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Hagakure. Selections (The Way of the Samurai) .............................................................................................1

Yamamoto Tsunetomo .............................................................................................................................1

Although it stands to reason that a samurai should be mindful of the Way of the Samurai, it would seem that

we are all negligent. Consequently, if someone were to ask, "What is the true meaning 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. The Way of the Samurai is found in death. 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

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.

A man is a good retainer to the extent that he earnestly places importance in his master. This is the highest

sort of retainer. If one is born into a prominent family that goes back for generations, it is sufficient to deeply

consider the matter of obligation to one's ancestors, to lay down one's body and mind, and to earnestly esteem

one's master. It is further good fortune if, more than this, one has wisdom and talent and can use them

appropriately. But even a person who is good for nothing and exceedingly clumsy will be a reliable retainer if

only he has the determination to think earnestly of his master. Having only wisdom and talent is the lowest

According to their nature, there are both people who have quick intelligence, and those who must withdraw

and take time to think things over. Looking into this thoroughly, if one thinks selflessly and adheres to the

four vows of the Nabeshima samurai, surprising wisdom will occur regardless of the high or low points of

People think that they can clear up profound matters if they consider them deeply, but they exercise perverse

thoughts and come to no good because they do their reflecting with only selfinterest at the center.

It is difficult for a fool's habits to change to selflessness. In confronting a matter, however, if at first you leave

it alone, fix the four vows in your heart, exclude selfinterest, and make an effort, you will not go far from

Because we do most things relying only on our own sagacity we become selfinterested, turn our backs on

reason, and things do not turn out well. As seen by other people this is sordid, weak, narrow and inefficient.

When one is not capable of true intelligence, it is good to consult with someone of good sense. An advisor

will fulfill the Way when he makes a decision by selfless and frank intelligence because he is not personally

involved. This way of doing things will certainly be seen by others as being strongly rooted. It is, for

example, like a large tree with many roots. One man's intelligence is like a tree that has been simply stuck in

We learn about the sayings and deeds of the men of old in order to entrust ourselves to their wisdom and

prevent selfishness. When we throw off our own bias, follow the sayings of the ancients, and confer with

other people, matters should go well and without mishap. Lord Katsushige borrowed from the wisdom of

Lord Naoshige. This is mentioned in the Ohanashikikigaki. We should be grateful for his concern.

Moreover, there was a certain man who engaged a number of his younger brothers as retainers, and whenever

he visited Edo or the Kamigata area, he would have them accompany him. As he consulted with them

everyday on both private and public matters, it is said that he was without mishap.

Sagara Kyuma was completely at one with his master and served him as though his own body were already

Once there was an important meeting at Master Sakyo's Mizugae Villa, and it was commanded that Kyuma

was to commit seppuku. At that time in Osaki there was a teahouse on the third floor of the suburban

residence of Master Taku Nut. Kyuma rented this, and gathering together all the goodfornothings in Saga

he put on a puppet show, operating one of the puppets himself, carousing and drinking all day and night.

Thus, overlooking Master Sakyo's villa, he carried on and caused a great disturbance. In instigating this

disaster he gallantly thought only of his master and was resolved to committing suicide.

Being a retainer is nothing other than hemp a supporter of one's lord, entrusting matters of good and evil to

him, and renouncing selfinterest. If there are but two or three men of this type, the fief will be secure.

If one looks at the world when affairs are going smoothly, there arc many who go about putting in their

appearance, being useful by their wisdom, discrimination and artfulness. However, if the lord should retire or

go into seclusion, there are many who will quickly turn their backs on him and ingratiate themselves to the

man of the day. Such a thing is unpleasant even to think about. Men of high position, low position, deep

wisdom and artfulness all feel that they are the ones who are working righteously, but when it comes to the

point of throwing away one's life for his lord, all get weak in the knees. This is rather disgraceful. The fact

that a useless person often becomes a matchless warrior at such times is because he has already given up his

life and has become one with his lord. At the time of Mitsushige's death there was an example of this. His one

resolved attendant was I alone. The others followed in my wake. Always the pretentious, selfasserting

Loyalty is said to be important in the pledge between lord and retainer. Though it may seem unobtainable, it

is right before your eyes. If you once set yourself to it, you will become a superb retainer at that very

To give a person one's opinion and correct his faults is an important thing. It is compassionate and comes first

in matters of service. But the way of doing this is extremely difficult. To discover the good and bad points of

a person is an easy thing, and to give an opinion concerning them is easy, too. For the most part, people think

that they are being kind by saying the things that others find distasteful or difficult to say. But if it is not

received well, they think that there is nothing more to be done. This is completely worthless. It is the same as

brining shame to a person by slandering him. It is nothing more than getting it off one's chest.

To give a person an opinion one must first judge well whether that person is of the disposition to receive it or

not. One must become close with him and make sure that he continually trusts one's word. Approaching

subjects that are dear to him, seek the best way to speak and to be well understood. Judge the occasion, and

determine whether it is better by letter or at the time of leavetaking. Praise his good points and use every

device to encourage him, perhaps by talking about one's own faults without touching on his, but so that they

will occur to him. Have him receive this in the way that a man would drink water when his throat is dry, and

This is extremely difficult. If a person s fault is a habit of some years prior, by and large it won't be remedied.

I have had this experience myself. To be intimate with alt one's comrades, correcting each other's faults, and

being of one mind to be of use to the master is the great compassion of a retainer. By bringing shame to a

It is bad taste to yawn in front of people. When one unexpectedly has to yawn, if he rubs his forehead in an

upward direction , the sensation will stop . If that does not work, he can lick his lips while keeping his mouth

closed, or simply hide it with his hand or his sleeve in such a way that no one will know what he is doing. It

is the same with sneezing. One will appear foolish. There are other things besides these about which a person

When a certain person was saying that present matters of economy should be detailed, someone replied that

It is a fact that ash will not live where the water is too clear. But if there is duckweed or something, the fish

will hide under its shadow and thrive. Thus, the lower classes will live in tranquillity if certain matters are a

bit overlooked or left unheard. This fact should be understood with regard to people's conduct.

Once when Lord Mitsushige was a little boy and was supposed to recite from a copybook for the priest

Kaion, he called the other children and acolytes and said, "Please come here and listen. It's difficult to read if

there are hardly any people listening." The priest was impressed and said to the acolytes, "That's the spirit in

Every morning one should first do reverence to his master and parents and then to his patron deities and

guardian Buddhas. If he will only make his master first in importance, his parents will rejoice and the gods

and Buddhas will give their assent. For a warrior there is nothing other than thinking of his master . If one

creates this resolution within himself, he will always be mindful of the master's person and will not depart

Moreover, a woman should consider her husband first, just as he considers his master first.

According to a certain person, a number of years ago Matsuguma Kyoan told this story :

In the practice of medicine there is a differentiation of treatment according to the Yin and Yang of men and

women. There is also a difference in pulse. In the last fifty years, however, men's pulse has become the same

as women's. Noticing this, in the treatment of eye disease I applied women's treatment to men and found it

suitable. When I observed the application of men's treatment to men, there was no result. Thus I knew that

men's spirit had weakened and that they had become the same as women, and the end of the world had come.

When looking at the men of today with this in mind, those who could be thought to have a woman's pulse are

many indeed, and those who seem like real men few. Because of this, if one were to make a little effort, he

would be able to take the upper hand quite easily. That there are few men who arc able to cut well in

beheadings is further proof that men's courage has waned. And when one comes to speak of kaishaku, it has

become an age of men who are prudent and clever at making excuses. Forty or fifty years ago, when such

things as matanuki were considered manly, a man wouldn't show an unscarred thigh to his fellows, so he

All of man's work is a bloody business. That fact, today, is considered foolish, affairs are finished cleverly

with words alone, and jobs that require effort are avoided. I would like young men to have some

The priest Tannen used to say, ''People come to no understanding because priests teach only the doctrine of

'No Mind.' What is called 'No Mind' is a mind that is pure and lacks complication .' This is interesting.

Lord Sanenori said, "In the midst of a single breath, where perversity cannot be held , is the Way. '' If so, then

the Way is one. But there is no one who can understand this clarity at first. Purity is something that cannot be

There is nothing that we should be quite so grateful for as the last line of the poem that goes, "When your

own heart asks." It can probably be thought of in the same way as the Nembutsu, and previously it was on the

Recently, people who are called "clever" adorn themselves with superficial wisdom and only deceive others.

For this reason they are inferior to dullwilted folk. A dull wilted person is direct. If one looks deeply into

his heart with the above phrase, there will be no hidden places. It is a good examiner. One should be of the

The word gen means "illusion" or "apparition." In India, a man who uses conjury is called a genjutsushi ["a

master of illusion technique"]. Everything in this world is but a marionette show. Thus we use the word gen.

To hate injustice and stand on righteousness is a difficult thing. Furthermore, to think that being righteous is

the best one can do and to do one's utmost to be righteous will, on the contrary, brig many mistakes. The Way

is in a higher place then righteousness. This is very difficult to discover, but it is the highest wisdom. When

seen from this standpoint, things like righteousness are rather shallow. If one does not understand this on his

own, it cannot be known. There is a method of getting to this Way, however, even if one cannot discover it by

himself. This is found in consultation with others. Even a person who has not attained this Way sees others

front the side. It is like the saying from the game of go: "He who sees from the side has eight eyes." The

saying, "Thought by thought we see our own mistakes," also means that the highest Way is in discussion with

others. Listening to the old stories and reading books are for the purpose of sloughing off one's own

In one's life. there are levels in the pursuit of study. In the lowest level, a person studies but nothing comes of

it, and he feels that both he and others are unskillful. At this point he is worthless. In the middle level he is

still useless but is aware of his own insufficiencies and can also see the insufficiencies of others. In a higher

level he has pride concerning his own ability, rejoices in praise from others, and laments the lack of ability in

his fellows. This man has worth. In the highest level a man has the look of knowing nothing .

These are the levels in general;. But there is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all. This

person is aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way arid never thinks of himself as

having finished. He truly knows his own insufficiencies and never in his whole life thinks that he has

succeeded. He has no thoughts of pride but with selfabasement knows the Way to the end. It is said that

Master Yagyu once remarked, "I do not know the way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself. ''

Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday, more skillful than today. This is

Among the maxims on Lord Naoshige's wall there was this one: ''Matters of' great concern should be treated

lightly.'' Master lttei commented, "Matters of small concern should be treated seriously." Among one's affairs

there should not be more than two or three matters of what one could call great concern. If these are

deliberated upon during ordinary times, they can be understood. Thinking about things previously and then

handling them lightly when the time comes is what this is all about. To face an event anew solve it lightly is

difficult if you are not resolved beforehand, and there will always be uncertainty in hitting your mark.

However, if the foundation is laid previously, you can think of the saying, "Matters of great concern should

A certain person spent several years of service in Osaka and then returned home. When he made his

appearance at the local bureau, everyone was put out and he was made a laughingstock because he spoke in

the Kamigata dialect. Seen in this light, when one spends a long time in ado or the Kamigata area, he had

When in a more sophisticated area it is natural that one s disposition be affected by different styles. But it is

vulgar and foolish to look down upon the ways of one's own district as being boorish, or to be even a bit open

to the persuasion of the other place's ways and to think about giving up one's own. That one's own district is

unsophisticated and unpolished is a great treasure. Imitating another style is simply a sham.

A certain man said to the priest Shungaku, "The Lotus Sutra Sect's character is not good because it's so

fearsome." Shungaku replied, "It is by reason of its fearsome character that it is the Lotus Sutra Sect. If its

character were not so, it would be a different sect altogether." This is reasonable.

At the time when there was a council concerning the promotion of a certain man, the council members were

at the point of deciding that promotion was useless because of the fact that the man had previously been

involved in a drunken brawl. But someone said, "If we were to cast aside every man who had made a mistake

once, useful men could prob ably not be come by. A man who makes a mistake once will be considerably

more prudent and useful because of his repentance. I feet that he should be promoted.''

Someone else then asked, "Will you ;guarantee him?" The man replied, "Of course I will."

And he replied, "I can guarentee him by the fact that he is a man who has erred once. A man who bas never

At the time of a deliberation concerning criminals, Nakane Kazuma proposed making the punishment one

degree lighter than what would be appropriate. This is a treasury of wisdom that only he was the possessor of.

At that time, though there were several men in attendance, if it had not been for Kazuma alone, no one would

have opened his mouth. For this reason he is called Master Commencement and Master Twentyfive Days.

A certain person was brought to shame because he did not take revenge. The way of revenge lies in simply

forcing one's way into a place and being cut down. There is no shame in this. By thinking that you must

complete the job you will run out of time. By considering things like how many men the enemy has, time

piles up; in the end you will give up. No matter if the enemy has thousands of men, there is fulfillment in

simply standing them off and being determined to cut them all down, starting from one end. You will finish

Concerning the night assault of Lord Asano's ronin, the fact that they did not commit seppuku at the

Sengakuji was an error, for there was a long delay between the time their lord was struck down and the time

when they struck down the enemy. If Lord Kira had died of illness within that period, it would have been

extremely regrettable. Because the men of the Kamigata area have a very clever sort of wisdom, they do well

at praiseworthy acts but cannot do things indiscriminately, as was done in the Nagasaki fight.

Although all things are not to be judged in this manner, I mention it in the investigation of the Way of the

Samurai. When the time comes, there is no moment for reasoning. And if you have not done your inquiring

beforehand , there is most often shame. Reading books and listening to people's talk are for the purpose of

Above all, the Way of the Samurai should be in being aware that you do not know what is going to happen

next, and in querying every item day and night. Victory and defeat are matters of the temporary force of

Even if it seems certain that you will lose, retaliate. Neither wisdom nor technique has a place in this. A real

man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death. By doing this, you

There are two things that will blemish a retainer, and these are riches and honor. If one but remains in

Once there was a certain man who was very clever, but it was his character to always see the negative points

of his jobs. In such a way, one will be useless. If one does not get it into his head from the very beginning

that the world is full of unseemly situations, for the most part his demeanor will be poor and he will not be

believed by others. And if one is not believed by others, no matter how good a person he may be, he will not

There was a man who said, "Such and such a person has a violent disposition, but this is what I said right to

his face... This was an unbecoming thing to say, and it was said simply because he wanted to be known as a

rough fellow. It was rather low, and it can be seen that he was still rather immature. It is because a samurai

has correct manners that he is admired. Speaking of other people in this way is no different from an exchange

It is not good to settle into a set of opinions. It is a mistake to put forth effort and obtain some understanding

and then stop at that. At first putting forth great effort to be sure that you have grasped the bastes, then

practicing so that they may come to fruition is something that will never stop for your whole lifetime. Do not

rely on following the degree of understanding that you have discovered, but simply think, "This is not

One should search throughout his whole life how best to follow the Way. And he should study, setting his

Whether speaking formally or informally, one should look his listener in the eye. A polite greeting is done at

It is carelessness to go about with one's hands inside the slits in the sides of his hakama.

