A. L. Sadler (1882–1970)

English translation of Budo Shoshinshu

from cover

The influence of the samurai, and their code of Bushido, on the manners and morals of Japan cannot be measured. For almost 700 years shoguns ruled Japan. These military dictators developed a system of honor which every 'gentleman warrior' was expected to follow. With time, these feudal guidelines of behavior became so entrenched in the fabric of Japanese society, that the 'way of the warrior' became known as 'Japanese chivalry,' and finally, 'The national spirit of Japan.'

This national spirit, or ideal of behavior, is revealed in the Code of the Samurai as in no other book on the subject. Originallyi written in the 16th century by Daidoji Yuzan, a strategist and military advisor who lived under the rule of six shoguns, it is, more than anything else, a textbook written for the aristocratic warrior class on how to be a knight. This format makes it an unusually revealing-and hence exciting-look at the manners and morals which formed Japan.

From first principles such as, '...a samurai must before all thintgs keep constantly in mind, by day and bay night...the fact that he has to die,' to rules regarding filial duty, personal obligation, and even money management, the guidelines that men were trained to live by are set out. Honor and obligation are stressed over and over to the young knights, who were also expected to be indifferent to pain, unquestioningly loyal, and expert in all the miiitary arts. Since it was these men who, during Japan's feudal age, set the standard for the entire nation to follow, their education is of particular interest.

The code of the samurai arose during the 12th century, yet out of it has grown the Japan of today. This book helps explain why certain ideas and manners have prevailed over the years, and is a must for anyone who wishes to understand the soul of Japan.

A.L. Sadler, M.A., was Professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Sydney from 1922 to 1948, at which time he became emeritus professor. He also served as Professor of Japanese at the Royal Military College of Australia. Among his numerous published works, in addition to the present volume, are The Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1936), A Short History of Japanese Architecture (1941), Three Military Classics of China (1944), A Short History of Japan (1946), and a number of translations from Japanese literature. His The Ten Foot Square Hut and Tales of the Heike (1928) has appeared in a reprint version of a similar type to the present volume. From the time of his retirement until his death in 1971, he made his home in England.

Contents

Publisher's Foreword
Translator's Note
Chapter I--Introduction; Education; Filial Duty; Samurai Ordinances; Never Neglect the Offensive Spirit; Recluse Samurai; Right and Wrong; Bravery; Respect; Horsemanship; The Military Arts
Chapter II--Household Management; Relatives; Thrift; House Construction; Weapons; On the Equipment of Servants; Samurai; Sense of Shame; Choice of Friends; Friendship; Breaking Off Relations; Reputations; Braggarts and Slanderers; Travel; Backbiting; War Substitute; The Latter End
Chapter III--Service; A Vassal's Duty; The Duties of Samurai; Circumspection; Records; Escort; Officials; Borrowed and Stolen Authority; On Tax Extortation; On Becoming a Thief; Laziness; On the Road; Showing One's Feelings; Loyal to Death; Matters Literary and Aesthetic… (plus d'informations)

from cover

When it first appeared in 1937, A. L. Sadler's imposing biography of the famous Japanese military dictator Tokugawa Ieyasu was quickly recognized as an outstanding contribution to Western knowledge of Japanese history. It was also considered quite likely to become a standard reference work on the period that saw the entrenchment of feudalism in Japan and the opening of some two and a half centuries of rigid isolation from the rest of the world. Today, four decades after its original publication, the book still maintains the high reputation it established at that time, and its reappearance here in a paperback reprint edition, after long absence from print, is clear proof of its enduring value.

In the course of Japanese history there have been five great military administrators who by common consent stand out above other leaders of their type. Of these, two lived in the twelfth century: Taira Kiyomori and Minamoto Yoritome, the latter of whom founded the shogunate, or military dictatorship, form of government. The other three, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, were contempory in the latter half of the sixteenth century. The last of these three, with whose life Mr. Sadler deals, may well be described as having perfected the shogunate system inaugurated by Yoritomo. Not only did Ieyasu found a dynasty of rulers and organize a powerful system of government, but also he rounded off his achievements by contriving before his death to arrange for his deification afterwards.

