VLVL2(3): The Samurai Condition

[Dave Monroe]

"He had come, with these falling years, simply to rely
on going in, trying to neutralize whoever was there
with a repertoire of assault that still ran from
stupefy to obliterate, and if they were waiting for
him one time and got in the first move, aye muere, too
bad.  Hector sadly knew this wasn't anywhere near the
samurai condition of always being on the perfect edge
prepared to die, a feeling he'd known only a few times
in his life, long ago.   Nowadays, with his old
fighting talents lapsed, what looked like simple
impulse or will might as easily have been advanced
self-hatred."  (VL, Ch. 3, p. 29)


"the samurai condition"

Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure (1716) ...

The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it
comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of
death. It is not particularly difficult. Be determined
and advance. To say that dying without reaching one's
aim is to die a dog's death is the frivolous way of
sophisticates. When pressed with the choice of life or
death, it is not necessary to gain one's aim.
We all want to live. And in large part we make our
logic according to what we like. But not having
attained our aim and continuing to live is cowardice.
This is a thin dangerous line. To die without gaming
one's aim is a dog's death and fanaticism. But there
is no shame in this. This is the substance of the Way
of the Samurai. If by setting one's heart right every
morning and evening, one is able to live as though his
body were already dead, he pains freedom in the Way.
His whole life will be without blame, and he will
succeed in his calling.

http://www.chez.com/220665/hag1.html

Meditation on inevitable death should be performed
daily. Every day when one’s body and mind are at
peace, one should meditate upon being ripped apart by
arrows, muskets, spears and swords, being carried away
by surging waves, being thrown into the midst of a
great fire, being struck by lightning, being shaken to
death by a great earthquake, falling from
thousand-foot cliffs, dying of disease or committing
seppuku at the death of one’s master. And every day
without fail one should consider himself as dead.

http://www.chez.com/220665/hag11.html

http://www.chez.com/220665/hagakure.html


Although every aspect of a samurai’s life is important
in understanding the totality of the world of the
warrior, nothing is more fundamental than a knowledge
of the beliefs and traditions that surround the moment
the warrior takes leave of the physical world. Whether
that passing is voluntary or involuntary, the intense
focus in so much of the relevant literature on the end
of a samurai’s life makes one very inclined to agree
with the 17th-century samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo, who
wrote in his book Hagakure that 'the way of the
samurai is found in death'.

[...]

Leaving aside the references to natural disasters (and
earthquakes have always been a common preoccupation in
Japan), because a samurai's function in life was to
fight, a calm acceptance of being ‘ripped apart’ might
almost be regarded as the warrior's stock in trade.
Nor does it set the samurai apart from any other
contemporary professional fighter. The phrase that
makes the samurai unique is the one about committing
seppuku at the death of one’s master. In a handful of
words we are told all we need to know about the
ultimate demands that might be made on the life of the
samurai....

http://www.ospreysamurai.com/samurai_death02.htm

Fairly or unfairly, death has always been linked to
the samurai. It is in fact the samurai's presumed
affinity for death that seems to set him aside from
other warriors and captures the imagination. Of
course, there can be little doubt that the manner in
which he viewed his own death was considered most
important. But was he as obsessed by it as we have
been led to believe, ready to toss his life away at a
moment's notice? 

Perhaps we, both Japanese and foreign, owe much of our
'death-intensive' view of the samurai to the Hagakure,
a book composed in the 18th Century. Written long
after the last samurai army had marched into battle,
the Hagakure - and books like it - sought to stiffen
the flagging martial spirit among a samurai class
nearly destitute and directionless. Needless to say, a
good deal of idealism found its way into the pages of
these 'how-to' books, but at the same time, the wisdom
contained within was (and is) often distorted or
misconstrued. Perhaps the most famous example is
provided in the opening chapter of the Hagakure itself
...

"The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it
comes to death, there is only the quick choice of
death." 

These oft-quoted lines find their way into many
'populist' books and magazines on the samurai and/or
Japanese martial culture. Yet, if we read a bit
further, we encounter this passage… 

"We all want to live. And in large part we make our
logic according to what we like. But not having
attained our aim and continuing to live is cowardice.
This is a thin dangerous line. To die without gaining
one's aim IS a dog's death and fanaticism. But there
is no shame in this. This is the substance of the Way
of the Samurai. If by setting one's heart right every
morning and evening, one is able to live as though his
body were already dead, he gains freedom in the Way.
His whole life will be without blame, and he will
succeed in his calling." 

In these words we find a depth and thoughtfulness
lacking to some degree from our image of the samurai
and death....

[...]

The samurai view and idea of death was shaped not so
much, perhaps, from the ways of war as the realities
of life. Every aspect of Japanese life was tailored to
suit an existence in a land that could be shockingly
and suddenly cruel....

http://www.samurai-archives.com/death.html

The early history of Japan reveals that the Japanese
were far more interested in living the good life than
in dying a painful death. It was not until after the
introduction of Buddhism from Korea (550A.D.), with
its theme of the transitory nature of life and the
glory of death, development of suicide became
possible.

http://www.indiana.edu/~ealc100/Group19/seppuku.htm

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