After reading books and the like, it is best to burn them or throw them away. It is said that reading books is

the work of the Imperial Court, but the work of the House of Nakano is found in military valor, grasping the

It is said that one should rise at four in the morning, bathe and arrange his hair daily, eat when the sun comes

A samurai will use a toothpick even though he has not eaten. Inside the skin of a dog, outside the hide of a

How should a person respond when he is asked, "As a human being, what is essential in terms of purpose and

discipline?" First, let us say, "It is to become of the mind that is right now pure and lacking complications."

People in general all seem to be dejected. When one has a pure and uncomplicated mind, his expression will

be lively. When one is attending to matters, there is one thing that comes forth from his heart. That is, in

terms of one's lord, loyalty; in terms of one's parents, filial piety; in martial affairs, bravery ; and apart from

This is very difficult to discover. Once discovered, it is again difficult to keep in constant effect. There is

Every morning, the samurai of fifty or sixty years ago would bathe, shave their foreheads, put lotion in their

hair, cut their fingernails and toenails rubbing them with pumice and then with wood sorrel, and without fail

pay attention to their personal appearance . It goes without saying that their armor in general was kept free

Although it seems that taking special care of one's appearance is similar to showiness, it is nothing akin to

elegance. Even if you are aware that you may be struck down today and are firmly resolved to an inevitable

death, if you are slain with an unseemly appearance, you will show your lack of previous resolve, will be

despised by your enemy, and will appear unclean. For this reason it is said that both old and young should

Although you say that this is troublesome and timeconsuming, a samurai's work is in such things. It is

neither busy work nor timeconsuming. In constantly hardening one's resolution to die in battle,

deliberately becoming as one already dead, and working at one's job and dealing with military affairs, there

should be no shame. But when the time comes, a person will be shamed if he is not conscious of these things

even in his dreams, and rather passes his days in self interest and selfindulgence. And if he thinks that this

is not shameful, and feels that nothing else matters as long as he is comfortable, then his dissipate and

The person without previous resolution to inevitable death makes certain that his death will be in bad form.

But if one is resolved to death beforehand, in what way can he be despicable? One should be especially

Furthermore, during the last thirty years customs have changed; now when young samurai jeer together, if

there is not just talk about money matters, loss and gain, secrets, clothing styles or matters of sex, there is no

reason to gather together at all. Customs are going to pieces. One can say that formerly when a man reached

the age of twenty or thirty, he did not carry despicable things in his heart, and thus neither did such words

appear. If an elder unwittingly said something of that sort, he thought of it as a sort of injury. This new

custom probably appears because people attach importance to being beautiful before society and to household

finances. What things a person should be able to accomplish if he had no haughtiness concerning his place in

It is a wretched thing that the young men of today are so contriving and so proud of their material

possessions. Men with contriving hearts are lacking in duty. Lacking in duty, they will have no selfrespect.

According to Master lttei, even a poor penman will become substantial in the art of calligraphy if he studies

by imitating a good model and puts forth effort. A retainer should be able to become substantial too, if he

Today, however, there are no models of good retainers. In light of this, it would be good to make a model and

to learn from that. To do this, one should look at many people and choose from each person his best point

only. For example, one person for politeness, one for bravery, one for the proper way of speaking, one for

An apprentice will not be up to his teacher's good points in the world of the arts either but will receive and

imitate only his bad ones. This is worthless. There are people who are good at manners but have no

uprightness. In imitating someone like this, one is likely to ignore the politeness and imitate only the lack of

uprightness. If one perceives a person's good points, he will have a model teacher for anything.

When delivering something like an important letter or other written materials, grasp it firmly in your hand as

A retainer is a man who remains consistently undistracted twentyfour hours a day, whether he is in the

presence of his master or in public. If one is careless during his rest period, the public will see him as being

Regardless of class, a person who does something beyond his social standing will at some point commit mean

or cowardly acts. In the lower classes there are even people who will run away. One should be careful with

It is said that much sake, selfpride and luxury are to be avoided by a samurai, There is no cause for anxiety

when you are unhappy, but when you become a little elated, these three things become dangerous. Look at

the human condition. It is unseemly for a person to become prideful and extravagant when things are going

well. Therefore, it is better to have some unhappiness while one is still young, for if a person does not

experience some bitterness, his disposition will not settle down. A person who becomes fatigued when

unhappy is useless. Meeting with people should be a matter of quickly grasping their temperament and

reacting appropriately to this person and that. Especially with an extremely argumentative person, after

yielding considerably one should argue him down with superior logic, but without sounding harsh, and in a

fashion that will allow no resentment to be left afterwards. This is a function of both the heart and words.

Dreams are truthful manifestations. When I occasionally have dreams of dying in battle or committing

seppuku, if I brace myself with courage, my frame of mind within the dream gradually changes.

This concerns the dream I had on the night of the twenty seventh day of the fifth month.

If one were to say in a word what the condition of being a samurai is, its basis lies first in seriously devoting

one's body and soul to his master. And if one is asked what to do beyond this, it would be to fit oneself

inwardly with intelligence, humanity and courage.' The combining of these three virtues may seem

unobtainable to the ordinary person, but it is easy. Intelligence is nothing more than discussing things with

others. Limitless wisdom comes from this. Humanity is something done for the sake of others, simply

comparing oneself with them and putting them in the fore. Courage is gritting one' s teeth ; it is simply doing

that and pushing ahead, paying no attention to the circumstances. Anything that seems above these three is

As for outward aspects, there are personal appearance, one's way of speaking and calligraphy. And as all of

these are daily matters, they improve by constant practice. Basically, one should perceive their nature to be

one of quiet strength. If one has accomplished all these things, then he should have a knowledge of our area's

history and customs. After that he may study the various arts as recreation. If you think it over, being a

retainer is simple. And these days, if you observe people who are even a bit useful, you will see that they

A certain priest said that if one thoughtlessly crosses a river of unknown depths and shallows, he will die in

its currents without ever reaching the other side or finishing his business. This is the same as when one is

indiscriminately eager in being a retainer without understanding the customs of the times or the likes and

dislikes of the master and, as a result, is of no use and brings ruin upon himself. To try to enter the good

graces of the master is unbecoming. One should consider first stepping back and getting some understanding

of the depths and shallows and then work without doing anything the master dislikes.

If you attach a number of bags of cloves to your body, you will not be affected by inclemency or colds. Some

years ago Nakano Kazuma returned to this province as a messenger by horse in the dead of winter, and

though he was an old man, he was not the least bit in pain. It is said that that was because of his having used

cloves. Furthermore, drinking a decoction of the feces from a dappled horse is the way to stop bleeding from

A faultless person is one who withdraws from affairs. This must be done with strength.

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a

succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else

to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment .

Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else. No

one seems to have noticed this fact. But grasping this firmly, one must pile experience upon experience. And

once one has come to this understanding he will be a different person from that point on, though he may not

When one understands this settling into singlemindedness well, his affairs will thin out. Loyalty is also

It is said that what is called "the spirit of an ape' ' is seine thing to which one cannot return. That this spirit

gradually dissipates is due to the world's coming to an end. In the same way, a single year does not have just

For this reason, although one would like to change today's world back to the spirit of one hundred years or

more ago, it cannot be done. Thus it is important to make the best out of every generation. This is the mistake

of people who are attached to past generations. They have no understanding of this point.

On the other hand, people who only know the disposition of the present day and dislike the ways of the past

Be true to the thought of the moment and avoid distraction. Other than continuing to exert yourself, enter into

The brave men of old times were for the most part rowdies. As they were of the disposition to be out running

amuck, their vitality was strong and they were brave. When I had doubts about this and asked, Tsunetomo

said, "It is understandable that since their vitality was strong they were generally rough and went about

running amuck. These days rowdiness is nonexistent because man's vitality has weakened. Vitality has fallen

behind, but man's character has improved. Valor is yet a different thing. Although men have become gentle

these days because of the lack of vitality, this does not mean that they are inferior in being crazy to die. That

Concerning the military tactics of Lord Naoshige, Ushida Shoemon said that it was characteristic of his

retainers to face a situation with no previous knowledge of what was to happen, and for him to freely bring

everything to a finish by a single word. When he was at the point of passing from this world, he said nothing,

Once Lord Ieyasu gamed nothing in a battle, but in a later judgment it was said, "Ieyasu is a general of great

courage. Of his retainers who died in battle, not one of them died with his back turned. They all died facing

the enemy lines." Since a warrior' s daily frame of mind is manifested even after death, it is something that

As Yasuda Ukyo said about offering up the last wine cup, only the end of things is important. One's whole

life should be like this. When guests are leaving, the mood of being reluctant to say farewell is essential. If

this mood is lacking, one will appear bored and the day and evening's conversation will disappear. In all

dealings with people it is essential to have a fresh approach. One should constantly give the impression that

he is doing something exceptional. It is said that this is possible with but a little understanding.

Our bodies are given life from the midst of nothingness. Existing where there is nothing is the meaning of the

phrase, "Form is emptiness." That all things are provided for by nothingness is the meaning of the phrase,

Uesugi Kenshin said, "I never knew about winning from beginning to end, but only about not being behind in

a situation." This is interesting. A retainer will be dumbfounded if he is behind in a situation. In each and

every instance one's function or responsiveness will not be shallow if he is not behind .

One should be wary of talking on end about such subjects as learning, morality or folklore in front of elders

In the Kamigata area they have a sort of tiered lunch box they use for a single day when flower viewing.

Upon returning, they throw them away, trampling them underfoot. As might be expected, this is one of my

While walking along the road together, Tsunetomo said, "Is not man like a welloperated puppet? It is a

piece of dexterous workmanship that he can run, jump, leap, and even talk though there are no strings

attached. Will we not be guests at next year's Ben Festival? This world is vanity indeed. People always forget

It was once said to one of the young lords that "right now'' is ''at that time, '' and ''at that time'' is ''right now.''

One will miss the occasion if he thinks that these two are different. For example, if one were called before the

master to explain something right away, he would most likely be perplexed. This is proof that he understands

the two to be different. If, however, a person makes "right now" and "at that time" one, though he will never

be an advisor to the master, still he is a retainer, and in order to be able to say something clearly, whether it

be in front of the master, the elders or even the shogun at Edo Castle, it should be practiced beforehand in the

All things are like this. Accordingly, one should inquire into things carefully. It is the same for martial

training as for official business. When one attempts to concentrate things in this manner, won't daily

Even though one has made some blunder in governmental work, it can probably be excused by pleading

clumsiness or inexperience. But what kind of excuse may be given for the failure of the men who were

involved in this recent unexpected event?" Master Jin'emon always used to say, "It is enough if a warrior is

simply a stalwart," and this is just such a case. If one felt that such a failure were a mortification, it would be

the least he could do to cut open his stomach, rather than live on in shame with a burning in his breast and the

feeling that he had no place to go, and, as his luck as a warrior had run out, he was no longer able to function

quickly and had been given a bad name. But if one regretted losing his life and reasoned that he should live

because such a death would be useless, then for the next five, ten or twenty years of his life, he would be

pointed at from behind and covered with shame. After his death his corpse would be smeared with disgrace,

his guiltless descendants would receive his dishonor for having been born in his line, his ancestors' name

would be dragged down, and all the members of his family would be blemished. Such circumstances are truly

If one has no earnest daily intention, does not consider what it is to be a warrior even in his dreams, and lives

Presumably it can be said that a man who has been cut down was lacking in ability and had run out of luck as

a warrior. The man who cut him down, compelled by unavoidable circumstances and feeling that there was

nothing else to be done, also put his life on the line, and thus there should be no evidence of cowardice. Being

shorttempered is inappropriate, but it cannot be said that two men who face each other are cowards. In this

recent event, however, the men who lived and covered themselves with shame were not true warriors .

One should every day think over and make an effort to implant in his mind the saying, "At that time is right

now." It is said that it is strange indeed that anyone is able to pass through life by one means or another in

negligence. Thus, the Way of the Samurai is, morning after morning, the practice of death, considering

whether it will be here or be there, imagining the most sightly way of dying, and putting one's mind firmly in

death. Although this may be a most difficult thing, if one will do it, it can be done. There is nothing that one

Moreover, the influence of words is important in military affairs. It would have been best for stopping the

man in this recent event, too. When the situation is too much, one may either cut the man down, or, if the

man is escaping, yell something like, "Don't run I Only cowards run !" and thus, according to what the

situation demands, achieve one's goals by the influence of words. There was a certain man who was said to

be good at judging men's dispositions and formerly had everyone's attention, and he was able to handle such

cases. This is proof that "right now" is no different from "when the time comes." The position of yokoza no

yari is another example of this .* It is something that should be made one's aim beforehand.

The things to be deeply considered beforehand are many. If there is someone who has killed a man in the

lord's mansion and has managed to escape, as one does not know whether he may still be swinging his sword

and advancing toward the room next to the lord's, he should cut the man down. Indeed, one may be blamed

later in an investigation as a confederate of the killer, or as someone who had a grudge against him. But at

that time one should think only of cutting the man down and not anticipate later blame.

Even if one's head were to be suddenly cut off, he should be able to do one more action with certainty. The

last moments of Nitta Yoshisada are proof of this . Had his spirit been weak, he would have fallen the

moment his head was severed. Recently, there is the example of Ono Doken. These actions occurred because

of simple determination. With martial valor, if one becomes like a revengeful ghost and shows great

Whether people be of high or low birth, rich or poor, old or young, enlightened or confused, they are all alike

in that they will one day die. It is not that we don't know that we are going to die, but we grasp at straws.

While knowing that we will die someday, we think that all the others will die before us and that we will be

Is this not shallow thinking? It is worthless and is only a joke within a dream. It will not do to think in such a

way and be negligent. insofar as death is always at one's door, one should make sufficient effort and act

It is good to carry some powdered rouge in one's sleeve. It may happen that when one is sobering up or

waking from sleep, his complexion may be poor. At such a time it is good to take out and apply some

There are times when a person gets carried away and talks on without thinking much. But this can be seen by

observers when one's mind is flippant and lacking truth. After such an occasion it is best to come face to face

with the truth and express it. The truth will then be arrived at in one's own heart too. Even when greeting

someone lightly, one should consider the circumstances and after deliberation speak in a way that will not

Furthermore, if there is a person who is criticizing the Way of the Samurai or one's own province, one should

speak with him severely, without the least bit of ceremony. One must be resolved in advance.

Although a person who excels in an art regards others as competitors, last year Hyodo Sachu gave up the title

The priest Tannen used to hang up windbells but said, "It's not because I like the sound. I hang them in

order to know the wind conditions in the event of fire, for that is the only worry in having a large temple."

