Author Bio: The author of this article is Yamoto Tsunetomo. Tsunetomo was a scribe to Nabeshima Mitsushige and when Mitsushige died, Tsunetomo was not allowed to comit suicide but instead became a Buddhist priest. Tsunetomo served his master until his master died in 1700. He was influenced by a Zen Buddhist monk and a Confucian scholar. He wrote this book for his own scribe so that the scribe could see the wisdom of the three generations of the Nabehsima family and the changed circumstances of the warrior class at the end of Japnas century civil war. Tsunetomo is a very reliable source because the details he is expressing in his story are from his own experiences.
Date/Context: This book was written in 1716. It was around the time when Tsunetomo's master had just died. It was written a hundred years after the start of the Tokugawa era, which is a time of relative peace. The samurai class was abandoning the ways of becoming a warrior and Turing more into an administrative class. Tsunetomo's master did not approve of the way in which the samurai had to comit suicide if their master had died. So his master and the edict of the Tokugawa Shogunate did not allow him to do so.
Summary: This article was about how a samurai should conduct themselves. It mentions to be a good samurai one must place his or her's importance into their masters. It doesn't matter what kind of person someone is as long as they are determined to think well of their master they would be considered a good samurai. A "retainer", as Tsunetomo used, must not be selfish and must be supportive of their lord and care for their lord's interest. Another way to be a superb retainer is to be loyal to your master, although it may seem like a difficult feat. The article also states that a retainer must not care about riches and honor, but must honor his lord to be a good retainer. If a samurai follows this code than he or she truly followed the Way of the Samurai all the way to their death.
Key Quotation: "The Way of the Samurai is found in death."
Upon reading the article, I believe that the quote chosen accurately describes the way of a samurai, as dying a noble death when one has completed one's duties is esteemed amount the samurai. You got many of the major points and wrote a clear and concise summary of the article. I think that you could have talked a bit more about the how a samurai must be selfless and how they are must think of other people's feelings before they speak their opinions. You could have also mentioned that many things are not allowed in public, such as yawning or sneezing.
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