Yamamoto Tsunetomo 1659 – 1719
Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659 – 1719) was a Japanese philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Confucianism and Buddhism.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo was a Japanese samurai and philosopher of the early Edo period, a retainer of the Saga domain who, on the death of his lord in 1700, was forbidden by Tokugawa law from following him in death and instead retired to a hermitage to dictate the long oral memoir that became Hagakure, In the Shadow of the Leaves. The Hagakure, a collection of practical and philosophical reflections on the conduct of the samurai, fused Confucian moral seriousness, Zen mindfulness, and an austere poetics of death into one of the founding texts of the philosophical tradition of bushido. Although suppressed by the Edo government during his lifetime, the work shaped Japanese ethical imagination from its eventual publication in the eighteenth century onward.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Confucianism, Buddhism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo:
“The way of the samurai is found in death.”
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“Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily.”
Hagakure -
Attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo:
“There is something to be learned from a rainstorm; if one has no umbrella, one is going to get wet, and that is that.”
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Attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo:
“Matters of importance should be undertaken lightly; matters of small importance should be undertaken seriously.”
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Attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo:
“When you cannot decide between two courses, choose the harder.”
Frequently asked about Yamamoto Tsunetomo
- When did Yamamoto Tsunetomo live?
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo was born in 1659 and died in 1719.
- Where was Yamamoto Tsunetomo from?
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo was a Japanese philosopher of the Modern era.
- What philosophical movements is Yamamoto Tsunetomo associated with?
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo was associated with Confucianism and Buddhism.
- What was Yamamoto Tsunetomo known for?
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo was a Japanese samurai and philosopher of the early Edo period, a retainer of the Saga domain who, on the death of his lord in 1700, was forbidden by Tokugawa law from following him in death and instead retired to a hermitage to dictate the long oral memoir that became Hagakure, In the Shadow of the Leaves.
- How many quotes are attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo?
- There are 15 attributed quotations from Yamamoto Tsunetomo in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.