As Mr. Sadler notes, 'Tokugawa Ieyasu is unquestionably one of the greatest men the world has yet seen,' and the reader must be grateful to the author for the fascinating account of Ieyasu's life and times that he presents. The reader must also be grateful for the highly readable manner in which the account is presented. As Mr. Sadler explains, 'This book is not peppered with references, for they would be quite useless except to those who read Japanese historical texts.' To be sure, a list of sources is provided, but the text itself proceeds in admirable style without annoying interruptons. In a word, it offers a thoroughly absorbing narrative in which dramatic highlights abound.

Japan's last feudal age came to a close in 1868 with the downfall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the restoration of the emperor to political power. The event marked the end of the powerful regime that Ieyasu established at the beginning of the seventeenth century. That it did not at the same time mark the eclipse of Ieyasu's greatness is suficient testimony to the major role he played in his country's history. It is to Mr. Sadler's lasting credit that he has brought this eminent but often ruthless military leader so vividly to life.

A. L. Sadler, M.A., was Professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Sydney from 1922 to 1948. He also served as Professor of Japanese at the Royal Military College of Australia. Among his numerous published works, in addition to the present volume, are A Short History of Japanese Architecture (1941), Three Military Classics of China (1944), A Short History of Japan (1946), Cha-no-yu: the Japanese Tea Ceremony (1933; reprinted 1963, 1977), and a number of translations from Japanese literature, including The Ten Foot Square Hut and Tales of the Heike (1928; reprinted 1976). From the time of his retirement until his death n 1971, he made his home in England.

Contents

Preface
Introduction
I The Pedigree of the Tokugawas
II Takechiyo
III Matsudaira Motonubu. Motoyasu. The Battle of Oke-Hazama
IV Ieyasu quells the Monto Sect
V Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lord of Mikawa and Totomi
VI The Retreat from Echizen and the Battle of the Anegawa
VII Mikata-Ga-Hara
VIII Kuroda Josui, or Simon Kondera
IX Ieyasu's Family Tragedy
X Nagashino and the Fall of the ouse of Takeda
XI Death of Nobunaga. Ieyasu's Flight Through Iga
XII Ieyasu Gets Kai and Shinano
XIII Lord of Five Provinces. Ieyasu Opposes Hideyoshi
XIV The Komaki Campaign
XV After Komaki
XVI Isolation of Ieyasu
XVII Ieyasu's Second Marriage and Aliance with Hojo
XVIII His Submission to Hedeyoshi. He visits the Capital
XIX The Kwanto campaign
XX Ieyasu Enters Edo
XXI The Korean Compaign and Death of Hideoishi
XXII the Sekigahara Compaign
XXIII Hosokawa Tadaoki, His Wife, adn His Father
XXIV Kuroda Josui and Kyushu
XXV The building of Edo
XXVI The Coming of the Dkutch
XXVII Ieyasu and New Spain
XXVIII Luchiu and formosa
XXIX The 'Madre de Dios' Affair
XXX The Fall of Okubo Tadachika
XXXI The English Company
XXXII Date Masamune's Mission to Europe
XXXIII The English Company
XXXIV Osaka. the Winter Cammpaign
XXXV The Summer Campaign
XXXVI Honami Ko-Etsu
XXXVII The Three Jinnai of Edo
XXXVIII Literary tste of teh Mikado and Shogun
XXXIX The Hondas
XL Death of Ieyasu
XLI Ieyasu's Family
XLII Ieysu's Personal Habits and Views
XLIII Tokugawa Legislation
XLIV The Legacy of Ieyasu
Appendices
Bibliography
Index… (plus d'informations)