Yamamoto Tsunetomo

A samurai of the Saga domain. His childhood name was Matsukame. He was also known by the names Fukei, Ichijuro, Gonnojo, and Jinemon. He was the youngest of two sons and four daughters of Yamamoto Shigezumi (1590-1669). At the age of nine, he served the second domain lord, Nabeshima Mitsushige (1632-1700), as a servant boy, and then as a page boy. He came of age at the age of twenty and became a servant and assistant writer, but was soon removed from service. During this time, he studied Buddhism under the Zen monk Tannen (?-1680) and Confucianism under Ishida Ittei (1629-1694), was given the Buddhist name Kyokuzan Jocho, and at one point considered retiring. At the age of 22, he returned to service and was ordered to serve as a scribe and Kyoto official. At the age of 42, just before Mitsushige's death, he brought back a box of Kokin Denju from Kyoto. Upon Mitsushige's death, he wished to be executed, but was unable to do so, so he retired to a hermitage in the Kurodo Plain of the Kitayama Mountains. He wrote the following poem at that time: "I have ventured into the deep mountains where I am not yet familiar with, and the moon on an autumn night casts a shadow that cannot be seen."

Tsunetomo was 51 years old when Tashiro Tsuramoto (1678-1748) was relieved of his duties as assistant scribe to the third feudal lord Tsunashige and visited Tsunetomo at Sojuan. This resulted in the 11 volumes of Hagakure, which were written by Tashiro Tsuramoto. Tsunetomo also wrote other works, such as Collection of Foolish Opinions and Farewell Gifts, which he gave to his adopted son Tsunetoshi, Letters, which he dedicated to Nabeshima Muneshige (1687-1755), and Chronologies of his grandfather, father, and himself.

[Masahide Sato July 19, 2016]

"The Thoughts of the Samurai" by Toru Sagara (1984/New Edition, 2004, Pelican Press)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

佐賀藩士。幼名は松亀(まつかめ)。通称は不携(ふけい)、市十郎、権之允(ごんのじょう)、神右衛門(じんえもん)。山本重澄(しげずみ)（1590―1669）の2男4女の末子。9歳のとき、2代藩主鍋島光茂(なべしまみつしげ)（1632―1700）に御側(おそば)小僧として仕え、ついで小小姓(こごしょう)となる。20歳で元服し、御側役、御書物役手伝(てつだい)となったが、まもなく出仕をとどめられる。この間、禅僧湛然(たんねん)（？―1680）に仏道を、石田一鼎(いしだいってい)（1629―1694）に儒学を学び、旭山常朝(きょくざんじょうちょう)の法号を受け、一時は隠遁(いんとん)を考えたこともあった。22歳のとき、ふたたび出仕し、御書物役、京都役を命じられた。42歳のとき、光茂の死の直前に、古今伝授一箱を京都より持ち帰った。光茂の死に際し、追い腹(おいばら)を願ったが果たせず、北山黒土原に庵(いおり)を結んで隠遁した。「分け入りてまだ住みなれぬ深山辺(みやまべ)に影むつまじき秋の夜の月」はそのときの歌である。

　田代陣基(たしろつらもと)（1678―1748）がゆえあって3代藩主綱茂の祐筆(ゆうひつ)役を免ぜられ、宗寿庵(あん)に常朝を訪ねたのは、常朝51歳のときである。ここから田代陣基の筆録になる『葉隠(はがくれ)』11巻が生まれた。常朝にはほかに、養子の常俊(つねとし)に与えた『愚見集』『餞別(せんべつ)』、鍋島宗茂(なべしまむねしげ)（1687―1755）に献じた『書置』、祖父、父および自身の『年譜』などの著述がある。

［佐藤正英　2016年7月19日］

『相良亨著『武士の思想』（1984／新装版・2004・ぺりかん社）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例