Budo international Martial Arts Magazine Jul.-Aug. 2014 | Page 85

Hagakure
Hagakure and “Sutemi”
In my previous article, I presented a
brief outline of Hagakure, a classic
treatise on bushido written in the early
eighteenth century by samurai of the
Saga domain in the souther n
Japanese island of Kyushu. I
mentioned how Hagakure wisdom

was often greatly misunderstood, but
with contextualization, it serves as a
fascinating window on the trials and
tribulations of the samurai lifestyle in a
time of tense, but prevailing peace in
Pax-Tokugawa. Hagakure was
completed in 1716, and this was a
time in which the martial arts (bugei)

were undergoing a significant
transformation in terms of form,
objectives, philosophy, and rationale.
The glory of battle was a distant
memory for most, but the importance
of overcoming fear of death remained
a central concern in the warrior ethos.
This remained interwoven in the
theoretical fabric of the martial
arts even though the form in
which they were practiced
was continually evolving.
In this sense, although
rarely associated directly with
martial arts practice per se,
many of the dictums in
Hagakure provide an intriguing
backdrop to key concepts
espoused in the moder n
Japanese martial arts (budo).
One such concept is that of
“sutemi.” Literally to “discard
one's body,” this is the mental
and physical state of total
commitment
in
giving
something one's all, even to
the extent of giving up one's
life if need be. In budo, this
amounts to attempting a
single blow with all ones force
during a bout or exchange,
without being concerned with
the outcome. In essence, it is
to execute each technique
with self-sacrificial drive and
indifference to personal safety.
No warrior was more
fearsome, samurai believed,
than one who cared not for his
own life in the thick of battle.
The pages of Hagakure
abound with teachings
pointing to the importance of
this mind-set in daily life. For
example, “'If a samurai steps
out of his house, he will be in
the midst of corpses; if he
steps out of his gate, he will
meet the enemy.' The point
here is not vigilance; but
rather to kill one's self from
the very outset.” (11-133) In
other words, the author is
advocating that a samurai
should accept the notion that
he could be killed at any
moment. To hide from this fact
would leave him spiritually
incapacitated, and unable to
respond in an emergency. If he
had already sacrificed himself
before he left his home, what
else did he have to fear? Or,
“A heroic warrior (kusemono)
does not concern himself with
victory or defeat. Without
hesitating, he whips himself
into a deadly fury (shini-gurui).
This is when he understands;
this is when he awakens from