Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai - Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Alexander Bennett - translator Audiobook

Written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Alexander Bennett - translator
Read by Tim Campbell
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Copyright: 2019
Audiobook Copyright: 2019
Genre: Audiobook
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Duration: 7 hours, 59 minutes, 42 seconds
Chapters: 350

The comprehensive and accurate edition of the Hagakure is a must-have for serious martial artists or fans of samurai and the bushido code.

The Hagakure is one of the most influential of all Japanese texts—written nearly 300 years ago by Yamamoto Tsunetomo to summarize the very essence of the Japanese Samurai bushido (”warrior”) spirit. Its influence has been felt throughout the world, and yet its existence is scarcely known to many Westerners. This is the first translation to include the complete first two books of the Hagakure and the most reliable and authentic passages contained within the third book; all other English translations published previously have been extremely fragmentary and incomplete.

Alex Bennett’s completely new and highly readable translation of this essential work includes extensive footnotes that serve to fill in many cultural and historical gaps in the previous translations. This unique combination of readability and scholarship gives Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai a distinct advantage over all previous English editions.

Reader review on Amazon.com:
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.