Customer Reviews

The Hagakure: Yamamoto Tsunetomo

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I have been an avid student of The Hagakure most of my life, partly because I love martial arts, but mostly because I love studying perspectives on my heritage. There are several good translations available, but this one seems to better capture the true spirit of the Samurai. In some of the translations I've read it is obvious that the writer knew how to translate the words, but had little or no understanding of the concepts and philosophies that they were teaching.

A very famous line from one translation says. "The Way of the Samurai is found in death." This is an accurate word for word translation but it misses the real intent of Master Tsunetomo. What this says is that the highest achievement of the warrior was to die, but in reality what the samurai wanted was to kill many opponents and if they had to die to do so in the most brave and admirable way possible. Tarver's translation says, "The way of the warrior is fulfilled in death." This subtle difference seems to better capture the idea of duty, bravery, and loyalty culminating in a final end of the warrior rather than the warrior seeking death from the start.

That is just one of many examples but it clearly points out the difference one word can make. Found vs. Fulfilled.

I really enjoyed this book and I am sure any true student of the Samurai ways will also.

If you ever feel that you need to second guess and think about what exactly the authors intended to say in the first place when reading translations of a foreign language texts, I can identify with you. I have bought other translations of Hagakure, such as Wilson's translation. I like Wilson's translations because he usually proivdes good introduction and for a while I thought his translations are the standard text, but then I came upon D. E. Tarver's transaltions largely through the positive comments made by other reviewers, especially the one who pointed out that Tarver transalted a section in the Hagakure as "...the way of the warrior is fufilled in death," instead of Wilson's transaltion which reads "...is found in death." I had puzzled what Wilson or Yamamoto Tsunetomo meant when he said that...hmmmmm....a case of inaccurate translation or there is a deeper meaning....hmmmmm

I have to admit when I saw Tarver's picture (a bearded smiling caucasion man in a jacket and white T-shirt) and his background (which is amazing but familiar like other martial artists in the US, like holding many belts ranging in diff style of martial arts) on the back of his book I thought he must be one of those New Age seeking/60s hippie/money lover/Bruce Lee fan again. But to my surprirse his transaltions are really clear and insightful.

I think he is for real. And I am glad I came upon his translation and thanks to that reviewer from Japan who pointed out the differece. The rest of his book is really well translated and for the first time I feel like Yamaoto Tsunetomo began to make more sense, so I think the problems I faced with other translations were indeed a problem of the transaltions not Yamaoto Tsunetomo.

This is just my opinion and I have read many translations of the Asian texts with transaltions or not, so hope this is helpful to you just as I was helped by that japanese REVIEWER...and sorry if I offend anyone with my stereotype of "bearded smiling caucasion man in a jacket and white T-shirt".....you know.....anyway

This translation of the book is the only one I will ever need. Sensai Tarver is a man of skill and kindness. He and I have shared correspondance and he has pointed me in the direction of finding a Ken Jitsu teacher. If you stumble apon his website MAKE SURE to take a moment and leave him a kind comment it will make him very pleased to see is work is appreciated!

There are about a handful of translations of the Hagakure & it appears to me that they are all pretty much as good as one another. The ones in print today all seem to contain the same amount & type of information that is they all report upon the same 300 or so verses from the original that contained some 3,000.

This version doesn't contain a source bibliography & so I don't know whether Mr Traver has just studied the other translations & summarised them into this one?

None the less & this I think is important, Mr Travers translation is refreshingly different from all the others in that each verse has a very useful heading. This simple & yet bright innovation makes reading the Hagakure a pleasure to read & makes its contents easier to digest & remember. By doing this Mr Traver has been able to make an index at the front of the book, of the 168 verses, which makes the whole treatise more accessible & useable.

The Hagakure is like a "handbook" on how to live right. It's been put together & built upon the sayings & experiences of the ancient sages, warriors & past samurai. Jam packed with useful gems of wisdom that if read thoughtfully, absorbed & taken to heart & internalised fully, will help one live a happier, more fruitful, healthier & more successful life. It's all about what's truly important in life & in dealing with people we come into contact with. A `code of conduct' that can help you perfect ones character. As pertinent today, as it was when it was first dictated over 300 years ago.

It can be read in small chunks or dipped into at random; it must be one of the best "Self Help" books on the market. You'll find no `airy fairy' synchronicity here!

The original authors' last dying wish (Yamamoto Tsunemoto) was that the whole book, which took him seven years to dictate, should be scrapped & burned. We all must be truly thankful that his last dying command was not carried out.

Once again, hats off to the author for a nice well written and well-translated edition. This book has a lot to offer if you open your mind. You can learn many wonderful things from reading this work, and it's a book that you can refer to everyday of your life. The Hagakure is broken down into many small sections, and passages with a lesson in each of them.

This book covers a wide range of topics such as: how to conduct yourself on a daily basis, to the way you should think, and the way you should view other people. Many examples I learned in my own life are found in this book, and it's nice to see that even though certain things are common sense - you can still read a book like this and receive gratification. Tsunetomo is 100% accurate throughout this book, and you get the feeling like you're receiving words of wisdom through a father figure.

This account shows you how to be a human being full of virtue and magnificent attributes. It conveys many qualities such as: listening to others and not relying solely on your own opinion, when to keep quiet and mind your own business, how to handle power, and knowledge, etc. This book discusses self mastery, loyalty, wisdom, respect, dedication, cowards, men of honor, and much more... Everyone can learn something from these short stories. This paperback is a little treasure, and should be treated as such. I would recommend this as required reading to a younger generation that seems lost in this modern world we live in today...Five Stars across the board...

One of the better translations of a seminal work in bushido.

Critical reading for anyone passionate about the martial arts. This book focuses on the ethical: compassion, honor, class, style, loyalty, grace and self sacrafice of the Samurai. At the same time "empty mind", controling a situation without thought, but with quick and deadly action. No tought of self. Budo. Filled with the ideology of lives lived in historic times, with drastic measures, suicidal to homicidal, that could never be accepted in MOST these 21st century cultures despite the justifications fo those acient WAYS. This awesome book is not only a non-stop read through, it's a glimpse into the past of a lifestyle that could offer remedies to many modern day issues.

Semper Fi and see U on da Mat uke...

If you have nay interest in this book, buy it. It's awesome.

Very short passages, easy to read, easy to see how the way of the day can still be applied to being a respectable person hundreds of years later.