When the wind blew, he himself walked about at night. Throughout his whole life the fire in his brazier was

never out, and he always put a paper lantern and lighter by his pillow. He said, ' 'People are flustered during

If one makes a distinction between public places and one's sleeping quarters, or between being on the

battlefield and on the tatami, when the moment comes there will not be time for making amends. There is

only the matter of constant awareness. If it were not for men who demonstrate valor on the tatami, one could

Bravery and cowardice are not things that can be conjectured in times of peace. They are in different

Though it may be said that the gods dislike impurity, if one thinks a bit, he will see that he has not been

negligent in his daily worship. Thus, one's previous faithfulness has been exactly for the sake of praying for

good fortune in such times as when one is barbed in blood and climbing over the dead. At such a time, if it is

a god that turns back when one is defiled, then one should know clearly that praying is ineffective and should

times of great trouble or disaster, one word will suffice. At times of happiness, too, one word will be enough.

And when meeting or talking with others, one word will do. One should think well and then speak. This is

clear and firm, and one should learn it with no doubts. It is a matter of putting forth one's whole effort and

having the correct attitude previously. This is very difficult to explain but is something that everyone should

work on in his heart. If a person has not learned this in his heart, it is not likely that he will understand it.

Human life is truly a short affair. It is better to live doing the things that you like. It is foolish to live within

this dream of a world seeing unpleasantness and doing only things that you do not like. But it is important

never to tell this to young people as it is something that would be harmful if incorrectly understood.

Personally, I like to sleep. And I intend to appropriately confine myself more and more to my living quarters

I had a dream on the night of the twentyeighth day of the twelfth month in the third year of Shotoku. The

content of the dream changed gradually to the extent that I strengthened my will. The condition of a person is

revealed by his dreams. It would be good to make companions of your dreams and to put forth effort.

Shame and repentance are like upsetting a pot of water. When a certain friend of mine listened to the way that

a man who had stolen his sword ornament confessed, he felt compassion. If one will rectify his mistakes,

According to what the Buddhist priest Kaion said, a person becomes more and more prideful if he gains a

little understanding because he thinks he knows his own limits and weak points. However, it is a difficult

At a glance, every individual's own measure of dignity is manifested just as it is. There is dignity in personal

appearance. There is dignity in a calm aspect. There is dignity in a paucity of words. There is dignity in

flawlessness of manners. There is dignity in solemn behavior. And there is dignity in deep insight and a clear

These are all reflected on the surface. But in the end, their foundation is simplicity of thought and tautness of

Covetousness, anger and foolishness are things to sort out well. When bad things happen in the world, if you

look at them comparatively, they are not unrelated to these three things. Looking comparatively at the good

things, you will see that they are not excluded from wisdom, humanity and bravery .

This is according to what Nakano Kazuma Toshiaki said. There are people who feel that using old utensils for

the Tea Ceremony is coarse, and that it is better to use new, clean utensils. There are also people who are

wont to use old materials because of their lack of gaudiness. Both are mistaken. Old utensils, although they

are things that are used by the humble, are also used by the higher classes because of their value. Their value

A retainer is just like this. A person rises from the humble to the higher classes because he has value. At the

same time, to feel that a person of no family cannot do the same work as one of higher family, or that a man

who has heretofore been only a foot soldier should not be allowed to become a leader, is entirely wrong

thinking. As for a person who has risen from the humble, his value should be prized and especially respected,

My father Jin'emon said that when he was young he was taken from time to time to the entrance of the

Chinese settlement in order to be exposed to the atmosphere of the city and to become used to people. From

the time he was five years old he was sent as family representative to various people's homes, and in order to

make him strong he was made to put on a warrior's straw sandals and visit the temples of his ancestors from

It is said that one will not be able to do great works if he does not behave with some reserve towards his

master, the chief retainers and elders. What is done casually and freely will not work out well. It is a matter of

It is unfitting that one be ignorant of the history and origins of his clan and its retainers. But there are times

when extensive knowledge becomes a hindrance. One should use discretion. Knowing the circumstances can

It is written that the priest Shungaku said, "In just refusing to retreat from something one gains the strength of

two men." This is interesting. Something that is not done at that time and at that place will remain unfinished

for a lifetime. At a time when it is difficult to complete matters with the strength of a single man, one will

bring it to a conclusion with the strength of two. If one thinks about it later, he will be negligent all his life.

"Stamp quickly and pass through a wall of iron" is another interesting phrase. To quickly break in and stamp

through directly is the first step of celerity. In connection with this, Hideyoshi can be thought of as the only

man who has grasped solidly the chance of a lifetime since the creation of Japan.

People who talk on and on about matters of little importance probably have some complaint in the back of

their mind. But in order to be ambiguous and to hide this they repeat what they are saving over and over. To

One should be careful and not say things that are likely to cause trouble at the time. When some difficulty

arises in this world, people get excited, and before one knows it the matter is on everyone's lips. This is

useless. If worse comes to worse, you may become the subject of gossip, or at least you will have made

enemies by saying somethinp unnecessary and will have created ill will. It is said that at such a time it is

better to stay at home and think of poetry. To tallc about other people's affairs is a great mistake. To praise

them, too, is unfttting. In any event, it is best to know your own ability well, to put forth effort in your

The heart of a virtuous person has settled down and he does not rush about at things. A person of little merit

It is a good viewpoint to see the world as a dream. When you have something like a nightmare, you will wake

up and tell yourself that it was only a dream. It is said that the world we live in is not a bit different from this.

People with intelligence will use it to fashion things both true and false and will try to push through whatever

they want with their clever reasoning. This is injury from intelligence . Nothing you do will have effect if you

In affairs like law suits or even in arguments, by losing quickly one will lose in fine fashion. It is like sumo

[wrestling]. If one thinks only of winning, a sordid victory will be worse than a defeat. For the most part, it

Feeling deeply the difference between oneself and others, bearing ill will and falling out with peoplethese

things come from a heart that lacks compassion. If one wraps up everything with a heart of compassion, there

A person who knows but a little will put on an air of knowledpe. This is a matter of inexperience. When

someone knows something well, it will not be seen in his manner. This person is genteel.

When going someplace for a talk or something similar, it is best to let the person know ahead of time, and

then go. To go without knowing whether the other party is busy, or when he has some particular anxiety, is

awkward. There is nothing that surpasses not going where you have not been invited. Good friends are rare.

Even if someone is invited somewhere, he should use understanding. It is difficult to feel deeply the

sensitivities of people other than those who go out only rarely. Fiascos at pleasure gatherings are numerous .

However, you should not be brusque towards a person who has come to visit, even if you are busy.

It is bad to carry even a good thing too far. Even concerning things such as Buddhism, Buddhist sermons, and

The late Jin'emon said that it is better not to bring up daughters. They are a blemish to the family name and a

shame to the parents. The eldest daughter is special, but it is better to disregard the others.

The priest Keiho related that Lord Aki once said that martial valor is a matter of becoming a fanatic. I thought

that this was surprisingly in accord with my own resolve and thereafter became more and more extreme in

The late Nakano Kazuma said that the original purpose of the Tea Ceremony is to cleanse the six senses. For

the eyes there are the hanging scroll and flower arrangement. For the nose there is the incense. For the ears

there is the sound of the hot water. For the mouth there is the taste of the tea. And for the hands and feet there

is the correctness of term. When the five senses have thus been cleansed, the mind will of itself be purified.

The Tea Ceremony will cleanse the mind when the mind is clogged up. I do not depart from the heart of the

Tea Ceremony for twentyfour hours a day, yet this is absolutely not a matter of tasteful living. Moreover,

the tea utensils are something that should be in accord with one's social position.

In the poem, "Under the deep snows in the last village/ Last night numerous branches of plum blossomed,"

the opulence of the phrase "numerous branches" was changed to "a single branch." It is said that this "single

Lord Naoshige once said, "There is nothing felt quite so deeply as giri. There are times when someone like a

cousin dies and it is not a matter of shedding tears. But we may hear of someone who lived fifty or a hundred

years ago, of whom we know nothing and who has no family ties with us whatsoever, and yet from a sense

giri shed tears." When Lord Naoshige was passing by a place called Chiriku, someone said to him, ' 'In this

place there lives a man who is over ninety years old. Since this man is so fortunate, why don't you stop and

see him?" Naoshige heard this and said, "How could anyone be more pitiful than this man? How many of his

children and grandchildren do you suppose he has seen fall before his very eyes? Where is the good fortune

When Lord Naoshige was speaking to his grandson, Lord Motoshige, he said, "No matter whether one be of

high or low rank, a family line is something that will decline when its trine has come. If one tries to keep it

from going to ruin at that time, it will have an unsightly finish. If one thinks that the time has come, it is best

to let it go down with good grace. Doing so, he may even cause it to be maintained."

When Nabeshima Tadanao was fifteen years old, a manservant in the kitchen committed some rude act and a

foot soldier was about to beat him, but in the end the servant cut the soldier down. The clan elders deemed the

death sentence appropriate, saying that the man had in the first place erred in matters concerning the ranks of

men, and that he had also shed the blood of his opponent. Tadanao heard this and said, "Which is worse, to

err in matters concerning the ranks of men or to stray from the Way of the Samurai ?''

The elders were unable to answer. Then Tadanao said, "I have read that when the crime itself is unclear, the

punishment should be light. Put him in confinement for a while." Once, when Lord Katsushige was hunting at

Shiroishi, he shot a large boar. Everyone came running up to see it and said, "Well, well. You have brought

down an uncommonly large one !" Suddenly the boar got up and dashed into their midst. All of them fled in

confusion, but Nabeshima Matabet drew his sword and finished it off. At that point Lord Katsushige covered

his face with his sleeve and said, "It sure is dusty." This was presumably because he did not want to see the

When Lord Katsushige was young, he was instructed by his father, Lord Naoshige, "For practice in cutting,

execute some men who have been condemned to death." Thus, in the place that is now within the western

gate, ten men were lined up, and Katsushige continued to decapitate one after another until he had executed

nine of them. When he came to the tenth, he saw that the man was young and healthy and said, "I'm tired of

Lord Katsushige always used to say that there are four kinds of retainers. They are the "quick, then lapping,"

the "lagging, then quick," the "continually quick," and the ''continually lagging.''

The "continually quick" are men who when given orders will undertake their execution quickly and settle the

The "lagging, then quick" are men who, though lacking in understanding when given orders, prepare quickly

and bring the matter to a conclusion. I suppose that Nakano Kazuma and men similar are like this.

The "quick, then lagging" are men who when given orders seem to be going to settle things but in their

When Lord Takanobu was at the Battle of Bungo, a messenger came from the enemy camp bearing sake and

food. Takanobu wanted to partake of this quickly, but the men at his side stopped him, saying, "Presents from

the enemy are likely to be poisoned. This is not something that a general should eat."

Takanobu heard them out and then said, "Even if it is poisoned, how much of an effect would that have on

things? Call the messenger here!" He then broke open the barrel right in front of the messenger, drank three

large cups of sake, offered the messenger one too, gave him a reply, and sent him back to his camp. Takagi

Akifusa turned against the Ryuzoji clan, appealed to Maeda Iyo no kami Iesada, and was sheltered by him.

Akifusa was a warrior of matchless valor and was an accomplished and agile swordsman. His retainers were

Ingazaemon and Fudozaemon, stalwarts in no way inferior, and they left Akifusa's side neither day nor night.

Thus it happened that a request was sent from Lord Takanobu to Iesada to kill Akifusa. At one point, when

Akifusa was seated on the veranda having Ingazaemon wash his feet, Iesada came running up behind him and

struck off his head, Before his head fell, Akifusa drew out his short sword and turned to strike, but cut off

Ingazaemon's head. The two heads fell into the wash basin together. Akifusa's head then rose into the midst

of those present. This was the sort of magic technique that he consistently had.

The priest Tannen used to say in his daily talks that : A monk cannot fulfill the Buddhist Way if he does not

manifest compassion without and persistently store up courage within. And if a warrior does not manifest

courage on the outside and hold enough compassion within his heart to burst his chest, he cannot become a

retainer. Therefore, the monk pursues courage with the warrior as his model, and the warrior pursues the

I traveled about for many years and met men of wisdom but never found the means to the pursuit of

knowledge. Therefore, whenever I heard of a man of courage in one place or another, I would go and look for

him regardless of the hardships on the way. I have learned clearly that these stories of the Way of the Samurai

have been an aid on the road to Buddhism. Now a warrior with his armor will rush into the enemy camp,

making that armor his strength. Do you suppose that a monk with a single rosary can dash into the midst of

spears and long swords, armed with only meekness and compassion? If he does not have great courage, he

will do no dashing at all. As proof of this, the priest offering the incense at a great Buddhist memorial service

Things like kicking a man back from the dead, or pulling all living creatures out of hell, are all matters of

courage. Nevertheless, monks of recent times all entertain false ideas and desire to become laudably gentle ;

there are none who complete the Way. Furthermore, among warriors there are some cowards who advance

Buddhism. These are regrettable matters. It is a great mistake for a young samurai to learn about Buddhism.

The reason is that he will see things in two ways. A person who does not set himself in just one direction will

be of no value at all. It is fine for retired old men to learn about Buddhism as a diversion, but if a warrior

makes loyalty and filial piety one load, and courage and compassion another, and carries these twentyfour

In one's morning and evening worship, and as one goes about his day, he had best recite the name of his

master. It is not a bit different from the Buddha's names and holy words. Furthermore, one should be in

harmony with his family gods. These are matters of the strength of one's fate. Compassion is like a mother

who nurtures one's fate. Examples of the ruin of merciless warriors who were brave alone are conspicuous in

There was a certain point in the conversation when a retainer of Lord Nabeshima Naohiro said, "There are no

men here upon whom the master can truly rely. Although I am consistently useless, I am the only one who

It is said that Lord Naohiro got outrageously angry, saying, "Among our retainers there is not a one who

holds his life in regret! You are talking arrogance!" and he was at the point of striking him when the man was

Once when Master Tanesada, the founder of the China family, was coming by sea to the island of Shikoku, a

strong wind began blowing and the boat was damaged. The boat was saved from sinking by abalone

gathering together and covering over the damaged sections. From that time on none of the China family nor

any of its retainers ate abalone. If one of them mistakenly ate one, it is said that his body was covered with

At the fall of the castle at Arima, on the twentyeighth day in the vicinity of the inmost citadel, Mitsuse

Gender sat down on a levee between the fields. When Nakano Shintohi passed by and asked the reason for

this, Mitsuse replied, "I have abdominal pains and can't go a step farther. I have sent the members of my

group ahead, so please take command." This situation was reported by the overseer, pronounced to be a case

Long ago, abdominal pains were called "cowardice grass." This is because they come suddenly and render a

At the time of Lord Nabeshima Naohiro's death, Lord Mitsushige forbade Naohiro 's retainers the practice of

tsuifuku. His messenger went to Naohiro's mansion and made the declaration, but those who received this

news could in no way agree to it. From their midst Ishimaru Uneme (later called Seizaemon) spoke from the

lowest seat, "It is improper for me as a younger person to speak out, but I think that what Lord Katsushige

has said is reasonable. As a person who received the master's care when I was young, I had whole heartedly

decided on tsuifuku. But hearing Lord Katsushige's dictum and being convinced of his reasoning, no matter

what the others may do, I am giving up the idea of tsuifuku and will serve the master's successor." Hearing

Once Lord Masaie was playing shogi with Lord Hideyoshi and there were a number of daimyo watching.

