Classics I: The Classics of Bushido
These works were written prior to or during what we think of as the "samurai era". Over the centuries, many these works have become known as essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand budo or bushido.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu or Sonshi (722-481 BCE)
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general and strategist who acted as an advisor to military and political leaders of his day. His innovative approach to waging war, based in Toaist principles, laid the groundwork for future generations of tacticians in the fields of military science, business, and negotiation. This work is also the starting point for every other work on the subject.
- Translations by Lionel Giles, Sonshi, Denma.
- Dynamic annotations by Denma.
- Interview with Thomas Cleary about his translation
The Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke by William Scott Wilson
Taira Shigesuke (1639-1730) was the son of a samurai who had become a ronin after his master was dismissed from service. Shigesuke also studied the arts of war, but took the path of a teacher, giving lectures and writing books on military strategy. His writings about the code of Bushido, The Bushido Shoshinshu, became a popular book among working samurai.
Bushido, The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe
This work was written as a way for a Japanese expatriate to explain the concept of bushido to a Western audience. Although scholars have pointed out that Nitobe was not the most knowedgable on the subject, a reader can appreciate it as an extended and passionate meditation into what bushido meant means for a modern Japanese person. Nitobe's work is also significant because, rather than writing of women in a denigrating fashion, he attempts to explain how bushido relates to them.
The Hagakure Kikigaki Koho: a written account of the orations of Yamoto Tsunetomo by an unknown scribe
This work is commonly referred to as "the Hagakure". Yamoto Tsunetomo was a retainer to an 18th century ruler of a prefecture. He lived in the mid-Tokugawa era, a time when the samurai class was evolving into more of an administrative and advisory role. The Hagakure is a collection of his opinions on the bushido code, as well as his practical advice on how to manage the mundane daily affairs of a samurai. It functioned as a sort of employee manual in his clan. Tsunetomo requested that copies of it be burned after reading, but the book was carried to other areas of Japan.
- PDF version
- A page about Tsunetomo's life containing an introduction to the work that doesn't get included in many translations
Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings) by Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi needs no introduction to most students of bushido, as legend has elevated him to sword-saint status. Many details of his life, however, seem to be based only in legend. He wrote Go Rin No Sho in 1645 as a treatise on the technical and strategic aspects of his style of swordsmanship, Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu. Like the Art of War, the Five Rings is often studied by present-day military and business leaders.
Full and Annotated Translation by Victor Harris
Full and Annotated Translation by Victor Harris
- partial text of translation by D. E. Tarver
- information on a new anime documentary about the development of Musashi's military strategies, from the director of Ghost in the Shell
The Sword and the Mind and The Life Giving Sword by Yagyu Munenori
Yagyu Munenori was a 16th century samurai who served as swordmaster to two shoguns and rose to daimyo status. He also headed his clan's sword academy, the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu. He wrote the Sword and the Mind as a treatise on the Shinkage-ryu method. As a well-read student of Zen Buddhism, Munenori frequently refers to The Art of War and the Tao te Ching, as well as religious folk tales.
Page updated 07/07/2014
- sample pages of The Sword and the Mind, translated by Hrioaki Sato
- sample pages of The Life-Giving Sword , translated by William Scott Wilson
Page updated 07/07/2014