Legends of the Samurai
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In Legends of the Samurai, Sato confronts both the history and the legend of the samurai, untangling the two to present an authentic picture of these legendary warriors. Through his masterful translations of original samurai tales, laws, dicta, reports, and arguments accompanied by insightful commentary, Hiroaki Sato chronicles the changing ethos of the Japanese warrior from the samurai's historical origins to his rise to political power. For this purpose, Sato has chosen to translate, wherever possible, writings closest in time to the actual event. His translations are a testament to his mastery of the language for they flow with lively ease that one might not expect from accounts, many of which are ancient. Legends of the Samurai covers legends from mythological times to the early eighteenth century. Through this book Sato describes men accomplished in martial arts, warrior-commanders in battle, and samurai's own views of themselves. It ends with a famous modern retelling of a mass disembowelment in the mid-seventeenth century. Library Journal Sato, the editor and translator of One Hundred Frogs (LJ 4/15/83), has compiled an interesting collection of stories about Japan's warrior class, the samurai. In translations that seek to capture the nuances of the original, Sato illustrates the evolving ethos of the samurai class over a period of 1000 years. In choosing a story to illuminate an incident, Sato selected the version closest in time to the event rather than a more modern retelling. This gives his collection a sense of immediacy and authenticity that is often missing in translations that attempt to recast stories for a Western audience. The value of this work lies in the way it illuminates a non-Western cultural tradition-a way of thinking and acting that may seem alien. It offers a rare look into the mindset of Japan's warrior aristocracy. Recommended for academic and public libraries with a strong reader interest in this area.-Robert James Andrews, Duluth P.L., Minn.
Acknowledgments and NotesIntroductionChronologyGenealogy of the Minamoto ClanYamato Takeru: Loser as Hero (Fourth century A.D.)3Yorozu: "I Wanted to Show My Bravery!" (587)13Otomo no Yakamochi: To Die by Our Sovereign's Side (Poem written in 749)16Minamoto no Mitsuru and Taira no Yoshifumi: The Duel (Mid-10th century)19Minamoto no Mitsunaka: Warrior's Conversion (Incident ca. 975)22Fujiwara no Yasumasa and Hakamadare: Presence of Mind30Muraoka no Goro and Hakamadare: To Know When to be Alert34Taira no Koremochi, a.k.a. General Yogo: "Did You Bring His Head?"37Kanetada and Koremochi: Meaning of Revenge47Tachibana no Norimitsu: "What Splendid Swordsmanship!" with a description of the same man as viewed by Sei Shonagon, author of The Pillow Book52Sakanoue no Haruzumi: A Warrior's Shame59Minamoto no Raiko: Alert and Penetrating61Guardian Kings and The Oxcart: a Comic Interlude, with an account of the origin of Haniwa65Minamoto no Yorinobu: "Let Your Little Kid be Stabbed to Death!"71Raiko and Others: Tales of Archery80Taira no Munetsune: The Silent One88Taira no Sadatsuna: When Not to Risk Your Life91Minamoto no Yoshiie: "The Samurai of the Greatest Bravery Under Heaven"95Minamoto no Yoshitsune: A Hero Hounded110Kusunoki Masashige: A Guerrilla of Unflinching Loyalty157Ko no Moronao: "When a Samurai Falls in Love"188Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin: Two Warlords204Oda Nobunaga: The Warlord and Poetry232Hojo Soun: "Lord Soun's Twenty-one Articles"249Miyamoto Musashi: Gorin no Sho (Book of Five Elements)254Arai Hakuseki: "My Father"273Yamamoto Tsunetomo: Hagakure (Hidden in Leaves)287The Forty-Seven Samurai: An Eyewitness Account, with Arguments304"The Abe Family" by Mori Ogai341Bibliography380Index of Important Figures389