When it came time to withdraw, although Lord Masaie could stand, his feet were numb and he could not

walk. He made his withdrawal crawling away, causing everyone to laugh. Because Lord Masaie was big and

obese he was not ordinarily able to be on his knees. After this event he thought it would not be fitting to he in

Nakano Uemonnosuke Tadaaki was killed on the twelfth day of the eighth month in the sixth year of Eiroku,

at the time of the fight between Master Goto and Master Hirai of Suko on the island of Kabashima in the

Kishima district. When Uemonnosuke was leaving for the front lines, he emgraced his son Shikibu (later

called Jin'emon) in the garden and, although Shikibu was very young, said, "When you grow up, win honor in

Even when the children in his family were very young, Yamamoto Jin'emon would draw near to them and

say, "Grow up to be a great stalwart, and be of good use to your master." He said, "It is good to breathe these

When Ogawa Toshikiyo's legitimate son Sahei Kiyoji died as a youth, there was one young retainer who

When Taku Nagato no kami Yasuyori passed away, Kola Yataemon said that he had been unable to repay the

Narutomi Hyogo said, "What is called winning is defeaing one's allies. Defeating one's allies is defeating

"It is as though a man were in the midst of ten thousand allies but not a one were following him. If one hasn't

previously mastered his mind and body, he will not defeat the enemy.'' During the Shimabara Rebellion, his

armor being still at the encampment, Shugyo Echizen no kami Tanenao participated in the fight dressed only

At the time of the attack on the castle at Shimabara, Tazaki Geki was wearing very resplendent armor. Lord

Katsushige was not pleased by this, and after that every time he saw something showy he would say, "That's

In the light of this story, military armor and equipment that are showy can be seen as being weak and having

When Nabeshima wizen no kami Tadanao died, his attendant Ezoe Kinbei took his remains and had them

consecrated at Mt. Kola. Then, confining himself in a hermitage, he carved a statue of his master and another

of himself doing reverence before the master. On the first anniversary of Tadanao's death, he returned to his

home and committed tsuifuku. Later the statue was taken from Mt. Koya and was placed at the Kodenji.

In the generation of Lord Mitsushige, Oishi Kosuke was at first a foot soldier serving at the side of his

master. Whenever Lord Mitsushige was making the trip for his alternate year residence in Edo, Kosuke

would make the rounds around the sleeping quarters of his master, and if he thought a certain area to be

insecure, he would spread a straw mat and pass through the night awake by himself. In rainy weather he

would simply wear a bamboo hat and an oilpaper raincoat and would stand watch while being pelted by the

When Oishi Kosuke was an uchitonin, a mysterious person sneaked into the area of the maids' chambers late

at night.' There was a great commotion from upstairs to down and men and women of all ranks were running

about; only Kosuke was not to be seen. While the senior ladiesin waiting were searching about, Kosuke

yanked his sword from its scabbard and waited quietly in the room next to the master's bedchamber. As all

was in confusion, he had felt apprehension for the master and was there to protect him. Because of this it was

The man who had sneaked in was Narutomi Kichibei. He and his accomplice Hamada Ichizaemon were

Once when Lord Katsushige was hunting at Nishime, for some reason he got very angry. He drew his sword

from his obi, scabbard and all, and began beating Soejima Zennojo with it, but his hand slipped and his sword

fell into a ravine. Zennojo, in order to stay with the sword, fumbled down into the ravine and picked it up.

This done, he stuck the sword in his lapel, crawled up the precipice, and just as he was, offered the sword to

his master. In terms of quick mindedness and reserve this was matchless resource.

Once when Master Sane Ukyo was crossing over the Takao River, the bridge was being repaired and there

was one large piling that could not be pulled up. Master Ukyo dismounted, grasped the piling firmly, pave a

shout, and began to pull it up. There was a tremendous sound, and although he was able to pull it up to his

own height, it would go no further and thereupon sank. After he returned home he became sick and suddenly

At the time of the funeral at the temple in Jobaru, when the funeral procession crossed the Takao Bridge, the

corpse leapt from the casket and fell into the river. A sixteenyear old acolyte from the Shufukuji

immediately jumped into the river and took hold of the dead body. Everyone then ran down into the river and

pulled up the corpse. The head monk was very impressed and instructed the other acolytes to be guided by

Yamamoto Kichizaemon was ordered by his father Jin'emon to cut down a dog at the age of five, and at the

age of fifteen he was made to execute a criminal. Everyone, by the time they were fourteen or fifteen, was

ordered to do a beheading without fail. When Lord Katsushige was young, he was ordered by Lord Naoshige

to practice killing with a sword. It is said that at that time he was made to cut down more than ten men

A long time ago this practice was followed, especially in the upper classes, but today even the children of the

lower classes perform no executions, and this is extreme negligence. To say that one can do without this sort

of thing, or that there is no merit in killing a condemned man, or that it is a crime, or that it is defiling, is to

make excuses. In short, can it not be thought that because a person's martial valor is weak, his attitude is only

If one investigates into the spirit of a man who finds these things disagreeable, one sees that this person gives

himself over to cleverness and excuse making not to kill because he feels unnerved. But Naoshige made it his

Last year I went to the Kase Execution Grounds to try my hand at beheading, and I found it to be an

extremely good feeling. To think that it is unnerving is a symptom of cowardice.

Among the pageboys in forelocks in Lord Mitsushige's retinue, one Tomoda Shozaemon was in attendance.

A rather wanton fellow, he fell in love with a leading actor of the theater by the name of Tamon Shozaemon

and changed both his name and his crest to that of the actor. Completely abandoning himself to this affair, he

spent everything he had and lost all his clothing and furnishings. And at length, when he had exhausted all his

means, he stole Mawatari Rokubei's sword and had a spearman take it to a pawnshop.

The spearman, however, spoke up about this matter, and in the investigation both he and Shozaemon were

condemned to death. The investigator was Yamamoto Gorozaemon. When he read the report, he spoke in a

loud voice and said, "The man who accuses the defendant is Spearman soand so .''

When it came time to announce his fate to Shozaemon, Gorozaemon came in and said, "There is now nothing

Shozaemon settled himself and said, "Very well. I understand what you have said and am grateful for your

words." Due to somebody's trickery, however, while a kaishaku was introduced to Shozaemon, it was

arranged that a foot soldier, Naozuka Rokuuemon, was to step from the side and decapitate him.

Repairing to the execution grounds, where the kaishaku stood opposite him, Shozaemon saluted him with

extreme calm. But just then, seeing Naozuka drawing his sword, he jumped up and said, "Who are you? I'll

never let you cut off my head!" From that point on his peace of mind was shattered and he showed terrible

cowardice. Finally he was brought to the ground, stretched out, and decapitated.

Gorozaemon later said secretly, ' 'If he hadn't been deceiv ed, he would have probably met his death well."

Noda Kizaemon said about the function of kaishaku, "When a man who has come to his place of death loses

his wits and is crawling about, it is likely seine damage will be done when it comes time to perform kaishak.

At such a time first wait a bit and by some means gather your strength. Then if you cut by standing firm and

In the generation of Lord Katsushige there were retainers who, regardless of high or low rank, were requested

to work before the master from the time they were young. When Shiba Kizaemon was doing such service,

once the master was clipping his nails and said, "Throw these away." Kizaemon held them in his hand but did

not stand up, and the master said, "What's the matter?" Kizaemon said, "There's one missing.'' The master

Sawabe Heizaemon was ordered to commit seppuku on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the second

year of Tenna. As this became known to him on the night of the tenth, he sent a request to Yamamoto

Gonnojo [Tsunetomo] to be kaishaku. The following is a copy of Yamamoto's reply. (Tsunetomo was

I am in accord with your resolution and accept your request for me to function as kaishaku. I instinctively felt

that I should decline, but as this is to take place tomorrow there is no time for making excuses and I will

undertake the job. The fact that you have chosen me from among many people is a great personal satisfaction

to me. Please set your mind at ease concerning all that must follow. Although it is now late at night, I will

When Heizaemon saw this reply, it is said that he remarked, "This is a matchless letter."

From ages past it has been considered illomened by samurai to be requested as kaishaku. The reason for this

is that one pains no fame even if the job is well done. And if by chance one should blunder, it becomes a

Once when Tanaka Yahei was attending to affairs in Edo, one of his menials was rather insolent and Yahei

scolded him severely. Late that night Yahei heard the noise of someone coming up the stairs. He felt this to

be suspicious and quietly got up. With short sword in hand he asked who was there, and it turned out to be

the menial whom he had scolded previously, secretly holding a short sword. Yahei leapt down and with a

single stroke cut the man down. I heard many people later state that he had had good luck.

A certain Master Tokuhisa was born quite different from other people and looked to be a bit moronic. Once, a

guest was invited and mudfish salad was served. At that time everyone said, "Master Tokuhisa's mudfish

salad," and laughed. Later when he was in attendance and a certain person made fun of him by quoting the

above remark, Tokuhisa pulled out his sword and cut the man down. This event was investigated and it was

stated to Lord Naoshige, "Seppuku is recommended because this was a matter of rashness within the palace."

When Lord Naoshige heard this, he said, ' 'To be made fun of and remain silent is cowardice. There is no

reason to overlook this fact because one is within the palace. A man who makes fun of people is himself a

Once when Nakano Mokunosuke bearded a small boat on the Sumida River to enjoy the coolness, a rogue got

in too and committed all manner of rude acts. When Mokunosuke saw that the rogue was relieving himself

over the side of the boat, he cut the man's head off and it fell into the river. So that people would not notice

this, he quickly covered the body with various things. He then said to the boatman, "This matter should not

become known. Row up to the upper reaches of the river and bury the corpse. I shall naturally pay you well."

The boatman did as he was told, but in the lagoon where the body was buried Mokunosuke cut off the head of

the boatman and returned directly. It is said that this fact never became known publicly. At that time there

was also one young homosexual male prostitute riding in the boat. Mekunosuke said, "That fellow was a man

too. It is best to learn how to cut a man while one is still young," and so the man cut the corpse once. Because

It is said that every time Oki Hyobu's group gathered and after all their affairs were finished he would say,

"Young men should discipline themselves rigorously in intention and courage. This will be accomplished if

only courage is fixed in one's heart. If one's sword is broken, he will strike with his hands. If his hands are cut

off, he will press the enemy down with his shoulders. If his shoulders are cut away, he will bite through ten or

Shida Kichinosuke said, "At first it is an oppressive thing to run until one is breathless. But it is an

extraordinarily good feeling when one is standing around after the running. More than that, it is even better to

sit down. More than that, it is even better to lie down. And more than that, to put down a pillow and sleep

soundly is even better. A man's whole life should be like this. To exert oneself to a great extent when one is

young and then to sleep when he is old or at the point of death is the way it should be. But to first sleep and

then exert oneself . . . To exert oneself to the end, and to end one's whole life in toil is regrettable."

A saying of Kichinosuke's that is similar to this is, "A man's life should be as toilsome as possible."

When Ueno Rihei was overseer of accounting in Edo, he had a young assistant whom he treated in a very

intimate way. On the first night of the eighth month he went drinking with Hashimoto Taemon, an overseer

of foot soldiers, and got so drunk that he lost good sense. He accompanied his young assistant back home,

babbling on in a drunken manner, and when they arrived there, Rihei said that he was going to cut the

assistant down. The assistant pushed away the tip of Rihei's scabbard. They grappled and both fell into the

gutter with the assistant on top pushing Rihei down. At this time, Rihei's servant ran up and asked, "Is Master

When Rihei replied, ''I'm on the bottom !'' the servant stabbed the assistant once. The assistant got up and, as

When the affair was brought under investigation, Rihei was put into confinement at the Naekiyama prison

and was condemned to capital punishment by beheading. Before this, when he was positioned in Edo and

living in a rented house in the merchants' district, a servant had opposed him and he had cut him down. But

he had acted in a good way at that time, and people said that he had acted like a man. This time, however, his

If one thinks about this well from beginning to end, to get so drunk as to draw one's sword is both cowardice

and lack of resolve. Rihei's servant was a man from Taku, but his name is not remembered. Though he was a

member of the lower classes, he was a brave man. It is said that Taemon committed suicide during the

In the twelfth section of the fifth chapter of the Ryoankyo there is this story :

In the Province of wizen there was a certain man from Take who, although he had contracted smallpox, was

considering joining the forces attacking the castle at Shimabara. His parents earnestly tried to get him to

desist, saying, "With such a grave illness, even if you should get there, how could you be of any use?"

He replied, "It would be to my satisfaction to die on the way. After having received the warm benevolence of

the master, should I tell myself that I will be of no use to him now?" And he left for the front. Although it was

winter camp and the cold was extreme, he did not pay any attention to his health, and neither put on many

layers of clothing nor took off his armor day or night. Moreover, he did not avoid uncleanliness, and in the

end recovered quickly and was able to fulfill his loyalty completely. So to the contrary of what you would

When the teacher, Suzuki Shozo, heard this, he said, "Was it not a cleansing act to throw away his life for his

master? For a man who will cut of his life for the sake of righteousness, there is no need to call upon the god

Lord Katsushige said, "Whether a man of Hizen holds death in regret or not is not a matter of concern. What I

worry about is that people will not take to heart the command to keep the rules of manners and etiquette

correctly. I am afraid that the entire clan, our relatives and elders, out of too much earnestness, will feel that

the command to keep correct etiquette is an exaggeration. Up to now there have existed men who were used

to these things, and even if etiquette was slightly wrong, they could remember the correct way, and the matter

was settled. I have given this command because people are negligent in affairs of this sort."

During the Genroku period there was a samurai of low rank from the Province of Ise by the name of Suzuki

Rokubei. He was ill with a severe fever, and his consciousness became dim. At that time a certain male nurse

was unexpectedly stricken with greed and was about to open up the inkbox and steal the money that was kept

in it. Just then the sick man suddenly stirred, took the sword from the base of his pillow, and in a sudden

attack cut the man down with one blow. With that, the sick man fell back and died. By this act, Rokubei

I heard this story in Edo, but later when I was serving in the same province with a Dr. Nagatsuka, who was

also from the Province of Ise, I asked him about it, and indeed he knew the story and said that it was true.

On the night of the thirteenth day of the ninth month in the fourth year of Teikyo, there was a group of ten No

actors moonviewing at the house of Nakayama Mosuke, a foot soldier, in Sayanomoto. Beginning with

Naotsuka Kanzaemon they all began to make fun of the foot soldier Araki Kyozaemen because he was so

short. Araki became angry, killed Kanzaemon with his sword, and then began striking at the others .

