Hagakure

Paper details:

Using the book Hagakure, write a 5-6 page paper addressing the following question: Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s Hagakure has been called the “Bible of the Samurai,” but it was written after Japan’s warrior class had stopped fighting. Is Hagakure a valuable guide for warrior-bureaucrats in an age of peace, or is it anachronistic and closer to work of fantasy fiction? Evaluate the contents of Hagakure and consider the political and social context of the age that the book was written in responding to the question. • Refer to the author by his family name — Yamamoto • Be sure to review the comments on your first paper to correct previous mistakes. • Your thesis statement should articulate both how you plan to respond to the question and what your conclusion is. General Guidelines Write an essay answering the question. Do not summarize the texts or recapitulate the lectures. Draw most of your information from the Hagakure. You can also cite Hane’s and Perez’s Premodern Japan and the lectures, but only in a limited way since you can assume the reader’s familiarity with the historical context. Do not use materials from outside of this course especially anything from the Internet. Stylistic Guidelines: Follow the guidelines provided on the Writing Check List.