Author(s): Yamamoto Tsunetomo

GIFT & HUMOUR

The Book of the Samurai. 'Hagakure' is a treatise on the samurai code written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, an 18th-century samurai. It's a guide, organized as a loose collection of thoughts, on how samurai should conduct themselves. This philosophy - bushido, or 'the way of the samurai' - is, according to Tsunetomo, essentially a Way of death or dying. This embracing of death with honour and courage is the core theme of 'Hagakure' - and part of its allure. This edition, translated by the esteemed translator William Scott Wilson, is considered the definitive version of this classic.