Though he suffered a severed hand, Matsumoto Rokuzaemon came down into the garden, seized Araki from

behind with his other hand, and said, "As for the likes of you, I'll twist your head off with one hand!"

Grabbing away Araki's sword, he pushed him to the doorsill and pressed him down with his knee, but as he

Araki quickly sprang back and again began to strike at those around him, but now Master Hayata (later

known as Jirozaemon) met him with a spear. In the end he was overpowered by a number of men. Following

this, Araki was made to commit seppuku, and the others who were involved were all made ronin on account

As Tsunetomo does not remember this story clearly, one should ask around about it. Some years ago there

was a sutra reading at the Jissoin in Kawakami. Five or six men from Kon'yamachi and the area of Tashiro

had gone to the service, and on their way home passed some time drinking. Among them was one of Kizuka

Kyuzaemon's retainers who, having some reason for doing so, turned down his companions' invitation to join

them and returned borne before nightfall. The others, however, later pot into a fight with some men and cut

Kyuzaemon's retainer heard of this late that night and went quickly to his companions' quarters. He listened

to the details and then said, "In the end I suppose you will have to submit a statement. When you do, you

should say that I was there also and assisted in cutting down those men. When I return, I will say as much to

Kyuzaemon. Since a fight is a matter involving all concerned, I should meet the same death sentence as you.

And that is my deepest desire. The reason is that even if I were to explain to my master that I had returned

home early, he would never accept it as the truth. Kyuzaemon has always been a severe man, and even if I

were cleared by the investigators, he would probably have me executed as a coward right before his eyes. In

such a case, dying with the bad reputation of having run away from a place would be extremely regretful.

"Since the fate of dying is the same, I would like to die being blamed for having killed a man. If you are not

Having no alternative, his companions spoke as he had requested. Presently, during the inquiry, although the

circumstances were explained in the above manner, it became known that the retainer had returned home

This matter was transmitted to me only in outline, so I will look into the details at a later date.

Once when Nabeshima Aki no kami Shigetake was halfway through his meal, a guest suddenly came to see

him and he left his tray just as it was. Later, a certain retainer of his sat down at the tray and began eating the

fried fish that was on it. Just then Lord Aki came back and saw him, and the man became flustered and ran

off. Lord Aki yelled out, "What a lowlife slave you are to eat something that someone else has been eating!"

This is one of Jin'emon's stories. It is said that this retainer was one of those who committed tsuifuku for the

Yamamoto Jin'emon always said to his retainers, "Go ahead and gamble and lie. A person who will not tell

you seven lies within a hundred yards is useless as a man. " Long ago people spoke in this fashion because

they were only concerned with a man's attitude towards military matters and considered that a man who was

"correct" would never do great works. They also ignored the misconduct of men and dismissed such matters

Men like Sagara Kyoma also excused retainers who had committed theft and adultery and trained them

gradually. He said, "If it weren't for such persons, we would have no useful men at all."

Ikumo Oribe said, "If a retainer will just think about what he is to do for the day at hand, he will be able to do

anything. If it is a single day's work, one should be able to put up with it. Tomorrow, too, is but a single day."

At the time when Lord Nabeshima Tsunashige had still not taken over as heir, he was converted by the Zen

priest Kurotakiyama Choon and learned Buddhism from him. Since he had had an enlightenment, the priest

was going to confer the seal upon him, and this became known throughout the mansion. At that time

Yamamoto Gorozaemon had been ordered to be both Tsunashige's attendant and overseer. When he heard of

this, he knew that it absolutely would not do and planned to make a request to Choon, and if he did not

assent, kill him. He went to the priest's house in Edo and entered; the priest, thinking that he was someone on

Gorozaemon drew near him and said, ' 'I have some secret thing to tell you directly. Please send out your

"It is said that you will soon award Tsunashige the seal because of his cleverness in Buddhism. Now as you

are from Hizen, you should know in large part the customs of the Ryuzoji and Nabeshima clans. Our country

is ruled with harmony between high and low because, unlike others, it has had continuous heirs for successive

generations. There has never been the taking of a Buddhist seal by the daimyo for ages past. If you present

the seal now, Tsunashige will probably think of himself as enlightened and regard what his retainers say as so

much dirt. A great man will become vain. Absolutely do not give this award. If you do not agree to this, I too

The priest's color changed, but he said, "Well, well. You have trustworthy intentions, and I see that you

But Gorozaemon said, "No! I understand that ploy. I didn't come here to be praised. Without adding anything

Gorozaemon made sure of this and returned. Tsunetomo heard this story directly from Gorozaemon.

A group of eight samurai all took the same road for some merrymaking. Two of them, Komori Eijun and

Otsubo Jin'emon, went into a teahouse in front of the Kannon temple at Asakusa, got into an argument with

the male employees there, and were soundly beaten. This could be heard by the others, who were in an

excursion boat, and Mute Rokuemen said, "We should go back and take revenge." Yoshii Yoichiemon and

The others, however, dissuaded them, saying, "This will cause trouble for the clan," and they all returned

home. When they arrived at the mansion, Rokuemon again said, ''We should definitely take revenge!'' but the

others disuaded him. Although they sustained heavy wounds on their arms and legs, Eijian and Jin'emon cut

the teahouse men down, and those who had returned were taken to task by the master.

In due course some thought was given to the details of this event. One person said, "By waiting to ;get the

agreement of others, a matter like taking revenge will never be brought to a conclusion. One should have the

resolution to go alone and even to be cut down. A person who speaks vehemently about taking revenge but

does nothing about it is a hypocrite. Clever people, by using their mouths alone, are taking care of their

reputations for a later date. But a real stalwart is a man who will go out secretly, saying nothing, and die. It is

not necessary to achieve one's aim ; one is a stalwart in being cut down. Such a person will most likely

lchiyuken was a low class servant in the kitchen of Lord Takanobu. Because of some grudge he had over a

matter of wrestling, he cut down seven or eight men and was hence ordered to commit suicide. But when

Lord Takanobu heard of this he pardoned the man and said, "In these strifetorn times of our country, brave

men are important. This man would seem to be a man of bravery." Consequently, at the time of the action

around the Uji River, Lord Takanobu took Ichiyuken along, and the latter earned unrivaled fame, advancing

At the battle of Takagi, Ichiyuken went so far into the enemy lines that Lord Takanobu felt regret and called

him back. Since the vanguard had been unable to advance, only by quickly dashing out was he able to grab

Ichiyuken by the sleeve of his armor. At that time Ichiyuken's head had suffered many wounds, but he had

On the first clay of the attack on Hara Caste, Tsuruta Yashichibei went as a messenger from Lord Mimasaka

to Oki Hyobu, but as he was delivering the message, he was shot through the pelvic region by a bullet fired

from the castle and instantly fell on his face. He got up again and delivered the rest of the message, was felled

a second time, and died. Yashichibei's body was carried back by Taira Chihyoei. When Chihyoei was

Dense was born in Taku , and the members of his family living at this time were his elder brother Jirbei, his

younger brother and his mother. Around the ninth month Denko's mother took Jirobei's son with her to hear a

sermon. When it was time to go home, the child, as he was putting on his straw sandals, accidentally stepped

on the foot of the man next to him. The man rebuked the child, and in the end they pot into a vehement

argument and the man unsheathed his short sword and killed him. Jirobei's mother was dumb struck. She

clung to the man, and he killed her too. Having done this, the man returned to his house.

This man's name was Gorouemon, and he was the son of a ronin by the name of Nakajima Moan. His

younger brother was the mountain ascetic, Chuzobo. Moan was an advisor to Master Mimasaka, and

When the circumstances became known at Jirobei's home, his younger brother set out for Gorouemon's place.

Finding that the door was locked from within and that no one would come out, he disguised his voice,

pretending to be a visitor. When the door was opened, he shouted his real name and crossed swords with his

enemy. Both men fumbled into the rubbish heap, but in the end Gorouemon was killed. At this point,

Hearing of this incident, Dense went immediately to Jirobei's place and said, "Of our enemies only one has

been killed, while we have lost three. This is extremely regret table, so why don't you strike at Chuzobo?"

Denko felt that this was indeed shameful, and although a Buddhist priest, he decided on striking at the enemy

of his mother, younger brother and nephew. He knew, nevertheless, that since he was simply an ordinary

priest, there was likely to be a reprisal from Master Mimasaka and therefore worked hard, finally gaining

eminence as the chief priest of the Ryuunji. He then went to the sword maker Iyonojo and asked him to make

both a long and a short sword, offered to be his apprentice, and was even allowed to take part in the work.

By the twentythird day of the ninth month of the follow ing year, he was ready to make his departure. By

chance a guest had come at this time. Giving orders for food to be served, Denko secretly slipped out of the

chief priest's headquarters disguised as a layman. He then went to taku and, upon asking about Chuzobo,

learned that he was with a large group of people who had gathered to watch the moonrise, and that therefore

nothing much could be done. Unwilling to let time pile up, he felt that it would be fulfilling his basic desire to

strike at the father, Moan. Going to Moan's house, he forced his way into the sleeping chambers, announced

his name, and when the man began to get up, stabbed and killed him. When the people of the neighborhood

came running and surrounded him, he explained the situation, threw away both long and short swords, and

returned home. News of this preceded him to Saga, and a good number of Denko's parishioners came out

Master Mimasaka was quite outraged, but as Denko was the chief priest of a Nabeshima clan temple, there

was nothing to be done. Finally, through the offices of Nabeshima Toneri, he sent word to Tannen, the chief

priest of the Kodenji, saying, "When a priest has killed a man, he should be given a sentence of death."

Tannen's reply was, "The punishment for one within the religion will be in accordance with the feelings of

Master Mimasaka became even angrier and asked, "What sort of punishment will this be?" Tannen replied,

"Although it is profitless for you to know, you are forcing the question, so I will give you an answer. The

[Buddhist] Law is that an apostate priest is deprived of his robes and driven out."

Denko's robes were taken from him at the Kodenji, and when he was to be driven out, some novices put on

their long and short swords, and a great number of parishioners came to protect him, accompanying him as

far as Todoroki. On the road a number of men who looked like hunters appeared and asked if the party had

come from Taku. Thereafter Denko lived in Chikuzen, was well received by all, and was on friendly terms

with samurai as well. This story was widely circulated, and it is said that he was treated kindly everywhere .

Horie San'emon's misdeed was robbing the Nabeshima warehouse in Edo of its money and fleeing to another

prov ince. He was caught and confessed. Thus it was pro nounced , ''Because this is a grave crime he should

be tortured to death, " and Nakano Daigaku was ordered to be the official who verified the execution. At first

all the hairs on his body were burner off and his fingernails were pulled out. His tendons were then cut, he

was bored with drills and sub jected to various other tortures. Throughout, he did not flinch once, nor did his

face change color. In the end his back was split, he was boiled in soy sauce, and his body was bent back in

Once when Fukuchi Rokurouemon was leaving the castle, the palanquin of what appeared to be a rather

upper class woman was passing in front of Master Taku's mansion, and a man who was standing there made

the proper salutation. A halberd carrier who was with the palanquin procession, however, said to the man,

"You didn't bow low enough," and struck him on the head with the handle of his halberd. When the man

wiped his head, he found that he was bleeding. In just that condition he stood up and said, "You have

committed an outrageous act, even though I was courteous. A regrettable piece of luck." So saying, he cut the

halberd carrier down with a single blow. The palanquin continued on to wherever it was going, but

Rokurouemon unsheathed his spear, stood before the man, and said. "Put away your sword. Within the castle

grounds it is forbidden to go about holding a naked blade.'' The man said, "What happened now was

unavoidable, and I was compelled by the circumstances. Certainly you could see that this was so. Although I

would like to sheathe my sword, it is difficult to do so due to the tone of your words. It is unpleasant, but I

Rokurouemon immediately threw down his spear and said courteously, "What you have said is reasonable.

My name is Fukuchi Rokurouemon. I will bear witness that your conduct was quite admirable. Moreover, I

will back you up even if it means forfeiting my life. Now put away your sword.''

"With pleasure," the man said, and sheathed his sword. On being asked where he was from, the man replied

that he was a retainer of Taku Nagato no kami Yasuyori. Therefore Rokurouemon accompanied him and

explained the circumstances. Knowing that the woman in the palanquin was the wife of a nobleman,

Rokurouemon came forward and said, "Because I have given the promise of a samurai, if this man is ordered

Lord Shima sent a messenger to his father, Lord Aki, saying, "I would like to make a pilgrimage to the Atago

Shrine in Kyoto." Lord Aki asked, "For what reason?" and the messenger replied, "Since Atago is the pod of

archery, my intentions are for the sake of fortune in war." Lord Aki became angry and answered. "That is

absolutely worthless! Should the vanguard of the Nabeshimas be making requests to Atago? If the incarnation

of Atago were fighting on the enemy's side, the vanguard should be equal to cutting him neatly in two."

Dohaku lived in Kurotsuchibaru. His son was named Gorobei. Once when Gorobei was carrying a load of

rice, a ronin of Master Kumashiro Sakyo's by the name of Iwamura Kyunai was coming from the other

direction. There was a grudge between the two of them from some former incident, and now Gorobei struck

Kyunai with his load of rice, started an argument, beat him and pushed him into a ditch, and then returned

home. Kyunai yelled some threat at Gorobei and returned to his home where he related this event to his older

When they got there the door was open just a bit, and Gorobei was waiting behind it with drawn sword. Not

knowing this, Gen'emon entered and Gorobei struck at him with a sweep from the side. having received a

deep wound, Gen'emon used his sword as a staff and hobbled back outside. Then Kyunai rushed in and struck

at Dohaku's soninlaw Katsuemon, who was sitting by the hearth. His sword glanced off the pot hanger,

and he cut off half of Katsuemen's face. Dohaku, together with his wife, grabbed the sword away from

Kyunai apologized and said, "I have already achieved my purpose. Please give me back my sword and I will

accompany my brother home. But when Dohaku banded it back to him, Kyunai cut him once in the back and

severed his neck halfway through. He then crossed swords with Gorobei again and both went outside and

At this point Kyunai, who also suffered many wounds, shouldered his elder brother Gen'emon and returned

Gorobei's wounds were numerous. Although he stopped the bleeding, he died on account of drinking some

water. Dohaku's wife suffered some severed fingers. Dohaku's wound was a severed neck bone, and since

only his throat remained intact, his head hung down in front. Now boosting his head up with his own hands,

The surgeon s treatment was like this: First he rubbed a mixture of pine resin and oil on Dohaku's jaw and

bound it in ramie. He then attached a rope to the top of his head and tied it to a beam, sewed the open wound

Dohaku never lost consciousness nor did he change from his everyday attitude, nor did he even drink

ginseng. It is said that only on the third day when there was a hemorrhage did he use a little medicinal

When Lord Mitsushige contracted smallpox at Shimonoseki, Ikushima Sakuan gave him some medicine. It

was an exceptionally heavy case of smallpox, and his attendants both high and low were rather tense.

