- Editorial:
- KODANSHA
- Materia:
- NINJA, SAMURAI TAIJI, IAIDO, KENDO
- ISBN:
- 978-4-7700-3077-1
- Páginas:
- 254
YOJOKUN: LIFE LESSONS FROM A SAMURAI
KAIBARA EKIKEN
First, there was Hagakure and Honor in Death.
Now comes Yojokun and the Way of Nurturing Life.
Ekiken's basic premise is simple: at birth, we are all given, with rare exception, a body meant to last 100 years. How we take care of it mentally, spiritually, and physically determines whether we will live out our life to the fullest, and enjoy it to the limit. The key lies in moderation, controlling our desires, appreciating the right things, and regulating the life force within. With copious notes based on the Chinese classics, his medical practice, extensive travel, and life all around him, the samurai doctor slowly unveils his Way of Nurturing Life, a method surprisingly intuitive and startlingly appropriate even today, nearly 300 years after it was first written.
Translator William Scott Wilson notes Ekiken's relevance for the twenty-first century: "The Yojokun, is not just a quaint vestige of Orientalia, but a living guide to a traditional Way to live and maintain a balanced health. If we do not immediately under-stand some of its more exotic prescripts, it may be wiser not to dismiss them outright, but to approach the work as Eki-ken himself might have: with humility, curiosity, respect, and imagination."
THE WAY OF NURTURING LIFE
The dawn of the seventeenth century saw peace descend on Japan. With the value of their martial skills on the decline, the samurai sought new spiritual, moral, psychological, and physical moorings. Yamamoto Tsunetomo, author of the classic Hagakure, combined a Confucian sense of justice with a Zen-influenced abandonment of the ego to espouse loyalty and death as paramount qualities of the samurai's calling.
Kaibara Ekiken, a samurai physician with philosophical and Buddhist leanings, took the opposite approach. He sought ways for a healthier, more rewarding life. In his Yojokun: Life Lessons from a Samurai, he collected six decades of study and observation to compile one of the most remarkable commentaries of his age.
Ekiken's sweep was vast. While serving as chief medi-cal doctor and healer to the Kuroda clan, he soon came to understand that physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the samurai were connected. He combined his knowledge of holistic health, the principles of ch'i (the natural force that pervades all things) and jin ("human heartedness"), Buddhism, Confucianism, and the art of living. He addressed concerns that ran from mental and physical health to spiritual matters. His discourses examined the intake of food and drink, sexual practices, sustaining stamina and health from youth to old age, overindulgence and restraint, bathing, healthy habits, and more. And throughout his discussion he wove a subtle but potent spiritual and philosophical thread.
Ekiken's basic premise is simple: at birth, we are all given, with rare exception, a body meant to last 100 years. How we take care of it mentally, spiritually, and physically determines whether we will live out our life to the fullest, and enjoy it to the limit. The key lies in moderation, controlling our desires, appreciating the right things, and regulating the life force within. With copious notes based on the Chinese classics, his medical practice, extensive travel, and the life all around him, the samurai doctor slowly unveils his Way of Nurturing Life, a method surprisingly intuitive and startlingly appropriate even today, nearly 300 years after it was first written. Treasured by the Japanese for three centuries and still a brisk seller in its native land, this classic offers a wealth of wisdom and insights from an educated, powerfully observant samurai gentlemen that remains relevant to this day.
About the Authors
Born in 1630 to a samurai family during the lifetime of renowned swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, Kaibara Ekiken (16301714) was a samurai physician and neo-Confucian scholar who eventually became known for his intellect and wide interests, which encompassed a myriad of subjects, including Confucianism, Buddhism, education, history, herbal remedies, spiritual issues, and philo-sophy. But earlier in his career, he fell into disfavor with his lord and was stripped of his income and forced to become a ronin (a wandering, unemployed samurai). After being reinstated by the new daimyo lord of the Fukuoka region, he began an intense period of study in Kyoto, where he met some of the luminaries of the time. Kaibara became known for his keen in-tellect and wide interests. He published a number of books, one of his last being the Yojokun, released when he was 84.
William Scott Wilson is the bestselling translator of Hagakure, The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts, and other classic titles, as well as the author of The Lone Samurai, a biography of the legendary samurai swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. His books have been translated into seventeen languages. His last translation, The 36 Secret Strategies of the Martial Arts: The Classic Chinese Guide for Success in War, Business, and Life, gave fresh life to a long-forgotten classic....
