Lia’s Reviews > The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan > Status Update
Lia
is 7% done
the most impressive figure to emerge from the battle of 587 is not Soga no Umako or one of the victorious imperial princes like Umayado but an obscure warrior who fought on the losing side…the reason for Yorozu’s preeminence is that his short career epitomizes the mystique of the failed hero.
— Oct 22, 2021 09:59AM
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Lia’s Previous Updates
Lia
is 6% done
a warrior’s self-destruction was accepted as a release from shame, an act of honour and courage, and an ultimate proof of integrity… the particular method that became associated with the samurai tradition was harakiri, an excruciatingly painful form of self-torture which served as conclusive evidence that, though he had finally failed in his purpose, here was a man who could be respected
ugh
— Oct 22, 2021 09:46AM
ugh
Lia
is 5% done
The myth of the white bird … in the story of Yamato Takeru, however, is surely the image of flying and escape: the hero, thwarted in his dreams of “soaring up high into the sky,” that is, of transcending the worldly limitations that lead to defeat and failure, finds eventual liberation in death.
— Oct 22, 2021 09:37AM
