Introduction by William Scott Wilson

William Scott Wilson was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1944, and grew up in Florida. He is fluent in modern Japanese and has reading knowledge of both classical Japanese and Chinese. He currently holds a master's degree in Japanese language and literatiure from the University of Washington.

Wilson's interst in Japanese culture was sparked on a kayaking expedition along the Japanese coast during 1966 as part of an assignment for National Geographic. He returned a year later to live briefly in Japan, but became convinced that a thorough understanding of its people and culture could only be realized by mastering the language. He went to the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies in California, discovering the inseparable aspect of Japan's warrior tradition within its cultural personality. Wllson also studied a Chinese style of kung fu.

Wilson returned to Japan for some intensive reasearch at Aichi Prefectural University in Nagoya from 1975-77, translating the works of Yamamoto Tsunetomo, which he eventually published as Hagakure: book of the Samurai (Kodansha International Ltd., 1979). The work is a revealing discussion of the samurai way of life and represents one of the most radical aspects of Japanese thought.

Since August, 1980, Wilson has served as a consular specialist for the consulate General of Japan in Seattle, heading the Trade Seciton and advising the Consul on political and economic matters between the US and Japan. Wilson is also at work on a translation of The Budoshoshinshu, a classic work on Japanese warrior philosophy by Daidoji Yuzan, written in the early 18th century.

Wilson currently lives in Florida with his wife and two children.

contents

Introduction
The Message of Master Gokurakuji-Hojo Shigetoki (1198-1261 AD)
The Chikubasho-Shiba Yoshimasa (1350-1410 AD)
The Regulations of Imagawa Ryoshun-Imagawa Sadayo (1325-1420 AD)
The Seventeen Articles of Asakura Toshikage-Asakura Toshikage (1432-1519 AD)
The Twenty-one Precepts of Hojo Soun-Hojjo Nagauji (1432-1519 AD)
The Recorded Words of Asakura Soteki-Asakura Norikage (1474-1555 AD)
The Iwamizudera Monogatari-Takeda Shingen (1521-1573 AD)
Opinions in Ninety-Nine Articles-Takeda Nobushige (1538-1618 AD)
Lord Nabeshma's Wall Inscriptions-Nabeshima Naoshige (1538-1618 AD)
The Last Statement of Torii Mototada-Torii Mototada (1539-1600 AD)
The Precepts of Kato Kiyomasa-Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611 AD)
Notes on Regulations-Kuroda Nagamasa (1568-1623 AD)
Bibliography

I read this book many years ago, I got it in my early undergraduate years when I was into martial arts and sword fighting. Eastern philisophy has always fascinated me and this book gives some insight into that culture. The book is filled with essays from famous samurai through history. While this might seem strange to the student of Western military history (who has read something from famous knights?), one needs to remember that in this culture they really believed in something like being a Rennasiance man and literacy was expected.

In any case, the stories are great. They give you insight into the Code of Bushido and the Way of the Warrior which helps you appriciate books like A Book of Five Rings better. This may be hard to find, but it is a fast and easy read. ( )