The lessons of Yamamoto Tsunetomo are collected in the book Hagakure and are intended to give the Bushi, or feudal Samurai warriors of Japan, moral and practical instruction. Nabeshima Mitsushige's previous retainer was Yamamoto Tsunetomo. The philosophies found in Hagakure have helped to mold people's minds for many generations and are perhaps one of the most frequently cited works of Samurai lore. Its influence endures today, and the Samurai and other people raised in Japanese culture continue to rely heavily on it as a source of knowledge. Yamamoto’s message to the Samurai was that they should not be afraid of death. He emphasized that the way of the Samurai is found in death and therefore it is supposed to be embraced by every Samurai individual. Besides, the existing relationship between the master and the samurai is of great significance and it is only through detachment that the samurai can be able to fully serve the master. Yamamoto greatly highlighted that death is inevitable and it should be honored and mostly desired by the Samurai hoping for it to come. Samurai is expected to live his or her life as though the body is already dead and through this, he or she will be able to gain freedom. The life lived will be without blame and the person will succeed in life.
Conquering death gives the Samurai an identity that will enable the person to also overcome everything in life because death tends to be the unconquerable thing in existence. The creature will gain moral values that will make him succeed and attain his goal. People should live by the values of being wise, kind, loyal, honorable and courageous (Yamamoto 3). The virtues of the Samurai are defined with more emphasis placed on benevolence, compassion and the other qualities that are of non-marital aspect portraying true manliness. These virtues include justice or rectitude which is termed to be one of the strongest virtue a Samurai can have. Other virtues include courage, benevolence, and politeness together with honesty and sincerity. Character and self-control, loyalty and honor should also form part of the Samurai identity.
Causes of Moral Decay and Decline of Martial Skills of the Samurai
There is a decline in martial skills and the society is infected with moral decay as stated by Yamamoto. According to him, the improvement in economic status have diverted Samurai to the aspect of money and their minds are saturated with talks concerning profit and loss. Individuals are concentrated with how efficiently they can run their households and how they can make huge money. The society has put more attention on ways of judging and value of clothing and class of living instead of cultivating values that are indicated in Hagakure. Stories that form the foundation of today's conversation involved sexual relationship intimacies and mentioning of a topic relating to Samurai spoils the atmosphere. People feel uncomfortable discussing the ways of Samurai. This is distressing and devastating as societies have undergone a significant moral decay and ignorantly forsaken the ways stated by Yamamoto which are vital to human life.
In the past, topics like sex were never discussed by people under the age of twenty and even thirty. However, this does not seem to be the case in today's world. A lot of respect was accorded to the older people and sensitive topics were never conversed in the midst of children. Younger people would feel affiliated with the situation and they choose to shut their mouths. Apparently, newer trends have outcropped and the modern generation has valued ostentation and luxury (Yamamoto 8). The concept of money alone has driven the assumption of greater significance in people. Surely if luxurious tastes are not incorporated into the lives of the young people, this predicament of the mistaken attitude would not have a place in the society and people and moral decay and martial skills would not form a hot topic of discussion. However, praising materials and quests better economic class in life is a dreadful ailment which translates to a lack of social and personal obligation with no sense.
Appeal of Yamamoto’s Precepts in Modern or Post-Modern Japan
The precepts of Yamamoto has more relevance to the modern and the post-modern life of the Japans. It teaches that one should do everything in life as if he is going to die the next minute. A person cannot attain the feat of greatness in his or her normal frame of mind. However, an individual has to develop the thought of dying and become fanatic to it. An absolute loyalty to death has to be worked on every day (Yamamoto 9). One has to begin a day on a meditation and seek the wisdom of living. A prerequisite for true success and a good fortune is accomplished through encouragement and living the right way expected by the Yamamoto teachings.
Besides, hardship is the cause for rejoicing and that a person should not feel discouraged when faced with any hardship. It teaches the modern Japans that an encounter with disasters are the normal way of life and overcoming them requires great wits of courage and wisdom. A person has to seek for energy that will see him through the disasters for one to live a better life. Injustices are some of the hardships that we face din our daily lives. Every person has a sole responsibility of doing justice to every person and make the right decisions that will translate to a peaceful co-existence. Loyalty is an important aspect that will provide a guidance to the success of an individual. If one is loyal to what he or she does, he will always cultivate the virtues of courage and honor that are vital to human existence.
Being silence is one of the best virtue that is relevant and individuals should seek it. If one has to speak, he or she has to think logically, succinctly and as clearly as possible to avoid making statements that would be irrelevant and hurting. Surprisingly, as Yamamoto states, countless individuals make fool of themselves when they talk before thinking and thus end up looking down upon themselves. Besides, Japan should have a pride that is related to the blade of the sword. As Yamamoto puts it “A samurai who does not have both inward and outward pride is of no use” (Yamamoto 9). The sword is significant and if it is drawn out of the hand it will rust and this is a distress. Any person who does not realize how the sword is important will abandon it and the blade will become blunt. Apart from the importance of the sword,
Conclusion
Samurai possessed a strict ethical code written in the Hagakure. The ethical codes and virtues have provided a guidance to the Samurai society. Indeed the Samurai teachings have evolved into a defined clear ethical systems tracing its roots to the 17th century. The Yamamoto’s articles for justice, politeness, benevolence, and sincerity are the essential values of life. Besides, veracity, honor, sincerity and loyalty are the other virtues that are vital to life. In the modern world, the wisdom of Yamamoto have been credited and fueled the Japanese atrocities in their battles including the Second World War.
Works Cited
Yamamoto Tsunetomo. Hagakure: Book One. Xist Publishing, 8 Jun 2015