Suddenly his scabs turned black. The men who were nursing him lost heart and secretly informed Sakuan,

who came immediately. He said, "Well, this is something to be thankful for. The scabs are healing. He should

The people who were at Lord Mitsushige's side heard this and thought, "Sakuan looks a little deranged. This

Sakuan then set folding screens around, came out after a while, and fed Lord Mitsushige one packet of

medicine. Very quickly the patient's scabs healed, and he made a complete recovery. Sakuan later confided to

someone, "I gave the master that one packet of medicine resolved that, as I was undertaking this treatment

alone, if he did not recover I would quickly cut open my stomach and die with him.''

When Nakano Takumi was dying, his whole house garthered and he said, "You should understand that there

are three conditions to the resolution of a retainer. They are the condition of the master's will, the condition of

Once when a number of men had gathered on the platform of the inner citadel of the castle, a certain man said

to Uchida Shouemon, "It is said that you are a teacher of the sword, but judging by your everyday attitude,

your teaching must be very wild indeed. If you were requested to perform kaishaku, I can imagine that

Shouemon rejoined, "Such is not the case. Draw a little ink spot on your own neck, and I'll show you that I

Nagayama Rokurozaemon was going down the Tokaido and was at Hamamatsu. As he passed by an inn, a

beggar faced his palanquin and said, "I am a ronin from Echigo. I am short of money and in difficulties. We

Rokurozaemon got angry and said, "It is a discourtesy to mention that we are both warriors. If I were in your

state of affairs, I'd cut my stomach open. Rather than being out of money for the road and exposing yourself

to shame, cut your stomach open right where you are!'' It is said that the beggar moved off.

In Makiguchi Yohei's life he was kaishaku for many men. When a certain Kanahara was to commit seppuku,

Yohei consented to be kaishaku. Kanahara thrust the sword into his belly, but at the point of pulling it across

he was unable to go further. Yohei approached his side, yelled "Ei!" and stamped his foot. From this impetus,

Kanahara was able to pull his sword straight across his belly. After finishing the kaishaku, it is said that

Yohei shed tears and said, "Even though he was formerly a good friend of mine . . . " This is a story of

At the time of a certain person's seppuku, when the kaishaku a cut off his head, a little bit of skin was left

hanging and the head was not entirely separated from the body. The official observer said, "There's some

left." The kaishaku got angry, took hold of the head, and cutting it completely off, held it above eye level and

said , ''Take a look!'' It is said that it was rather chilling. This is a story of Master Sukeemon's .

In the practice of past times , there were instances when the head flew off'. It was said that it is best to cut

leaving a little skin remaining so that it doesn't fly oft in the direction of the verifying officials. However, at

A man who had cut off fifty heads once said, "According to the head, there are cases when even the trunk of a

body will bring some reaction to you. Cutting off just three heads, at first there is no reaction and you can cut

well. But when you pet to four or five, you feel quite a bit of reaction. At any rate , since this is a very

important matter, if one always plans on bringing the head to the ground there should be no mistakes."

When Lord Nabeshima Tsunashige was a child, Iwamura Kuranosuke was ordered to the position of elder.

On one occasion Kuranosuke saw that there were gold coins before the young Tsunashige and asked the

attending retainer, "For what reason have you brought these out before the young master?" The attendant

replied, "The master just now heard that a gift had been brought for him. He said that he had not yet seen it,

so I brought it out for him .'' Kuranosuke scolded the man severely, saying, "To place such base things before

a person of importance is the extremity of careless ness. You may also consider them something not to be put

before the lord's son. Attending retainers should henceforth be very mindful of this."

Another time, when Lord Tsunashige was about twenty years old, he once went to the mansion at Naekiyama

for some diversion. As the party neared the mansion, he asked for a walking stick. His sandal carrier, Miura

Jibuzaemon, fashioned a stick and was about to give it to the young lord. Kuranosake saw this, quickly took

the stick from Jibuzaemon, and scolded him severely, saying, ' 'Will you make our important young lord a

sluggard ? Even if he should ask for a stick , it should not be given to him. This is carelessness on the part of

Jibuzaernon was later promoted to the rank of teakiyari, and Tsunetomo heard this story directly from him.

When Shimomura Shoun was on service at the castle, Lord Naoshige said, "How wonderful it is that

Katsushige is so vigorous and powerful for his age. In wrestling with his peers he even beat those who are

Shoun replied, "Even though I'm an old man, I'll bet I'm best at seated wrestling." So saying, he jerked up

Katsushige and threw him so forcefully that it hurt. He then said, "To be prideful about your strength while

your mettle is not yet established is likely to bring you shame in the midst of people. You are weaker than

you look.'' Then he withdrew. At the time when Matsuda Yohei was an intimate friend of Ishii Jinku's, there

developed some bad feeling's between the former and Nozoe Jinbei. Yohei sent word to Jinbei saying,

"Please come and I will settle this matter once and for all." Then he and Jinku set out together and, coming to

the Yamabushi mansion at Kihara, they crossed the only bridge there was and destroyed it. Talking over the

circumstances of the discord, they examined them from all sides and found no reason to fight. But when they

While they were looking for an appropriate way of crossing the moat, the men whom the two had challenged

could be seen approaching stealthily. Yohei and Jinku saw this and said, "We have passed the point of no

return, and may as well fight rather than be disgraced at a later date. " The battle lasted for some time.

Seriously wounded, Yohei fell down between two fields. Jinbei also received a deep wound, and with blood

flowing into his eyes was unable to find Yohei. While Jinbei thus searched about blindly, Yohei was able to

hold him off from his prone position and in the end cut him down. But when he attempted to deliver the

finishing blow, having no strength left in his hand, he pierced Jinbei's neck by pushing the sword with his

At this point, friends arrived and accompanied Yohei back. After his wounds healed he was ordered to

commit seppuku. At that time he called his friend Jinku, and they drank a farewell cup together.

Okubo Toemon of Shioda ran a wineshop for Nabeshima Kenmotsu. Lord Okura, the son of Nabeshima Kai

no kami, was a cripple and confined indoors in a place called Mine. He harbored wrestlers and liked rowdies.

The wrestlers would often go to nearby villages and cause disturbances. One time they went to Toemon's

place, drank sake and talked unreasonably, bringing Toemon into an argument. He met them with a halberd,

His son, Kannosuke, was fifteen years old and was in the midst of studies at the Jozeiji when he was

informed of the incident. Galloping off, he took a short sword about sixteen inches in length, joined combat

with the two big men, and in a short time finished them both off. Although Kannosuke received thirteen

wounds, he recovered. Later he was called Doko and is said to have become very adept at massage.

It is said that Tokunaga Kichizaemon repeatedly com plained, "I've grown so old that now, even if there

were to be a battle, I wouldn't be able to do anything. Still, I would like to die by galloping into the midst of

the enemy and being struck down and killed. It would be a shame to do nothing more than to die in one's

It is said that the priest Gyojaku heard this when he was an acolyte. Gyojaku's master was the priest Yemen,

When Sagara Kyuma was requested to become a chief retainer, he said to Nabeshima Heizaemon, "For some

reason I have been increasingly well treated by the master and now have been requested to take a high rank.

Not having a good retainer, my affairs are liable to be in disorder. It is my request that you give me your

retainer, Takase Jibusaemon." Heizaemon listened to him and consented, saying, "It is very gratifying that

But when he related this to Jibusaemon, the latter said, "I should reply directly to Master Kyuma." He then

went to Kyuma's place and talked with him. Jibusaemon told Kyuma, "I know it is a great honor that you

have thought well of me and have made this request. But a retainer is a person who cannot change masters.

As you are of high rank, if I were to become your retainer my life would be replete, but that repleteness

would be a vexation to me. Because Her zaemon is of low rank and is hard pressed, we live by eating cheap

A certain man went of somewhere and on returning home late at night, found that a strange man had slipped

into the house and was committing adultery with his wife. He thereupon killed the man. He then broke down

a wall and propped up a bale of rice, and by this arrangement submitted to the authorities that he had killed a

thief. Thus it went without mishap. After some time had passed he divorced his wife and the affair was

When a certain person returned home from some place or other, he found his wife committing adultery with a

retainer in the bedroom. When he drew near the two, his retainer fled through the kitchen. He then went into

Calling the maidservant, he explained what had happened and said, "Because this would bring shame to the

children, it should be covered up as death by illness and I will need considerable help. If you think that this is

too much for you, I may as well kill you too for your part in this serious crime.''

She replied, "If you will spare my life, I will go on as if I don't know anything. " She rearranged the room and

set out the corpse in its nightclothes. Then, after sending a man to the doctor's place two or three times saying

that there was a sudden illness, they sent a last messenger saying that it was too late and there was no longer

any need to come. The wife's uncle was called in and told about the illness, and he was convinced. The entire

affair was passed oft as death by illness, and to the end no one knew the truth. At a later date the retainer was

At New Year's in the third year of Keicho at a place in Korea called Yolsan, when the armies of the Ming

appeared by the hundreds of thousands, the Japanese troops were amazed and watched with bated breath.

Lord Naoshige said, "Well, well. That's a great number of men ! I wonder how many hundreds of thousands

Jin'emon said, "In Japan, for something that's numberless we say 'as many as the hairs on a threeyearold

calf.' This would certainly live up to the number of hairs on a threeyearold calf!" It is said that everybody

Later, Lord Katsushige was hunting at MI. Shiroishi and told Nakano Matabei about this. ' 'Except for your

Nakano Jin'emon constantly said, "A person who serves when treated kindly by the master is not a retainer.

But one who serves when the master is being heartless and unreasonable is a retainer. You should understand

When Yamamoto Jin'emon was eighty years old, he be came ill. At one point, he seemed to be on the verge

of groaning, and someone said to him, "You'll feel better if you groan. Go ahead. *' But he replied, "Such is

not the case. The name of Yamamoto Jin'emon is known by everyone, and I have shown up well throughout a

whole lifetime. To let people hear my groaning voice in my last moments would never do." It is said that he

A certain son of Mori Monbei got into a fight and returned home wounded. Asked by Monbei, "What did you

When Monbei asked, "Did you deliver the coup de grace?" his son replied, "Indeed I did."'

Then Monbei said, "You have certainly done well, and there is nothing to regret. Now, even if you fled you

would have to commit seppuku anyway. When your mood improves, commit seppuku, and rather than die by

another's hand, you can die by your father's. " And soon after he performed kaishaku for his son.

A man in the same group as Aiura Genzaemon committed some nefarious deed, and so the group leader gave

him a note, condemning him to death, which was to be taken to Genzaemon's place. Genzaemon perused the

note and then said to the man, "It says here that I should kill you, so I will do away with you on the eastern

bank. Previously you have practiced such things as swordsmanship . . . . Now fight with all you've got."

The man replied, "I will do as you say," and with Genzaemon alone accompanying him, they left the house.

They had gone about twenty yards along the edge of the moat when a retainer of Genzaernon's yelled out,

"Hey, Hey!" from the other side. As Genzaemon was turning around, the condemned man attacked him with

his sword. Genzaemon ducked backwards, drew his sword, and cut the man down. He then returned home.

He put the clothes he had been wearing at that time into a chest and locked them up, never showing them to

anyone for the rest of his life. After he died the clothes were examined, and it was seen that they were rent.

Everyone says that no masters of the arts will appear as the world comes to an end. This is something that I

cannot claim to understand. Plants such as peonies, azaleas and camellias will be able to produce beautiful

flowers, end of the world or not. If men would give some thought to this fact, they would understand. And if

people took notice of the masters of even these times, they would be able to say that there are masters in the

various arts. But people become imbued with the idea that the world has come to an end and no longer put

While Fukahori Magoroku was still living as a dependent second son, he once went hunting at Fukahori, and

his retainer, mistaking him for a wild boar in the darkness of the undergrowth, fired the rifle, wounding him

in the knee and causing him to fall from a great height. The retainer, greatly upset, stripped himself to the

waist and was about to commit seppuku. Magoroku said, "You can cut your stomach open later. I don't feel

well, so bring me some water to drink." The retainer ran about and obtained some water for his master to

drink and in the process calmed down. After that the retainer was again about to commit seppuku, but

Magoroku forcibly stopped him. Upon returning they checked in with the man on guard, and Magoroku

Kanzaemon said to the retainer, "It was an unexpected mistake, so do not be worried. There is no need for

A man by the name of Takagi got into an argument with three farmers in the neighborhood, was soundly

beaten out in the fields, and returned home. His wife said to him, "Haven't you forgotten about the matter of

His wife then retorted, "At any rate, a man dies only once. Of the various ways of dying dying of disease,

being cut down in battle, seppuku or being beheadedto die ignominiously would be a shame," and went

outside. She soon returned, carefully put the two children to bed, prepared some torches, dressed herself for

battle after nightfall, and then said, "When I went out to survey the scene a bit earlier, it seemed that the three

men went into one place for a discussion. Now is the right time. Let's go quickly!" So saying, they went out

with the husband in the lead, burning torches and wearing short swords. They broke into their opponents'

place and dispersed them, both husband and wife slashing about and killing two of the men and wounding the

There was a certain retainer of Ikeda Shingen's who started an argument with a man, grappled him to the

ground, thrashed him soundly, and trampled on him until his companions ran up and pulled them apart. The

elders conferred over this and said, "The man who was trampled should be punished." Shingen heard this and

said, "A fight is something that goes to the finish. A man who forgets the Way of the Samurai and does not

use his sword will be forsaken by the gods and Buddhas. As an example to subsequent retainers, both men

should be crucified." The men who had pulled them apart were banished. In Yui Shosetsu's military

instructions, "The Way of the Three Ultimates," there is a passage on the character of karma.' He received an

oral teaching of about eighteen chapters concerning the Greater Bravery and the Lesser Bravery. He neither

wrote them down nor committed them to memory but rather forgot them completely. Then, in facing real

situations, he acted on impulse and the things that he had learned became wisdom of his own. This is the

When faced with a crisis, if one puts some spittle on his earlobe and exhales deeply through his nose, he will

overcome anything at hand. This is a secret matter. Furthermore, when experiencing a rush of blood to the

Tzu Ch'an was on the point of death when someone asked him how to govern the country. He replied:

There is nothing that surpasses ruling with benevolence. However, to put into practice enough benevolent

governing to rule the country is difficult. To do this lukewarmly will result in neglect. If governing with

benevolence is difficult, then it is best to govern strictly. To govern strictly means to be strict before things

have arisen, and to do things in such a way that evil will not arise. To be strict after the evil has arisen is like

laying a snare. There are few people who will make mistakes with fire after having once been burned. Of

A certain man said, "I know the shapes of Reason and of Woman." When asked about this, he replied,

"Reason is fourcornered and will not move even in an extreme situation. Woman is round. One can say that

she does not distinguish between good and evil or right and wrong and tum bles into any place at all."

