Historical archive
Hagakure — Hidden by the Leaves
The most famous and most misread line about the samurai, in full: three passages translated by us.
葉隠 · Date: Dictated 1710–1716
The story of the text
Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659–1719), a retainer of the Nabeshima lords of Saga who had never fought in a war, became a monk when his lord died in 1700. Between 1710 and 1716 a younger samurai, Tashiro Tsuramoto, wrote down his talks. The result is a collection of anecdotes and advice that circulated in manuscript inside the domain for almost two centuries.
Printed editions appeared only in the 20th century. In the 1930s and 1940s the opening line was used to glorify dying for the state; after the war Yukio Mishima wrote a book in its praise (1967). Read in full, the passage is about deciding without hesitation and living free of fear, which is why it is worth reading the whole of it.
Source and rights
Original (1716): public domain. Japanese text from Book 1, section 2, following editions based on the Nabeshima manuscripts, including the 1906 Tokyo edition held by the National Diet Library. Translations: WABUKAN.
Passages: original and our translation
武士道と云は、死ぬ事と見付たり。二つ二つの場にて、早く死方に片付ばかり也。別に子細なし。胸すわつて進む也。I have found that the way of the warrior is dying. When it comes to a choice between two, simply settle quickly on the side of death. There is nothing more to it. Steady your heart and go forward.
見付けたり is “I have found”, a personal discovery, not a law.
我人、生る方がすき也。多分すきの方に理が付べし。若図に迦れて生たらば、腰ぬけ也。此境危き也。All of us prefer to live, and we will usually find reasons for what we prefer. But if you miss your aim and live on, you are a coward. That is the dangerous line.
Tsunetomo is honest about self-deception: the problem is the excuse, not life itself.
毎朝毎夕、改めては死々、常住死身に成て居る時は、武道に自由を得、一生落度なく家職を仕課すべき也。Every morning and every evening, die anew. When you live always as one already dead, you gain freedom in the way of arms and can carry out your duty your whole life without failing.
The goal stated is freedom and a duty done well, i.e. living well.
Related
Sources
- 葉隠 — Wikipedia (ja) — ja.wikipedia.org
- Hagakure — Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
- National Diet Library Digital Collections — dl.ndl.go.jp
Cite / use this content
You may quote and share this page with a link to WABUKAN. Suggested citation:
WABUKAN 和武館, «Hagakure — Hidden by the Leaves», https://wabukan.com/texto-hagakure (accessed 2026-10-30).
Translations on this page are by WABUKAN unless stated otherwise.