Nabeshima clansmen were never exiled to other provinces even when dishonorably discharged (rōnin), and few outsiders from other clans have been employed here. Even a warrior dismissed from his post, or the offspring of men ordered to commit seppuku, are permitted to reside within the principality.
With such strong bonds of fealty, being born into this clan and basking in the munificence and compassion passed down through generations, bears a debt of gratitude which can hardly be expressed with words, written or spoken, for retainers, and even the farmers and townsmen. When employed as a retainer, harden your resolve to repay this debt of largesse through selfless service. If you are made a rōnin, or ordered to commit seppuku, think of this as service also.
Even living deep in the mountains, or from under the ground, continue to wish for the continued prosperity of the clan. This must the first and foremost aspiration of a Nabeshima samurai.
Although presumptuous of me as a hermit, one who has taken the holy orders, not once have I desired to attain Buddhahood in death; instead, I only want to be reincarnated seven times as a Nabeshima clansman, with the determination resolutely etched in my gut to uphold the tranquillity of the Saga domain.
No particular talent is needed. In a word, all that is required is the fortitude to declare that you alone will shoulder the burden of responsibility. As a man, who can I be inferior to in matters of cherishing and serving the lord? As is usually the case with a man’s training, one will not succeed without being haughtily believing in your true worth as a man of service. Each samurai must believe that he alone will carry the clan. Like the axiom, yakan-dōshin (“searching for the Way in a kettle”), one’s feelings can run hot and cold, but there are attitudes that should never be forsaken. The following is my own professed oath:
I will never fall behind others in pursuing the Way of the warrior.
I will always be ready to serve my lord.
I will honor my parents.
I will serve compassionately for the benefit of others.
By chanting these four oaths (shiseigan) every morning and night to the deities and to Buddha, you will become imbued with double your strength, and will never lag behind. Like an inchworm, it is simply a matter of advancing forward, little by little. Even the gods and Buddha started by pledging an oath of allegiance.
_______________________
16 This title is written in the Yamamoto-bon variant of Hagakure. Although it is not titled as such in the Hagakure reproduced in Nihon Shisō Taikei 26, Mikawa Monogatari, Hagakure edition (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1974), I decided to add it anyway.
17 This was ten years after Yamamoto Jōchō (Tsunetomo) took up the tonsure. Jōchō was 52 years old and Tashiro Tsuramoto was aged 33. The meeting place was Jōchō’s thatched hut, secluded in the mountains.
18 Jōchō’s pseudonym.
19 These poems represent Jōchō wistfully sharing his thoughts with an open heart and purity represented by the beauty of the cherry tree (yama-zakura) far removed from the hustle and bustle of the mundane world, and Tsuramoto’s reply expresses his gratefulness for his counsel.
20 Tashiro Tsuramoto’s pseudonym.
21 The term kokugaku, literally “national learning,” is more commonly associated with the textual and interpretive study of classical Japanese literature, a field of academic inquiry that flourished during the Tokugawa period. In the case of Hagakure, it refers to the formation of the Nabeshima domain, the genealogy of its lords, and its political systems and customs.
22 Originally Ryūzōji Iekane (1454–1546), he was a formidable warlord during the Warring States period, whose many victories culminated in the Ryūzōji family’s hegemony over the Saga domain. He changed his name to Gōchū when he entered the priesthood.
23 Risō is the posthumous name of Nabeshima Kiyohisa (1468–1552), a retainer of Iekane. He was also the grandfather of Nabeshima Naoshige, who was to take over control of the Saga domain from the Ryūzōji family.
24 Ryūzōji Takanobu (1529–1584) was a powerful warlord who gained hegemony over the province of Hizen and surrounding districts. His mother remarried Nabeshima Naoshige’s father, thus making the two brothers-in-law and close allies.
25 Nippō was the posthumous name for Nabeshima Naoshige (1538–1618). He formally became the lord of Saga in 1607, inheriting it from the Ryūzōji family, and was referred to as the hanso, or Nabeshima domain founder. His son, Katsushige, became the first lord (shodai) of the domain after his father’s death.
26 Worshipping the ancestral spirits of people not related to the Nabeshima clan or the domain.
27 Buddhism, Confucianism, the martial arts, or aesthetic pursuits.
28 Literally “the mouth of victory.”
29 Nabeshima Katsushige ordered that these two books on military tactics be compiled by Ishida Ittei and others in 1651.
30 Torinoko is eggshell-colored traditional Japanese paper made primarily of high-quality, glossy Diplomorpha sikokiana fibers. This domain procedural guidebook was known as the Torinoko-chō.
31 See Book 1-101.
322 See Book 2-69.
1. Although it stands to reason that a warrior must abide by the tenets of the martial Way,33 it seems that many are guilty of dereliction in this respect. If asked, what is the essence of budō? there are few who can answer this question without hesitation because it has not been taken to heart. This clearly shows negligence in understanding the warrior’s Way. This is appallingly careless.
2. The Way of the warrior (bushido) is to be found in dying.34 If one is faced with two options of life or death, simply settle for death. It is not an especially difficult choice; just go forth and meet it confidently. To declare that dying without aiming for the right purpose is nothing more than a “dog’s death”35 is the timid and shallow way of Kamigata warriors.36 Whenever faced with the choice of life and death, there is no need to try and achieve one’s aims. Human beings have a preference for life. As such, it is a natural tendency to apply logic to justify one’s proclivity to stay alive. If you miss the mark