The basic meaning of etiquette is to be quick at both the beginning and end and tranquil in the middle. Mitani

Fukae Angen accompanied an acquaintance of his to the priest Tesshu of Osaka, and at first said privately to

the priest, "This man aspires to study Buddhism and hopes to receive your teaching. He is a man of rather

Soon after the interview the priest said, "Angen is a man who does harm to others. He said that this man is a

good man, but wherein is his goodness? There was no goodness visible to Tesshu's eyes. It is not a good idea

to praise people carelessly. When praised, both wise and foolish become prideful. To praise is to do harm."

When Hotta Kaga no kami Masamori was a page to the shogun, he was so headstrong that the shogun wished

to test what was at the bottom of his heart. To do this, the shogun heated a pair of tongs and placed them in

the hearth. Masamori's custom was to go to the other side of the hearth, take the tongs, and greet the master.

This time, when he unsuspectingly picked up the tongs, his hands were immediately turned. As he did

obeisance in his usual manner, however, the shogun quickly pot up and took the tongs from him.

A certain person said, "When a castle is being surrendered, as long as there are one or two men within it who

are determined to hold on, the defending forces will not be of one accord, and in the end no one will hold the

castle. "In the taking of the castle, if when the man who is to receive it approaches and the one or two men

who are determined to hold on to it lightly fire on him from the shadows, the man will be alarmed and the

battle will be on. In such a case, even though it is unwillingly done, the castle will have to be stormed. This is

The Buddhist priest Ryozan wrote down some generalities concerning Takanobu's battles. A certain priest

saw this and criticized him, saying, "It is inappropriate for a priest to write about a military commander. No

matter how successful his writing style may be, since he is not acquainted with military things, he is liable to

be mistaken in understanding a famous general's mind. It is irreverent to pass on misconceptions concerning a

A man answered him by saying, ''You seem to like poetry. I will answer you with a poem.

It is said that becoming as a dead man in one's daily living is the following of the path of sincerity."

If you cut a face lengthwise, urinate on it, and trample on it with straw sandals, it is said that the skin will

come off. This was heard by the priest Gyojaku when he was in Kyoto. It is information to be treasured.

One of Matsudaira Sagami no kami's retainers went to Kyoto on a matter of debt collection and took up

lodgings by renting living quarters in a townhouse. One day while standing out front watching the people go

by, he heard a passerby say, "They say that Lord Matsudaira's men are involved in a fight right now." The

retainer thought, "How worrisome that some of my companions are involved in a fight. There are some men

to relieve those at Edo staying here. Perhaps these are the men involved." He asked the passerby of the

location, but when he arrived out of breath, his companions had already been cut down and their adver

saries were at the point of delivering the coup de grace. He quickly let out a yell, cut the two men down, and

This matter was made known to an official of the shogunate, and the man was called up before him and

questioned. "You gave assistance in your companions' fight and thus disregarded the government's ordinance.

The man replied, "I am from the country, and it is difficult for me to understand everything that Your Honor

The official got angry and said, "Is there something wrong with your ears? Didn't you abet a fight, commit

The man then replied, "I have at length understood what you are saying. Although you say that I have broken

the law and disregarded the government's ordinance, I have by no means done so. The reason for this is that

all living things value their lives, and this goes without saying for human beings. I, especially, value my life.

However, I thought that to hear a rumor that one's friends are involved in a fight and to pretend not to hear

this is not to preserve the Way of the Samurai , so I ran to the place of action . To shamelessly return home

after seeing my friends struck down would surely have lengthened my life, but this too would be disregarding

the Way. In observing the Way, one will throw away his own precious life. Thus, in order to preserve the

Way of the Samurai and not to disregard the Samurai Ordinances, I quickly threw away my life at that place.

The official was very impressed and later dismissed the matter, communicating to Lord Matsudaira, "You

This is among the sayings of the priest Banker. "Not to borrow the strength of another, nor to rely on one's

own strength ; to cut off past and future thoughts, and not to live within the everyday mind . . . then the Great

Lord Soma's family genealogy, called the Chiken marokashi, was the best in Japan. One year when his

mansion suddenly caught fire and was burning to the ground, Lord Soma said, "I feel no regret about the

house and all its furnishings, even if they burn to the very last piece, because they are things that can be

replaced later on. I only regret that I was unable to take out the genealogy, which is my family's most

There was one samurai among those attending him who said, "I will go in and take it out."

Lord Soma and the others all laughed and said, "The house is already engulfed in flames. How are you going

Now this man had never been loquacious, nor had he been particularly useful, but being a man who did things

from beginning to end, he was engaged as an attendant. At this point he said, "I have never been of use to my

master because I'm so careless, but I have lived resolved that someday my life should be of use to him. This

After the fire had been extinguished the master said, ''Look for his remains . What a pity!''

Looking everywhere, they found his burnt corpse in the garden adjacent to the living quarters. When they

turned it over, blood flowed out of the stomach. The man had cut open his stomach and placed the genealogy

inside and it was not damaged at all. From this time on it was called the "Blood Genealogy.'

According to a certain person's story, "In the tradition of the I Ching, it is a mistake to think that it is

something for divination. Its essence is nondivination. This can be seen by the tact that the Chinese

character 'I' is read as 'change.' Although one divines good fortune, if he does evil it will become bad fortune.

And although he divines bad fortune, if he does good it will become good fortune.

"Confucius' saying, 'By setting myself to the task for many years and in the end learning change [I], I should

make no big mistakes,' is not a matter of learning the I Ching. It means by studying the essence of change and

conducting oneself for many years in the Way of Good, one should make no mistakes."

Hirano Gonbei was one of the Men of Seven Spears who advanced straight up the hill at the battle of

Shizugadake. At a later date he was invited to become one of Lord Ieyasu's hatamoto. Once he was being

entertained at Master Hosekawa's. The master said, "Master Gonbei's bravery is not a hidden matter in Japan.

It is truly a shame that such a man of bravery has been placed in a low rank such as you are in now. This must

be contrary to your wishes. If you were to become a retainer of mine, I would give you half the domain .''

Giving no answer at all, Gonbei suddenly pot up from his seat, went out to the veranda, stood facing the

house, and urinated. Then he said, "If I were the master's retainer, it would never do to urinate from here."

When the priest Daiyu from Sanshu was making a sick call at a certain place, he was told, "The man has just

now died." Daiyu said, "Such a thing shouldn't have happened at this time. Didn't this occur from insufficient

Now the doctor happened to be there at that time and heard what was said from the other side of the shoji. He

got extraordinarily angry and came out and said, "I heard Your Reverence say that the man died from

insufficient treatment. Since I am a rather bungling doctor, this is probably true. I have heard that a priest

embodies the power of the Buddhist Law. Let me see you bring this dead man back to life, for without such

Daiyu was put out by this, but he felt that it would be un pardonable for a priest to put a blemish on

Buddhism, so he said, "I will indeed show you how to bring his life back by prayer. Fleas' wait a moment. I

must go prepare myself," and returned to the temple. Soon he came back and sat in meditation next to the

corpse. Pretty soon the dead man began to breathe and then completely revived. It is said that he lived on for

another half a year. As this was something told directly to the priest Tannen, there is nothing mistaken about

When telling of the way he prayed, Daiyu said, "This is something not practiced in our sect, so I didn't know

of any way of prayer. I simply set my heart for the sake of the Buddhist Law, returned to the temple,

sharpened a short sword that had been given as an offering to the temple, and put it in my robe. Then I faced

the dead man and prayed, 'If the strength of the Buddhist Law exists, come back to life immediately. ' Since I

was thus committed , if he hadn't come back to life, I was resolved to the point of cutting open my stomach

When Yamamoto Gorozaemon went to the priest Tetsugyu in Edo wanting to hear something about

Buddhism, Tetsugyo said, "Buddhism gets rid of the discriminating mind. It is nothing more than this. I can

give you an illustration in terms of the warrior. The Chinese character for ''cowardice'' is made by adding the

character for "meaning" to the character radical for "mind". Now "meaning" is "discrimination, " and when a

man attaches discrimination to his true mind, he becomes a coward . In the Way of the Samurai can a man be

courageous when discrimination arises? I suppose you can get the idea from this."

According to what one of the elders said, taking an enemy on the battlefield is like a hawk taking a bird. Even

though it enters into the midst of a thousand of them, it gives no attention to any bird other than the one that it

Moreover, what is called a tezuke no kubi is a head that one has taken after having made the declaration, "I

In the Kiyogunkan one person said, "When facing the enemy, I feel as if I have just entered darkness.

Because of this I get heavily wounded. Although you have fought with many famous men, you have never

The other man answered, "When I have faced the enemy, of course it is like being in the dark. But if at that

time I tranquilize my mind, it becomes like a night lit by a pale moon. If I begin my attack from that point, I

feel as though I will not be wounded. " This is the situation at the moment of truth.

A rifle ball hitting the water will ricochet. It is said that if one marks it with a knife or dents it with his teeth,

it will pass through the water. Moreover, when the master is hunting or some such thing, if one marks the ball

When Master Owari, Master Kit and Master Mite were around the age of ten, one day Lord Ieyasu was with

them in the garden and knocked down a big wasps' nest. A great number of wasps flew out, and Master

Owari and Master Kit were frightened and ran away. But Master Mite picked off the wasps that were on his

Another time, when Lord Ieyasu was roasting a great number of chestnuts in a large hearth, he invited the

boys to join him. When the chestnuts got sufficiently hot, they all started to pop out at once. Two of the boys

were frightened and moved away. Master Mite, however, not the least bit frightened, picked up the ones that

In order to study medicine Eguchi Than went to old Yoshida lchian's place in the Bancho area of Edo. At that

time, there was in the neighborhood a teacher of swordsmanship, to whom he used to go for training from

time to time. There was a ronin pupil there who one day came up to toan and said as a parting remark, "I am

now going to realize a longcherished ambition, one I have had for many years. I am informing you of this

because you have always been friendly to me." Then he walked away. Than felt uneasy about this, and when

he followed him, he could see a man wearing a braided hat coming from the opposite direction.

Now the sword teacher was about eight or ten yards ahead of the ronin, and in passing by the man with the

hat he soundly struck the man's scabbard with his own. When the man looked around, the ronin knocked off'

the man's hat and announced in a loud voice that his purpose was revenge. With the man's attention being

distracted by the confusion, he was easily cut down. A tremendous amount of congratulations came from the

nearby mansions and townhouses. It is said that they even brought out money for him. This was a favorite

Once when the priest Ungo of Matsushima was passing through the mountains at night, he was set upon by

mountain bandits. Ungo said, "I am a man of this area, not a pilgrim. I have no money at all, but you can have

The bandits said, "Well, our efforts have been in vain. We don't need anything like clothes," and passed on.

They had gone about two hundred yards when Ungo turned back and called to them, "I have broken the

commandment against lying. In my confusion I forgot that I had one piece of silver in my moneybag. I am

truly regretful I said that I had nothing at all. I have it here now, so please take it." The mountain bandits were

In Edo four or five hatamoto gathered together one night for a game of go. At one point one of them got up to

go to the toilet, and while he was gone an argument broke out. One man was cut down, the lights were

extinguished, and the place was in an uproar. When the man came running back, he yelled, "Everybody calm

down I This is really over nothing at all. Put the lamps back on and let me handle this.'' After the lamps had

been relighted and everyone had calmed down, the man suddenly struck off the head of the other man

involved in the argument. He then said, "My luck as a samurai having run out, I was not present at the fight.

If this were seen as cowardice, I would be ordered to commit seppuku. Even if that didn't happen, I would

have no excuse if it were said that I had fled to the toilet, and I would still have no recourse other than

seppuku. I have done this thing because I thought I would die having cut down an adversary rather than die

having shamed myself alone." When the shogun heard of this matter, he praised the man.

Once a group of ten blind masseuses were traveling together in the mountains, and when they began to pass

along the top of a precipice, they all became very cautious, their legs shook, and they were in general struck

with terror. Just then the leading man stumbled and fell of the cliff. Those that were left all wailed, "Ahh, ahh

I How piteous!" But the masseuse who had fallen veiled up from below, "Don't be afraid. Although I fell, it

was nothing. I am now rather at ease. Before falling I kept thinking 'What will I do if I fall?' and there was no

end to my anxiety. But now I've settled down. If the rest of you want to be at ease, fall quickly!''

Hojo Awa no kami once gathered together his disciples in the martial arts and called in a physiognomist, who

was popular in Edo at the time, to have him determine whether they were brave men or cowards. He had

them see the man one by one, telling them, "If he determines 'bravery,' you should strive all the more. If it is

'cowardice,' you should strive by throwing away your life. It's something that you're born with, so there's no

Hirose Denzaemon was then about twelve or thirteen years old. When he sat down in front of the

physiognomist, he said in a bristling voice , ''if you read cowardice in me, I'll cut you down with a single

When there is something to be said, it is better if it is said right away. If it is said later, it will sound like an

excuse. Moreover, it is occasionally good to really overwhelm your opponent. Also, in addition to having

spoken sufficiently it is the highest sort of victory to teach your opponent some thing that will be to his

The priest Ryoi said : The samurai of old were mortified by the idea of dying in bed; they hoped only to die

on the battlefield. A priest, too, will be unable to fulfill the Way unless he is of this disposition. The man who

shuts himself away and avoids the company of men is a coward. Only evil thoughts allow one to imagine that

something good can be done by shutting oneself away. For even if one does some good thing by shutting

himself away, he will be unable to keep the way open for future generations by promulgating the clan

Takeda Shingen's retainer, Amari Bizen no kami, was killed in action and his son, Tozo, at the age of

eighteen took over his father's position as an armed horseman attached to a general. Once a certain man in his

group received a deep wound, and since the blood would not clot, Tozo ordered him to drink the feces of a

redhaired horse mixed with water. The wounded man said, "Life is dear to me. How can I drink horse

feces?' Tozo heard this and said, "What an admirably brave warrior ! What you say is reasonable. However,

the basic meaning of loyalty requires us to preserve our lives and gain victory for our master on the

battlefield. Well, then, I'll drink some for you.'' Then he drank some himself and banded over the cup to the

The phrase, ''Win first, fight later, '' can be summed up in the two words, "Win beforehand." The

resourcefulness of times of peace is the military preparation for times of war. With five hundred allies one

When advancing on the enemy's castle and then pulling back, do not retreat by the main road, but rather by

One should lay one's dead and wounded allies face down in the direction of the enemy.

