The Japanese Art of War Understanding the Culture of Strategy

by CLEARY, THOMAS

• ISBN13: 9781590302453
• ISBN10: 1590302451
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-10
• Publisher: Shambhala Classics

Summary

Military rule and the martial tradition of the samurai dominated Japanese culture for more than eight hundred years. According to Thomas Cleary-translator of more than thirty-five classics of Asian philosophy-the Japanese people have been so steeped in the way of the warrior that some of the manners and mentality of this outlook remain embedded in their individual and collective consciousness. Cleary shows how well-known attributes such as the reserve and mystery of formal Japanese behavior are deeply rooted in the ancient strategies of the traditional arts of war. Citing original Japanese sources that are popular among Japanese readers today, he reveals the hidden forces behind Japanese attitudes and conduct in political, business, social, and personal life.

Author Biography

Thomas Cleary holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. He is the translator of over fifty volumes of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Islamic texts from Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Pali, and Arabic.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION	1	(2)
The inscrutable East: mystification and the art of war
Bushido and Japanese behavior
A MARTIAL HISTORY OF JAPAN	3	(9)
Conquest, civil war, militarism, and the rise of the samurai caste
ZEN IN JAPANESE HISTORY	12	(8)
Zen in Japanese politics, politics in Japanese Zen
BUSHIDO AND MARTIAL ARTS	20	(19)
The professional warrior's attitude
commercialization of martial arts
organization of a warrior's training
use of Zen psychology in practical education
defense and invulnerability
timing and success
starting on the way
THE WAY OF THE ZEN WARRIOR	39	(29)
Theory and practice
expertise and adepthood
fixation and freedom
Buddhism and everyday life
artificial Zen
self-mastery
transcendental ethics
daily life of warriors
buoyancy and depression
awareness and timing
mind and action
SCHEMES OF THE SAMURAI	68	(18)
Ethics of warfare
the vanguard of the moment
energy, feeling, and mood
strategy in social and professional relationships
appearance and intention
expediency
strategic mystery
fluidity on the warrior's way
first strike, second strike
disarming opponents
ways of winning
THE THIRTY-SIX STRATEGIES	86	(6)
Classical foundations of the science of conflict
root teachings on the art of war
BUSHIDO AND CHRISTIANITY: Ethical Crossroads	92	(24)
Zen, society, and morality
pseudo-Christian imperialism and Japanese xenophobia
A ZEN RAZOR	116	(7)
Ignorance and misdirection
artificial esoterism
distinguishing Bushido from Buddhism
the Shinto connection
militarism in Japanese society and psychology
SUMMARY	123	(4)
INDEX	127