‘The special dispensation of our Imperial Land …’
Motoori Norinaga, On the Emperor and Japan, 1790
‘The Way of the Samurai is found in death.’
Nabeshima Tsunetomo, Hidden Among Leaves, 1710
‘When he goes forth to war the soldier is prepared …’
Hayakawa Kyukei, from the preface to The Manufacture of Armour and Helmets, 1799
‘The sword is the soul of the samurai.’
Tokugawa Ieyasu, Precepts, 1616
‘It is clearly written in the Four Books and the Five Classics …’
Imagawa Ryoshun, Regulations, 1412
‘Above all, believe in the gods and Buddhas.’
Hojo Soun, Twenty-One Precepts, c. 1500
‘One should put forth effort in matters of learning.’
Kato Kiyomasa, Precepts, c. 1610
‘There is a saying of the ancients that goes …’
Takeda Nobushige, Opinions in Ninety-Nine Articles, 1558
‘Having been born into the house of a warrior …’
Kato Kiyomasa, Precepts, c. 1610
‘I sincerely assure you that of all the palaces and houses …’
Luís Fróis, SJ, on visiting Gifu Castle
‘After the battle, tighten the cords of your helmet.’
Tokugawa Teyasu, speaking at the Battle of Sekigahara, 1600
‘Like a fossil tree …’
Death poem composed by Minamoto Yorimasa immediately before his act of seppuku in the Byodo-in Temple of Uji, 1180