Soul of the Samurai contains modern translations of three classic works of Zen & Bushido. In Soul of the Samurai, bestselling author and respected translator Thomas Cleary reveals the true essence of the Bushido code or Zen warrior teachings according to 17th-century Japanese samurai master Yagyu Munenori and his Zen teacher Takuan Soho.The three works of Zen & Bushido translated in Soul of the Samurai are: The Book of the Sword by Yagyu Munenori The Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom by Takuan Soho The Peerless Sword by Takuan Soho Yagyu was a renowned swordsman and chief of the Shogun's secret police, while Takuan was the Zen spiritual mentor to the Emperor. This samurai philosophy book contains the first English translations of their seminal writings on Bushido. Cleary not only provides clear and readable translations but comprehensive notes introducing the social, political, and organizational principles that defined samurai culture—their loyalty to family, their sense of service and duty, and their political strategies for dealing with allies and enemies.These writings introduce the reader to the authentic world of Zen culture and the secrets behind the samurai's success—being «in the moment» and freeing the mind from all distractions, allowing you to react instantaneously and instinctively without thinking. In these classic works, we learn that Zen mental control and meditational training were as important to the Samurai as swordsmanship and fighting skills.
The ancient warrior culture of Japan produced a sophisticated martial philosophy that we know today as Bushido—the Way of the Warrior. In <i>Samurai Wisdom</i>, author Thomas Clearly provides five important new translations of major Japanese works on Bushido.<br><br>The writings of the scholar Yamaga Soko and his disciples are among the clearest expositions we have of the core ideals and philosophy underlying the Samurai's disciplined way of life and outlook. Together they provide an in-depth, practical guide to character building and conduct according to the precepts of Bushido—a code for professional warriors that retains as much relevance in today's world as it had when these works were written 400 years ago.<br><br>Yamaga's writings inspired the transformation of the Samurai from a feudal class of warriors under the command of the Shogun to a group of powerful individuals with great intellectual, political and moral leadership and influence. The works translated in <i>Samurai Wisdom</i> for the very first time are as timeless and important today as the works of Sun Tzu, Musashi and Clausewitz.<br><br>The five Japanese works on Bushido translated in <i>Samurai Wisdom</i> are:<ul><li> <i>The Way of the Knight</i> by Yamaga Soko</li><li> <i>The Warrior's Rule</i> by Tsugaru Kodo-shi</li><li> <i>Essentials of Military Matters</i> compiled by Yamaga Takatsune</li><li> <i>The Education of Warriors</i> by Yamaga Soko</li><li> <i>Primer of Martial Education</i> by Yamaga Soko</li></ul>
Learn the ways of the Japanese Bushido Code with this very readable, modern translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu . Code of the Samurai is a four-hundred-year-old explication of the rules and expectations embodied in Bushido , the Japanese Way of the Warrior. Bushido has played a major role in shaping the behavior of modern Japanese government, corporations, society, and individuals, as well as in shaping modern Japanese martial arts within Japan and internationally. The Japanese original of this book, Bushido Shoshinshu , ( Bushido for Beginners ), has been one of the primary sources on the tenets of Bushido , a way of thought that remains fascinating and relevant to the modern world, East and West. This handbook, written after five hundred years of military rule in Japan, was composed to provide practical and moral instruction for warriors, correcting wayward tendencies and outlining the personal, social, and professional standards of conduct characteristic of Bushido , the Japanese chivalric tradition.With a clear, conversational narrative by Thomas Cleary, one of the foremost translators of the wisdom of Asia, and powerfully evocative line drawings by master illustrator Oscar Ratti, this book is indispensable to the corporate executive, student of the Asian Culture, martial artist, those interested in Eastern philosophy or military strategy, as well as for those simply interested in Japan and its people.