The Hagakure is the classic statement of Bushido, the samurai warrior ethos. Delivered as a set of orations by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, legendary retainer to the Nabeshima clan, for centuries it has defined what virility, honour, and wisdom mean for the Japanese people.

Like a thunderclap out of another world, the Hagakure shakes post-industrial man out of his stupor. Here is the opposite of modern individualism, a worldview founded on extreme self-discipline, honour, and above all, loyalty to authority. Few men can accept such austerity, much less practice it, but as Yamamoto says, “a house with but two or three such men serving it – its future is assured”.

The new Imperium Press edition renders book 1–2 of the Hagakure in highly aesthetic and readable poetic verse, while also translating excerpts from books 3–11, neglected by other editions.