The Philosophy that defined Japan - Hagakure Asia's Code of Chivalry & Why the Way of Death is a Noble Thing

Damn I love Japan

Book Opening

I was requested more than a year ago to read, and to analyse and break down the book called the ‘Hagakure’ by

Librarian of Celaeno

. This is a profoundly amazing book if I’m honest. I’ve read most of it before as a youth, in preparation to leave for Japan and to better understand the Bushi. What I found though was mostly disconnected from the Japanese of to-day yet still useful. So long as I behaved in a way that was reminiscent of this book (in terms of loyalty and politeness) the Japanese were warm, funny, teasing and even kind (as is their wont).

But there is more to Hagakure than a ‘kind to the Japanese heart’, there’s something more profound here. And what is that something? Simple; it is the ‘Way of the Warrior’ and is a philosophy book that puts most of those around the world to shame.

Now the book itself was written some time after 1700, with it being a series of commentaries by the author Yamamoto Tsunetomo. A very brilliant and erudite thinker of the 17th century, he was alive for the first flowering of the Edo-Jidai (Edo Period, or ‘Tokugawa Period’ if you will).

It begins not by treading softly into the topic of Honour but thrusting deep into the subject without any real preamble so that one can be excused for being a little startled.

“Although be mindful of the Way of the Samurai, it would seem that we are all negligent.”

This is the first sentence of the first chapter of this amazing book. The opening attacks the human tendency to soften, to become passive and criticizes it. As a youngster I didn’t like this and took offence as is the way with the prideful and the young. But in reality it was this very negligence and stupidity that this book was attempting to warn against.

Negligence is the enemy of the prepared as it has been said. Do not do tomorrow what you might do to-day. Pay heed to the signs and the warnings that Nature, God and the world itself present before you lest you should wander down the wrong path.

It must also be borne in mind that Negligence is equivalent to sloth in this context. That is to say ‘Mental and Spiritual Sloth’ so that the notion is considerably more pointed than what many people realize. That’s the thing about the classical Japanese; they said a great deal with very few words.

“Consequently, if someone were to ask, “What is the true meaning it stands to reason that a samurai should of the Way of the Samurai?” the person who would be able to answer promptly is rare. This is because it has not been established in one’s mind beforehand. From this, one’s unmindfulness of the Way can be known. Negligence is an extreme thing.”

This is where we see the further expansion on the theme of Negligence. It proclaims that this is an extreme thing and is something bad for you. It pushes you to waste that most valuable resource ‘time’ and pushes you to not think things over or to properly understand the depths of a philosophical point or a certain idea.

The purpose of the Way is to be able to ponder things deeply, to delve as one down a long shaft into the very depths of the earth so as to explore certain notions so that you understand the cosmos better than any other man alive. The purpose simply put is the pursuit of wisdom both in the classical sense of the word which means ‘wisdom’ that means ‘Knowledge’ but also the concept of combining heart with head to know and understand things that go way over the heads of most individuals.

What is more is that the idea is to create in an individual such an understanding of the world that they can answer the question of what is Negligence instantaneously. The idea is to push you to know things so well that you can answer them promptly without hesitation while your mind focuses on other matters of a weightier sort.

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The Way of the Samurai is found in Death…

“The Way of the Samurai is found in death.”

And it could not be truer. Death is the Way of the Samurai, precisely because they lived in a world haunted by and dominated by death. They weren’t kidding around, and lived so fully and completely that they had to be ready to perish at any given moment.

This is probably very difficult for people of the modern age to understand, but the thing about this philosophy allowed the Samurai to fight as devils with all they had to live, whilst also being willing and able to accept death when it came with a wisdom, valour and humility that is quite remarkable.

But why speak on and on and on without aim about what is meant by Yamamoto’s words when it’d be best to copy his words here and let him speak for himself;

“When it comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of death. It is not
particularly difficult. Be determined and advance. To say that dying without reaching one’s aim is to die a dog’s death is the frivolous way of sophisticates. When pressed with the choice of life or death, it is not necessary to gain one’s aim.
We all want to live. And in large part we make our logic according to what we like. But not having attained our aim and continuing to live is cowardice. This is a thin dangerous line. To die without gaming one’s aim is a dog’s death and fanaticism. But there is no shame in this. This is the substance of the Way of the Samurai. If by setting one’s heart right every morning and evening, one is able to live as though his body were already dead, he pains freedom in the Way. His whole life will be without blame, and he will succeed in his calling.”

