Samurai Mind: Lessons from Japan's Master Warriors

by Christopher Hellman (Translator)

The Samurai Mind is a collection of five seminal Japanese texts that convey the essence of traditional samurai philosophy and ethics from very different, but complementary points of view. These texts range from the ferocious to the esoteric--with their common thread being the importance of mastering one's own mind as the key to overcoming opponents. They were written from the mid-18th to early 19th century, The authors were acknowledged master samurai warriors keen to address a broader audience beyond their circle of students and acolytes. Their aim was to explain their craft to the outside world, and they do so with great insight. The classic Japanese texts The Mysterious Skills of the Old CatSword TheoryA Treatise on the SwordJoseishi's Discussions on the SwordIgnorance in Swordsmanship Four of the five texts presented here are translated into English for the first time making The Samurai Mind an important addition to the literature on Japanese martial arts and a valuable resource for all martial artists. This samurai philosophy book is an informative look at the samurai of Japan with particular emphasis on the warrior's relationship with his samurai sword--the most fabled weapon in history--and on his need to cultivate mental discipline to achieve his goals.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Martial Arts

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A smile forms effortlessly as a result of a gift given on the reader's birthday.

When the sword falls on the reader, the sword is defeated by the smile.

In his abode, deep in the mountains, where the waterfalls come down, drawn by a single stroke of the pen, a book review is written in the style of 無心 (mushin).

The key strokes fall one after the other like rain drops on a thatch roof -- a comma is never spilled, a thought never wasted -- the smile retains its integrity.

[Abdul-Samay Ahadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Samurai Mind is a well-written piece of work. This book is an amalgamation of 5 different samurai texts written in the 18th century detailing the way of the samurai in a time in Japan when the tradition was becoming rusty and forgotten, being substituted with a superficial dedication to the martial lifestyle without understanding it's essence. This is similar to the plight in Muslim academia today, where knowledge is promoted but advancement has halted. Now you have two sides within the proponents within the Islamic sciences where one is pulling towards strict adherence to tradition while the other is pushing towards advancement for the sake of advancement, sacrificing orthodoxy as they move forward.

There are many other parallels between the samurai tradition and Islam; particularly the striking similarities between the way of the samurai knight and the path of the mujahid (warrior of Islam). For instance, there is a clear emphasis on the combination of spirituality and using your inner soul (or emaan i.e faith) with raw strength and military strategy. There also seems to be at least one line that indicates the idea of the unconscious at least 100 years before Freud introduced the concept to the western world, but perhaps I'm reading the text wrong here. Finally, the biggest take away from the book is the way in which these Samurai scholars write; indicating their mastery over words along with the sword they display their teachings concisely yet packing a depth of meaning. What took a few pages for these scholars to convey their message would've probably taken scholars today 1000s. That is one of the strengths of this 126-page book. There are many take away quotes from this book, yet i'll leave you with this one.

"My swordsmanship is for slaying the enemy brutally. You must use this feeling of ferocity penetrate directly into the enemy’s heart and mind." - Hirayama Shiryu

[Widyanto Gunadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samurai is so cool.

[Liz P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my kinda genre. Good lessons though

[Matias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante obra, aunque quizás en el momento en que la leí no estuve preparado para su sabiduría y las explicaciones que da, resultándome algo tediosa y lenta de leer. Quizás en un futuro lejano vuelva a agarrarla para ver si estoy listo.

[Gnuvolante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contiene:

- Le tecniche misteriore del vecchio gatto (neko no myoujutsu), di Issai Chozan.
- Teoria della spada (kensetsu), di Hirayama Shiryu.
- Un trattato sulla spada (kencho), di Hirayama Shiryu.
- Considerazioni di Joseishi sulla spada (joseishi kendan), di Matsuura Seizan.
- Ignoranza nella scherma (kenjutsu fushiki hen), di Kimura Kyuhou.

Dall'aneddoto di un gatto abilissmo nel cacciare topi grazie al suo atteggiamento vigile ma armonico e aggraziato (Issai Chozan), agli scritti di Hirayama Shiryu incentrati sull'importanza della pratica, passando all'enfasi attrubuita da Matsuura Seizan al concetto di mushin (non-mente) e al suo approccio alla pratica, giungendo a Kimura Kyuhou, che, dopo l'iniziale ammissione della sua manchevolezza nelle arti marziali cui si è dedicato nella sua vita, ci trasmette un interessante dialogo tra il suo maestro ed un suo ospite.

Interessante lettura per gli appassionati delle arti marziali e per tutti coloro che decidono di lavorare su sè stessi, nella loro completezza.

[Beau · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mysterious Skills of the Old Cat (Neko no Myoujutsu)
Written by Issai Chozanshi ★★★★½

Sword Theory (Kensetsu) & A Treatise on the Sword (Kencho)
Written by Hirayama Shiryu ★★★½
(Shingan-ryu)

Joseishi’s Discussions on the Sword (Joseishi Kendan)
Written by Matsuura Seizan ★★★
(Shingyoto-ryu)

Ignorance in Swordsmanship (Kenjutsu Fushiki Hen)
Written by Kimura Kyuhou ★★★★
(Unchu-ryu)

Translation by Christopher Hellman ★★★½

[Carlos Vázquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lectura que te deja enseñanzas que puedes aplicar en tu vida diaria, tal vez algunas por el carácter del samurai mas encaminadas al combate pero que resalta el conectar su cuerpo y espíritu, siendo valiente y humilde para afrontar todo lo que traiga la vida.

[Pneumarq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es de esas cosa de las que sabes que comprendes sólo un poco, pero qué belleza y qué profundidad. A mi juicio muy recomendable.

[Mitsunori Hokuto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finalmente esperaba más de este libro, es bueno , pero no era lo q esperaba