Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai Kindle Edition

Japanese history translated perfectly with beautiful annotations and notes to explain the premise behind the words.

So far it's an excellent book that really gives great insights into the world the Samurai lived in. Fluid life lessons and great experiences shared by the author and translators.

A pretty tough one for me to like, it's a toss up whether or not you will like it. I guess it is the best translations of the Hagakure out there. I don't know, but I did not read any of the other ones. This one is full of contradictions, and it should not be given that it is claiming to be a spiritual guidebook for Samurai.I mean, I understand that maybe the best thing to do in a fight is to go all out with all your strength, might, and speed. But it says that you shouldn't back away from a fight, you should jump in right away lest you lose the best chance to act. Forget about planning an attack, just get on with it. And if you die that way, there is no shame, because at least you died in an 'heroic' act. Sure, the ultimate honor for a Samurai was to die in battle...but wouldn't you want to plan and strategize so that your side is sure to win? Or how about when he says not to spend money on so many things, and only buy what is absolutely necessary to live. But then goes on to say that he despises young people that don't spend money on extravagances; mainly for other people, but still.A lot of times the author just sounds like an old man that is lamenting changing society. Even 300 years ago they were complaining that the younger generations were losing their hard work ethic and morals!I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Partly because it is made up of a bunch of short sayings and stories, and is thus difficult to read much in one sitting, and partly because it just doesn't hold any interest. I spent more time with "The Book of Five Rings", even though that is also all about Samurai spirit and training.

I bought this for someone else but I read it before when I was in high school. If you're into Japanese martial arts and history, this is one of the fundamental must-read books, like it's a big name book for that and probably in the top ten list for such topics. The book quality is good and I liked this version. I no longer have the book on me to write an extensive review but I would probably buy this again for myself later on. The price is great too for what you get.

Excellent product . . . excellent seller

I enjoyed this book. At times the book was a little dense thanks to the word choice used, but not terrible. I really enjoyed the physical shape, size, and layout of this book. It's very easy to pick up and read a few passages when you feel like it.I'm always fascinated by the history of Japan and the Samurai, and this book added some context to these topics. It was amazing to read just how fragile life was; people could be killed or choose to die over some of the strangest things! That was my biggest take away message from this book.If you like reading about the Samurai I think you'll enjoy this book. I did.

Over the years I have read many of Dr .Bennett's books/ translations and articles re Budo. He is extremely knowledgeable, not only as far as the physical aspects of many types of ancient and modern martial arts are concerned but also in the history and philosophy of Budo generally. DR. Bennett has immersed himself in the Japanese culture for several decades and is acknowledged throughout the education system in Japan as a Budo scholar of some renown. He has the ability to take very complicated explanations from commentators from several hundred years ago as well as recent authors and distil them into easily understood concepts. This book is no exception!I would heartily recommend this book to any serious martial artist or anyone interested in Japanese history and culture; the insights you will find will make it a very worthwhile investment of your time.

I'm a sucker for Japanese culture. Real Japanese culture, not the anime and otaku-fad that is all the rage these days. I lived in a Japan for a while so my bookshelf is filled with stuff like this. That said, let me explain...I really wanted to like this book. I love translations of historical Japanese, but there's a very fine line that depends entirely on who is doing the translating. Sometimes they read more like fiction, painting vivid imagery and sucking you back in time right into feudal Japan. Other times they read like college textbooks, overly detailed and getting bogged down in every little aspect that constantly interrupts your engagement. This book kind of rides that line but definitely leans towards the latter.I have a lot of respect for the author, his breadth of knowledge in regards to this is on a level I can never hope to achieve, but his writing style just doesn't flow as nicely as I wanted it to. Reading this is mentally exhausting. I can only do a few pages at a time before I feel so fatigued that I need to go and watch tv or do something braindead to give myself a rest. Some sections are worse than others, often you'll come across pages that are 75% footnotes and you're constantly darting back and forth to find what he is referencing.If I feel like being studious I'll bust this out but it's definitely not an everyday read. Your experience may vary, Overall its a cheaply priced book and I would still recommend adding it to your collection, but its more informative/educational than it is fun and entertaining.

Having studied kendo in Saga in the 1980s, Hagakure has always been of particular interest to me, so I have been looking forward to this latest translation/interpretation of samurai philosophy. Dr. Bennett's "Hagakure:The Secret Wisdom Of The Samurai" presents Books 1 & 2 of the original in full, along with pertinent selections from Books 3 - 11, thus creating the most complete version of Hagakure presently available in the English language. Dr. Bennett's take on the subject is unique in its awareness of the times in which the text was written and compiled, thereby presenting the reader with a translation not just literally "word for word" but taking into account the context in which the original authors presented their thoughts. This makes for a deeper and richer reading experience. There is much in this book to discover, either as a casual reader with an interest in Japan and its samurai history, or as a lifelong budo (martial arts) enthusiast looking for deeper philosophical insights.

Got it to go along side my physical training in jiu jitsu. Translator probs did a good job although you do definitely feel certain things being lost in translation.

This book by Bennett is a really nice translation of the world famous Hagakure. You can sense that by having experience with budo through practicing Kendo and Naginata, Bennett was able to grasp certain concepts and translate them nicely into English.

Insightful, well explained and filled with wisdom of the past.As well as a strange collection of historical snippets, general code of conduct and downright humourous interpretations of Japanese history and culture.

Intense, educational, insightful; a deep and very simple account of human history; sociology, psychologically and even how folks raised their children to be very normalized to people, respect and just social encounters in general, while naturally maintaining strong family bonds / values.The information in this book is very powerful and encouraging.