two and a Half-century work where Japan has been ruled with a class of people who follow the life of Bushido and the mentality is still the same

The Samurai believed in their duty and giving themselves to their Masters completely. They also believe that only after doing away with all the fears does an individual have peace of mind to serve their Masters in a loyal manner, being prepared to face death. The word Hagakure can be literally translated to mean the hidden beneath. It can be argued that its name was the result of the feeling that Samurai was becoming a more obsolete organization and that there were forces that were coming in to replace the way of the Samurai. When given the sociological perspective, the Samurai does not mean the physical presence, but what someone holds inside. This is an intuition that cannot end despite having different eras that come into play. people always have the responsibility to serve others in different ways

Conclusion

In conclusion, Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure has been called the "Bible of the Samurai," but it was written after Japan's warrior class had stopped fighting. However, Hagakure is still a valuable guide for warrior-bureaucrats in an age of peace; and is not an anachronistic neither is it closer to work of fantasy fiction. Hagakure is still applicable in the world of today and has political and social perspectives that relate directly to the way people live today. The way of a Warrior may be literally translated to represent the willingness to die for a Cause. However, this is the same mentality that the Japanese people have today where people are dedicated to what they like within the society. Hagakure advocates for a pure heart and ultimate sacrifice for people to serve their leaders, and protect their land. Even in a civilized Society, Hagakure still applies in many areas of life, including businesses and the political setup.

References

Tsunetomo, Y. (1979). Hagakure: The book of the samurai (WS Wilson, Trans.).