Jitsuroku

Vendettas, honor, loyalty, murder and betrayal, key components of a classic and yet little known Japanese literary genre known as jitsuroku. The word “jitsuroku” translates as “memoir” and was a genre of literature in feudal Japan that were generally exaggerated stories of political scandals and revenge. These stories were largely based on true events, however through oral transmission and embellishment, these stories would soon intertwine fact and fiction together to the point that trying to decipher between the two would become quite difficult. The result is that epic tales of revenge would soon become transmitted and popularized throughout Feudal Japan.

While many stories have remained unknown, others have managed to permeate pop-culture and survive through the ages by being transformed into Kabuki plays. These plays became so popular throughout Feudal Japan that many have survived into the modern day and continue to see new recreations in Japanese Television and movies. In an attempt to revive these classic stories and introduce them to the western reader I have combined out of print and old texts to compile various classic Japanese tales so that these stories may continue to live on for generations to come.

This course is a Guided Reading experience coupled with self-reflective questions ideal for martial artists and those seeking introspection framed around the ethos of the Bushido mindset.