Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes on Death
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. This page collects quotes attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo on the topic of death, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
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 -
“Commentary on the tale of The Forty-Seven Samurai (or the "Forty-seven Ronin ", or Akō Rōshi , the Akō "vendetta"), emphasizing his view that Bushido demands prompt action, and not delay, or concern about success and failure. Variant: "What if, nine months after Asano's death, Kira had died of an illness?”
Concerning the night assault of Lord Asano's ronin, the fact that they did not commit seppuku at the Sengakuji was an error, for there was a long delay between the time their lord was struck down and the time when they struck down the enemy. If Lord Kira had died of illness within that period, it would have been extremely regrettable. -
“I have found that the Way of the samurai is death. This means that when you are compelled to choose between life and death, you must quickly choose death.”
Hagakure(c. 1716) -
“The supreme style of love is unknown love. If the affection is known by the beloved, that love is snob. If you sacrifice your life for the beloved, and she recognises your love after you die, your soul would be appraised.”
Hagakure(c. 1716) -
“By the Way of the warrior is meant death. The Way of the warrior is death. This means choosing death whenever there is a choice between life and death. It means nothing more than this. It means to see things through, being resolved.”
Hagakure(c. 1716) -
“As everything in this world is but a sham, Death is the only sincerity.”
Hagakure(c. 1716) -
“I have found the essence of Bushido: to die!”
Hagakure(c. 1716)