It is a matter of course that a warrior's attitude should be to be in the vanguard during an attack and in the rear

during a retreat. In approaching for the attack he does not forget to wait for the right moment. In waiting for

the right moment he never forgets the attack. A helmet is usually thought to be very heavy, but when one is

attacking a castle or something similar, and arrows, bullets, large rocks, great pieces of wood and the like are

Once when Master Yagyu was before the shogun on some business, a number of bamboo swords fell from

Again, at a certain time when he was summoned, the shogun was waiting behind cover with a bamboo sword

ready to strike him. Master Yagyu called out in a loud voice, "This is for your own discipline. Don't look !"

As the shogun turned around, Master Yagyu stepped up and took the sword out of his hand.

A person who does not want to be struck by the enemy s arrows will have no divine protection. For a man

who does not wish to be hit by the arrows of a common soldier, but rather by those of a warrior of fame, there

Windbells are things that are used during campaigns in order to know the direction of the wind. For night

attacks, fire can be set windward while the attack can be carried out from the opposite direction. Your allies

should be mindful of this also. One should always hang windbells in order to know the direction of the

Lord Aki declared that he would not have his descendants learn military tactics. He said, "On the battlefield,

once discretion starts it cannot be stopped. One will not break through to the enemy with discretion.

Indiscretion is most important when in front of the tiger's den. Therefore, if one were informed of military

tactics, he would have many doubts, and there will be no end to the matter. My descendants will not practice

There is something to which every young samurai should pay attention. During times of peace when listening

to stories of battle, one should never say, "In facing such a situation, what would a person do?" Such words

are out of the question. How will a man who has doubts even in his own room achieve anything on the

battlefield? There is a saying that goes, "No matter what the circumstances might be, one should be of the

mind to win. One should be holding the first spear to strike." Even though you have put your life on the line,

Takeda Shingen once said, "If there was a man who could kill Lord Ieyasu, I would give him a handsome

reward." Hearing this, a boy of thirteen entered into the service of Lord Ieyasu and one night when he saw

that Ieyasu had retired, took a stab at his bedding. Lord Ieyasu was actually in the next room silently reading

When the investigation was held, the boy related the facts honestly, and Lord Ieyasu said, "You seemed to be

an excellent young man, so I employed you on friendly terms. Now, however, I am even more impressed by

One night some samurai from Karatsu gathered together and were playing go. Master Kitabatake was

watching the game, and when he offered a suggestion, one man attacked him with a sword. After the people

around them had stopped the man, Master Kitabatake pinched out the light of the candle and said, "It was

nothing more than my own indiscretion, and I apologize. The sword hit the go case; I was not the least bit

Then the candle was relighted, but when the man came to reconciliate and offer him a sake cup, Kitabatake

cut the man's head off with one blow. Presently he said, "My thigh having been cut through, it was difficult to

offer any resistance, but by binding my leg with my coat and supporting myself with the go board, I have

There is nothing so painful as regret. We would all like to be without it. However, when we are very happy

and become elated, or when we habitually jump into something thoughtlessly, later we are distraught, and it

is for the most part because we did not think ahead and are now regretful. Certainly we should try not to

Money is a thing that will be there when asked for. A good man is not so easily found.

To ask when you already know is politeness. To ask when you don't know is the rule.

One should not open his mouth wide or yawn in front of another. Do this behind your fan or sleeve.

It is a principle of the art of war that one should simply lay down his life and strike. If one's opponent also

does the same, it is an even match. Defeating one's opponent is then a matter of faith and destiny.

One should not show his sleeping quarters to other people. The times of deep sleep and dawning are very

important. One should be mindful of this. This is from a story by Nagahama lnosuke.

When one departs for the front, he should carry rice in a bag. His underwear should be made from the skin of

a badger. This way he will not have lice. In a long campaign, lice are troublesome.

When meeting with the enemy, there is a way to determine his strength. If he has his head cast down, he will

appear black and is strong. If he is looking upward, he will appear white and is weak. This is from a story by

If a warrior is not unattached to life and death, he will be of no use whatsoever. The saying that "All abilities

come from one mind" sounds as though it has to do with sentient matters, but it is in fact a matter of being

unattached to life and death. With such nonattachment one can accomplish any feat. Martial arts and the like

To calm one's mind, one swallows his saliva. This is a secret matter. When one becomes angry, it is the same.

Putting spittle on one's forehead is also good. In the Yoshida school of archery, swallowing one's spittle is the

A certain general said, "For soldiers other than officers, if they would test their armor, they should test only

the front. Furthermore, while ornamentation on armor is unnecessary, one should be very careful about the

appearance of his helmet. It is something that accompanies his head to the enemy's camp."

Nakano Jin'emon said, "Learning such things as military tactics is useless. If one does not strike out by

simply closing his eyes and rushing into the enemy, even if it is only one step, he will be of no use." This was

In Natsume Toneri's "Military Stories" it is written: "Look at the soldiers of recent times ! Even in long

battles there are hardly one or two occasions when blood is washed with blood. One should not be negligent."

To have execution grounds in a place where travelers come and go is useless. The executions in Edo and the

Kamigala area are meant to be an example for the whole country. But the executions in one province are only

for an example in that province. If crimes are many, it is a province's shame. How would this look to other

With the passing of time, the criminal will forget the reason for his crime ; it is best to execute him on the

Matsudaira Izu no kami said to Master Mizuno Kenmotsu, "You're such a useful person, it's a shame that

Kenmotsu replied, "That's true. Sometimes things in this world don't go the way we would like. Now if I

were to cut off your head and attach it to the bottom of my feet, I would be taller. But that's something that

A certain person was passing by the town of Yae when suddenly his stomach began to hurt. He stopped at a

house on a side street and asked to use the toilet. There was only a young woman there, but she took him to

the back and showed him where it was. Just as he was taking off his hakama and going into the toilet, the

woman's husband came home and accused them both of adultery. In the end, it became a public matter.

Lord Naoshige heard the case and said, "Even if this is not a matter of adultery, it is the same as adultery to

take off one's hakama without hesitation in a place where there is an unaccompanied woman, and in the

woman's case to allow someone to disrobe while her husband is absent from home .''

In assessing the enemy's castle there is a saying that goes, "Smoke and mist are like looking at a spring

mountain. After the rain is like viewing a clear day." There is weakness in perfect clarity.

Among the words spoken by great generals, there are some that were said offhandedly. One should not

People who have an intelligent appearance will not be outstanding even if they do something good, and if

they do something normal, people will think them lacking. But if a person who is thought of as having a

gentle disposition does even a slightly good thing, he will be praised by people.

On the fourteenth day of the seventh month in the third year of Shotoku, there were some cooks in the midst

of preparations for the Ben Festival in the outer citadel of the castle. One of them, Hara Jurozaemon,

unsheathed his sword and cut off the head of Sagara Genzaemon. Mawatari Rokuuemon, Aiura Tarobei, Kola

Kinbei and Kakihara Riemen all ran away in confusion. When Jurozaemon sighted Kinbei and started

chasing him, the latter fled to the foot soldiers' gathering area. There, the daimyo's palanquin attendant,

Tanaka Takeuemon, stood against Jurozaemon and took away his still drawn sword. Ishirnaru San'emon

chased Jurozaemon, and when they came to the foot soldiers' area, assisted Takeuemon.

The punishment was given on the twentyninth day of the eleventh month in the same year. Jurozaemon was

bound with rope and beheaded. Rokuuemon, Tarobei, Kinbei and Riemon were banished, and San'emon was

It was later said that Takeuemon had been slow to act, for he had not bound the man at that time.

Among Takeda Shingen's retainers there were men of matchless courage, but when Katsuyori was killed in

the fight at Tenmokuzan, they all fled. Tsuchiya Sozo, a warrior who had been in disfavor for many years,

came out alone, however, and said, "I wonder where all the men are who spoke so bravely every day? I shall

The essentials of speaking are in not speaking at all. If you think that you can finish something without

speaking, finish it without saying a single word. If there is something that cannot be accomplished without

speaking, one should speak with few words, in a way that will accord well with reason .

To open one's mouth indiscriminately brings shame, and there are many times when people will turn their

A devotee of the Nembutsu recites the Buddha's name with every incoming and outgoing breath in order

never to forget the Buddha. A retainer, too, should be just like this in thinking of his master. Not to forget

Men who did well at the time of their death were men of real bravery. There are many examples of such. But

people who talk in an accomplished fashion every day yet are agitated at the time of their death can be known

In the secret principles of Yagyu Tajima no kami Munenori there is the saying, "There are no military tactics

for a man of great strength." As proof of this, there was once a certain vassal of the shogun who came to

Master Yagyu and asked to become a disciple. Master Yagyu said, "You seem to be a man who is very

accomplished in some school of martial art. Let us make the masterdisciple contract after I learn the name

Master Yagyu said, "Have you come to make sport of Tajima no kami ? Is my perception amiss in thinking

that you are a teacher to the shogun?" But the man swore to it and Master Yagyu then asked, "That being so,

The man replied, "When I was a child, I once became suddenly aware that a warrior is a man who does not

hold his life in regret. Since I have held that in my heart for many years, it has become a deep conviction, and

today I never think about death. Other than that I have no special conviction.''

Master Yagyu was deeply impressed and said, "My perceptions were not the least bit awry. The deepest

principle of my military tactics is just that one thing. Lip until now , among all the many hundreds of

disciples I have had, there is not one who is licensed in this deepest principle. It is not necessary for you to

take up the wooden sword. I will initiate you right now.'' And it is said that he promptly banded him the

Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day when one's body and mind are at peace,

one should meditate upon being ripped apart by arrows, rifles, spears and swords, being carried away by

surging waves, being thrown into the midst of a great fire, being struck by lightning, being shaken to death by

a great earthquake, falling from thousandfoot cliffs, dying of disease or committing seppuku at the death of

There is a saying of the elders' that goes, "Step from under the eaves and you're a dead man. Leave the gate

and the enemy is waiting." This is not a matter of being careful. It is to consider oneself as dead beforehand.

People will become your enemies if you become eminent too quickly in life, and you will be ineffectual.

Rising slowly in the world, people will be your allies and your happiness will he assured.

In the long run, whether you are fast or slow, as long as you have people's understanding there will be no

danger. It is said that fortune that is urged upon you from others is the most effective.

The warriors of old cultivated mustaches, for as proof that a man had been slain in battle, his ears and nose

would be cut off and brought to the enemy's camp. So that there would be no mistake as to whether the

person was a man or a woman, the mustache was also cut off with the nose. At such a time the head was

thrown away if it had no mustache, for it might be mistaken for that of a woman. Therefore, growing a

mustache was one of the disciplines of a samurai so that his head would not be thrown away upon his death.

Tsunetomo said, "If one washes his face with water every morning, if he is slain his complexion will not

The word "person of the north" comes from a tradition of the correct way of upbringing. A couple will put

their pillows in the west, and the man, lying on the south side, will face the north, while the woman, lying on

In bringing up a boy, one should first encourage a sense of valor. From the time he is young the child should

liken his parents to the master, and learn everyday politeness and etiquette, the serving of other people, the

ways of speech, forbearance and even the correct way of walking down the street. The elders were taught in

the same fashion. When he does not put effort into things, he should be scolded and made to go the entire day

As for a girl, it is most important to teach her chastity from the time she is a child. She should not be in the

comany of a man at a distance of less than six feet, nor should she meet them eye to eye, nor should she

receive things from them directly from hand to hand. Neither should she go sightseeing or take trips to

temples. A woman who has been brought up strictly and has endured suffering at her own borne will suffer

In dealing with younger children one should use rewards and punishments. If one is lax in being sure that

they do as they are told, young children will become selfinterested and will later be involved in

As a retainer of the Nabeshima clan, one should have the intention of studying our province's history and

traditions, but provincial studies are made light of nowadays. The basic reason for this study is to understand

the foundation of our clan, and to know that the clan's forefathers established its perpetuity by means of their

suffering and compassion. The fact that our clan has perpetually continued in an unrivaled manner up to this

very day is due to the humanity and martial valor of Master Ryuzoji Iekane, the charity and faith of Master

Nabeshima Kiyohisa, and the appearance of Lord Ryuzoji Takanobu and Lord Nabeshima Naoshige and their

I am at a complete loss when it comes to understanding why people of this generation have forgotten these

things and respect the Buddhas of other places. Neither the Shakyamuni Buddha, nor Confucius, nor

Kusunoki, nor Shingen were ever retainers of the Ryuzojis or the Nabeshimas; hence it cannot be said that

they are in harmony with our clan's customs. In times of war or in times of peace it would be sufficient if

both the upper and lower classes would worship our ancestors and study their teachings. One worships the

head of whatever clan or discipline to which he belongs. Outside learning for retainers of our clan is

worthless. One may think that it is fine to study other disciplines as a diversion after his provincial studies are

replete. Yet if a person has a good understanding of provincial studies, he will see that there is nothing

Today, if someone from another clan were to ask about the origin of the Ryuzojis and the Nabeshimas, or

why the fief was transferred from the former to the latter, or if they were to ask something like, "I have heard

that the Ryuzojis and the Nabeshimas are the greatest in Kyushu for deeds of martial valor, but can you tell

me some of the particulars?" I suppose that the man with no knowledge of provincial studies would not be

For a retainer there should be nothing other than doing his own job. For the most part people dislike their

own jobs, find those of others more interesting, cause misunderstanding, and bring on utter disasters. Good

models of men who performed their duty in their work are Lord Naoshige and Lord Katsushige. The retainers

of those times all performed their duties. From the upper classes, men who would be of good use were

searched out, while from the lower classes men desired to be useful. The minds of the two classes were of

In all our generations of masters there has never been a bad or foolish one, and in the end there has never

been one who ranked second or third among the daimyo of Japan. It is truly a wonderful clan; this is due to

the faith of its founders. Moreover, they did not send the clan's retainers to other provinces. nor did they

invite men from other provinces in. Men who were made ronin were kept within the province, as were the

descendants of those who were made to commit seppuku. The wonder of being born into a clan with such a

deep pledge between master and servant is an inexpressible blessing, passed down through the apes, for both

The foundation of a Nabeshima samurai should be in knowing this fact; in being deeply resolved to return

this blessing by being useful ; in serving more and more selflessly when treated kindly by the master ; in

knowing that being made a ronin or being ordered to commit seppuku are also forms of service ; and in

aiming to be mindful of the clan forever, whether one is banished deep in the mountains or buried under the

earth. Although it is unfitting for someone like me to say this, in dying it is my hope not to become a Buddha.

Rather, my will is permeated with the resolution to help manage the affairs of the province, though I be

reborn as a Nabeshima samurai seven times. One needs neither vitality nor talent. In a word, it is a matter of

How can one human being be inferior to another? In all matters of discipline, one will be useless unless he

has great pride. Unless one is determined to move the clan by himself, all his discipline will come to naught.

Although, like a tea kettle, it is easy for one's enthusiasm to cool, there is a way to keep this from happening.

If one dedicates these four vows to the gods and Buddhas every morning, he will have the strength of two

men and will never slip backward. One must edge forward like the inchworrn, bit by bit. The gods and