Who wrote Hagakure, an early-18th-century collection of teachings about samurai conduct?

Yamamoto Tsunetomo wrote Hagakure, an early-eighteenth-century collection of teachings associated with samurai conduct.

Yamamoto was a former retainer of the Nabeshima clan in Kyushu. After his lord’s death, he retired from active service and lived in seclusion. A younger colleague, Tashiro Tsuramoto, recorded their conversations between 1709 and 1716, producing the work later known as Hagakure.

The title is often translated as “hidden by leaves.” Its passages emphasize loyalty, discipline, readiness for death, and wholehearted service. The text was not an official universal code followed identically by every samurai; it reflects Yamamoto’s personal outlook and the values of the Nabeshima domain.

Hagakure is frequently confused with Bushido itself. Bushido is a broader modern term for ideas about warrior ethics, while Hagakure is a specific text with a particular author and historical setting.