Book description
A series of picaresque adventures set against the backdrop of a Japan still closed off from the rest of the world, Musui's Story recounts the escapades of samurai Katsu Kokichi. As it depicts Katsu stealing, brawling, indulging in the pleasure quarters, and getting the better of authorities, it also provides…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Musui's Story as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
There is samurai culture as understood by most people, involving bushido, loyalty, honour, and truth and then there is this book, an autobiography by a real samurai about the honest truth about actually being a samurai. Part criminal, part reluctant warrior, this man’s story is one of passion, hardship, and eventual love for his family. It is one of the greatest windows into actual Japanese life, and again, it is not a best seller and is maybe now out of print. If you want to know what a samurai’s life was like after the wars with nothing to do but…
From Antony's list on hidden Japan and the real samurai.
The samurai were central to the story of the two-and-a-half century-long Tokugawa peace. During this time, they were transformed by it from warriors to sword-wearing bureaucrats. This wonderful autobiography from a 19th-century low-ranking samurai of the central (Tokugawa) government belies the myth of the noble samurai who followed a code of chivalry similar to that of European knights.
A ne’er-do-well, Katsu Kokichi drinks too much, gets into fights, gets arrested, engages in trade as a sword seller (which samurai weren’t supposed to do). He acts so poorly his own father confines him in a bamboo cage so he will straighten…
From Constantine's list on Tokugawa Japan.
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