Quite the concept right? He’s talking here about setting one’s heart forward, towards one’s aims, not giving into cowardice and speaks scornfully of the sophisticates or as we might call them to-day; the Academics or ‘Nobility’ while speaking well of things such as ‘dog’s death’ and ‘fanaticism’ so that these terms must be unpacked so to speak.

The first thing to unpack is that he’s quite right about the inherent cowardice and lack of understanding of Academics. They think that the only way to die is to… well who knows? They have little in the way of respect for the dead (look at how they’ve comported themselves since the 60s), but it seems that they only respect those who died for their ideals (whatever they are this week).

But in turn the notion of a ‘Dog’s Death’ is something that many to-day might regard as kind of discouraging. Nobody wishes to die like that. This is where I must take the side of Knights who believed that to perish for ‘King and Country’ is the noblest thing in the world. But I think this would fall in line with Yamamoto’s thinking if only because he’s using the term to describe dying at all in battle.

What is meant here is that he’s saying that this is what Academics think this kind of death is, and he’s remarking on the importance of not caring for what others might think. It is crucial that when death should come you should not shrink from it, bargain with it or otherwise show yourself unworthy of the glory of your ancestors.

Death comes for us all, and it is not a question of whether you will die, or even how but how will you meet it.

His sentiment that ‘Fanaticism’ is a virtue is something that moderns have had beaten out of them for the past two hundred years. This in spite of the fact that once upon a time it was one of our virtues also. Moderation can be good, but fanatical love for country, for king, for one’s family and one’s people is no vice but something to be held up, to be admired.

This doesn’t mean that you should be blind to the flaws of your own, but rather that you should forgive them, and accept them for all that they are. They are glorious. Therefore love them, with every fibre of your being and every ounce of your (undeniably) beautiful soul.

Logic is a biased thing is another idea here, and it is an important theme to the Samurai and while I don’t entirely agree here there is some measure of Truth here. Many of the things we take for facts can be proven to be false, and can even be at times flawed and utterly false.

This is why you should be cautious to believe everything that you see, and hear and only believe half of it. It can be hard, but this is perhaps the best possible way to achieve Enlightenment and Wisdom.

As for setting one’s heart every morning to the possibility of dying. This is a sentiment and ideal that frankly every person should be adopting in their hearts. The Japanese are right here; we must treat every day as the last, live fully and love more and achieve more!

This is what is behind the success of the ancestors, of the Medievals. They understood what we’ve forgotten. The dream is not and never has been to live forever on the physical plane, but to engrave your name in history from right action, loving your loved ones and living every day as though it were the greatest day in history.

Such an ideal is magnificent and is something that is echoed also by the likes of Marcus Aurelius of ancient Rome in his Meditations:

“Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good.”

This is a very Stoic ideal, and it is also a very Zen based one. It is one that all should recognize the wisdom of. It also means living nobly and in as dignified a manner as possible.

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Time as a Resource

This is an ideal and concept that might seem heavy and weighty or even depressing. But once you realize that time is limited, you will be able to write more, create more, work faster and more effectively and focus on what’s important. The reason we must as people do this, is because human life appears and disappears in the blink of an eye.

Do not blink too soon!

You must devote yourself heart, body and soul to your work, to your craft. It is not just the Way of the Samurai, Bushido that is the ‘Way of Death’ but also the ‘Way of the Author’ or the ‘Way of All Men’ so to speak.

We must be prepared to accept our lot in life, accept the situation, and make the best of what choices are presented before us.

It is also integral that we press Men to just do things as it is said. Fulfil your dreams, accomplish your missions! You MUST achieve greatness. Why? Because no one will do it for you, except for yourself.

It is because of this that one must be ambitious in life, and know the difference between ambition and greed. Greed is a dark thing that is motivated by personal selfishness, while Ambition is something that is motivated by the desire for improvement, whether it be on a personal or more broadly tribal/clannish level.

What is more is that we must perhaps do more to imbibe the wisdom that comes with recognizing that the sand is running out, we are all of us getting older and having to race against time to find our place.

Life as it is said is a race, and you must fight the good fight as the Ancient Romans did, to establish the best possible home, the best possible house for your children whether it necessitate fighting in Arabia against desert nomads, or in the forests of the north against hairy barbarians. The Romans didn’t shirk in their duty, didn’t shirk from the fight laid out before them.

As surely as the Samurai never backed down from the challenge posed by the likes of China, of the US or of rival clans. This is a noble aspect of their civilization. This is something we should maybe in the future consider adopting as an ideal of our own. The Japanese were quite right to value their people, their clans and their family more than aught else.

Because at the end of the day, if you don’t have them what do you have?

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Also Crown of Blood has a new edition, with maps, character bios and more!