Asian Literature

A close reading of Musuis Story reveals that samurai ideals and the samurais way of life are not necessarily intricately tied with one another. Katsu Kokichis memoir offers readers a closer look into the life of someone who has been a part of the elite Japanese warrior class and who has failed to live up to the precepts of being a samurai at the same time. The firsthand accounts of a samurai who willingly transgressed the honor code of the highly esteemed warrior class provide a whole new perspective. A perusal of the text takes the readers to two sides of the same coinwhat is supposed to be the ideal lifestyle of Musui as a samurai and what in fact his behavior has been.
    One of the most notable experiences that a reader can get from reading Musuis firsthand account of his life as a samurai is that the reader is more easily absorbed into the story and, thus, is enticed to finish reading the text until the end. It is as if the reader himself is the actual narrator of the story which, in effect, makes him feel as though he is Musui. This creates the impression that there is no dividing line between the author and the reader. On the contrary, an account about Musui written by a modern scholar is akin to the situation where a person is speaking to another person through the telephone. In such a case, there may be certain nuances produced by the mediating elementthe telephone or, in the case of the book, the scholar. Essentially, reading a firsthand account such as the memoirs of Musui gives readers the pleasure and the privilege to relate to the message of the story or understand the story better, perhaps even both. It allows readers to clearly differentiate between Musuis life as a samurai and the ideal life of a samurai.
    However, the problem with the autobiography is the fact that it is an English translation of its original Japanese text. It raises the question of whether the translation is faithful to the original or whether the English version is as authentic as the firsthand account of Musui. These questions also raise the possibility that the reader may not be necessarily reading the original message of the text, thereby rendering the reading of the text an effort in futility. This is because the strength or weakness of the translation can greatly affect the readers understanding of the contrast between Musuis life as a samurai and what should have been his lifestyle as a samurai. Nevertheless, the text should be given the benefit of the doubt. While it may be contested as pure fiction dressed up as an autobiography owing largely to the fact that Musui admits to being a scoundrel, the text itself should still be treated as no less than a firsthand account albeit a translation of the original. Even if there are doubts as regards the fictional content of the memoir, readers and scholars alike can hardly contest the fact that the text remains a firsthand account. Whether this firsthand account is authentic or otherwise is another matter.
    Those things being said, it is reasonable to say that there is a grain of truth to the memoir, if not an entire truth to it. A samurai may be guided by the honor code but his actual actions in everyday life may prove to be quite detached from it. After all, a samurai is still a human being who is prone to error. The life of Musui attests to this. Indeed, it does not take to be a samurai to realize how people sometimes or oftentimes tend to lose sight of moral ideals despite moral doctrines and other honor codes in the society. Reading a firsthand account such as Musuis memoir is both enlightening and challenging. It stimulates the mind into better appreciating the life of samurais during Japans early feudal years. It also compels readers to carefully scrutinize the story and place it in the context of history including its well-established facts and others regarded as pure fancy.