Thursday, October 27, 2016

“The Code of the Samurai: The Spirit that Drives Japan”, by Daidoji Yuzan, translated by A.L. Sadler


108 pages, Tuttle Publishing, ISBN-13: 978-0804815352

The Code of the Samurai: The Spirit that Drives Japan was originally written by Daidoji Yuzan (1639–1730), a samurai and military strategist of Edo period for the novice bushi, whom he feared would lose their basic purpose and essential character (this edition was translated by the late Arthur Lindsay Sadler, the one-time Professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Sydney, Australia). I found this book educational, comical, and well worth reading; in a hundred pages or so it taught me a lot about medieval Japan. In a time of peace – specifically, during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1867) – the Samurai extended their duties into the administrative class, developing from mere warriors and attendants into philosophers, scholars, physicians and teachers, creating along the way a concise system of mental and moral training. This class influenced the country’s culture in profound ways which continue to be felt and seen in modern-day Japan. The book includes subjects ranging from education, familial duty, frugality, courtesy and respect, laziness, discretion, military service, vassalage, loyalty, and how to deal with one’s superiors. What is so invaluable about this book for the modern western reader is that it provides age-old ethical guidelines that are exceedingly practical and relevant to the present day, even to decadent foreign devils like myself. Central to the Samurai philosophy is the notion of concerning oneself daily with death; as Yuzan emphasized from the outset, “[a]s long as you keep death in mind at all times, you will also fulfil the ways of loyalty and familial duty” (in other words, everything else follows from this basic attitude: a long life and a character that will improve and virtue that will grow). This makes sense, of course, because as the author points out, when you think your time here will last, you’re inclined to take it for granted, thereby saying things you shouldn’t say and letting important matters slide because “…it can always be done tomorrow”. What I enjoyed most about this work, however, is the way in which Yuzan’s voice comes shining through in the text, even after all the years and the translation from one language to another. His condescension, his bluntness, his matter-of-fact statements, all make for a hilarious introduction to the mind of the samurai. Some of the statements that come out of Yuzan’s mouth are a world apart from what we hear in textbooks today, as he has no problem telling the student that he is lazy, a moron, a coward…unless he applies himself and becomes exactly what a warrior should be. Beneath it all, there is timeless wisdom here.


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

“Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined”, by Drew Carey


256 pages, Hyperion, ISBN-13: 978-0786863518

Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined from 1997 presents a collection of vignettes based on the people and places he encountered on the way to fame while also talking-back to his (now long-cancelled) show’s critics; as such, it is a curious mix of rants, jokes, behind-the-scenes moments from The Drew Carey Show and short stories. The rants (which, Carey says early on, his editors made him put in) are mostly lame, though the one where he tells the president where to go is pretty sharp. He’s thrown in 101 “members-only” jokes (which he wrote with the help of the show’s writers), many of these are dumb, though not all. The short stories are just…weird, being a mix of fact and fiction (or so it seems to me), with some appearing to have become episodes of The Drew Carey Show. As with his show, the strongest parts of the book revolve around Carey reliving the themes from his childhood that make up the series: his disdain for wrongful sexual harassment charges, beer, being overweight, living in Cleveland, hanging out with friends, eating burgers and pizza, and so on and so forth. The stuff in the middle of the book is great, especially on the writers’ back-and-forth with the ABC censors, and the inside look at how a show is written and transformed by the writers and the suits in the days before an episode is taped is priceless; while I didn’t buy Dirty Jokes and Beer for this material, but it’s the best part of the book. Amidst all the humor, you can feel Carey’s pain about the loss of his father, his weight, his difficulty in having a normal relationship with a woman, about being molested as a child, enduring substance abuse and depression, and surviving two suicide attempts; while he tries to laugh off these moments they permeate the book, and Carey – like all of the great comedians – tries to make us laugh even with baring the darkness in his soul. Beyond all of that, this book is an enjoyable romp through the eyes of Drew Carey, with some classic lines such as “My favorite game to play in Las Vegas is hooker”, while his story about Mardi Gras is priceless. So by all means, kick back and enjoy some dirty jokes with beer.