“Bushido Hagakure”
“Bushido (the way of the warrior) is to be found in dying.”
Hagakure (Hidden by Leaves) was dictated in the peaceful Edo period
By Yamamoto Jōchō, a retainer of the Saga domain.
In WWII, this was misinterpreted as “warriors should die with courage”
As part of the wartime propaganda.
That isn’t what Jōchō meant.
He was saying that a warrior must be ready for death at any moment.
That is, “Constantly live as though one was already dead.”
Hagakure was born from the acceptance that everything ends.
Men can be weak, foolish, cowardly, or cunning.
The more power they have, the stronger those tendencies are.
Jōchō saw through the deception.
We cannot take to the next world
What we hold dear in this one.
To keep your heart sincere and live as if you were dead
Is the way to find true freedom.
That is what Jōchō was trying to teach us.
Noble spirituality speaks to us through the ages:
Are you happy with your life?
Is there any way it could be better?
To obtain true freedom,
Live with honesty despite your struggles.
Thus speaks the ancient spirit of the samurai.
「武士道 葉隠」
“武士道と云ふのは死ぬ事と見つけたり”
佐賀藩士「山本常朝」によって口述された書
「葉隠」は天下泰平の江戸時代に生まれた
武士とは潔く死ぬものだと
短絡的に解釈し戦時中に悪用もされた
しかし、潔く死ぬことを常朝は推奨していない
死というものを常に覚悟せよ
すなわち「常住死身」で生きなさいと
そんな無常観から「葉隠」は生まれた
男は弱く、愚かで、卑怯で、悪賢い
ともすれば権力を持つほどに
その傾向は強くなることを常朝は見抜いた
己が守ろうとしているものは
あの世に持って帰れるものではない
誠の心を守り、何事も死んだ気で臨めば
真に人として自由に生きられるのだ
常朝はそう言いたかったに違いない
高潔な精神性が
時代を超えて私たちに語りかける
己の生き方はそれでいいのか！
何か間違ってはいないか！
真の自由を獲得するには
心の葛藤をしながらも誠の心で生きる
古の武士道精神はそう語りかける