Leadership (TCG)

Leadership was a treatise on war and generalship written by the Kami Akodo in the first century. He listed the ideals for samurai. Among them was a constant state of readiness: a samurai should be able to defend their lord at any moment and kill with any weapon. It named the long sword, knife, short sword, great sword, spear, and bow as the six great weapons of the samurai.

Original

Written after the War against Fu Leng, Leadership collected the Kami Akodo’s thoughts and experience, both tactical and spiritual, into a single volume that became the guideline upon which nearly all samurai based their existence. Akodo codified his views on the warrior spirit and presented it as something more than a simple code of ethics, but an entire way of life—Bushidō, the way of the warrior. Akodo left the end of the treatise blank so that generals could add more tactics as they developed them. The only original, unaltered text remained in the care of the Ikoma.

Structure

Leadership divided military philosophy into five measures, each representing an element. These measures formed the basis by which a military leader could evaluate their forces; any measure by which an army failed was a flaw that could be exploited and ultimately led to its downfall. Each measure within Leadership contained instruction for generals on how to properly command in battle, how to represent themselves and their lords in a proper manner, and how to train samurai to the highest caliber. The measures offered instruction on conquering personal weakness, achieving strategic mastery of one's surroundings, preserving fundamental military tradition, and innovating with new tactics.

Leadership Scrolls

Akodo wrote several copies of Leadership, and some of those original scrolls survived. Each was a priceless relic deeply venerated by the Lion Clan and only retrieved from heavily guarded alcoves in the Akodo War College with the special permission of its headmaster. Other copies were thought to exist elsewhere, and periodically, one was discovered far underneath the ruins of an ancient castle or resting by a tree near a forgotten battlefield.

Censorship

Leadership had been altered not only with additions, but also through omissions. In the year 445, Hantei Muratsugu removed Akodo's observations on the need for deception and cunning in war, which the Emperor believed were not in line with Bushidō. These passages were censored from public copies of the text, a decision that greatly influenced the forthright Matsu family. Many Emperors had redacted and restored Leadership across the line of succession.

Notable Quotes

• “Without honor, there is no victory. Without fear, there is no defeat.”
• “On the battlefield, all actions are honorable.”
• “Let your enemy see what he wishes to see, so that he will underestimate you.”
• “When a samurai has said he will perform an action, it is as good as done.”
• “War is the most noble pursuit of a samurai. It gives him purpose and brings honor to his ancestors.”
• “To defend is to merely be hopeful, but to attack is to be victorious.”
• “An honorable samurai grants their enemy a glorious death.”
• “A straightforward samurai is a well-honed blade, valued for its purity of purpose and dependability when called upon. A blunt samurai, however, is like a blunt blade: valued by none, and never called upon; left as only a reminder of its former utility.”
• “On the battlefield, all actions are honorable.”
• "One does not achieve victory by holding forces in reserve."
• “In the chaos of war, the chain of command unites the valor of samurai."
• “With victory, your foe is set back. With honor, your foe is vanquished.”
• “Your soldiers will follow you into the darkest valley, and fight in the blackest night, if they are illuminated by your honor.”
• “Thought proceeds action, strategy before the strike.”
• “A subordinate who questions you once seeks insight, and should be answered. A subordinate who questions you twice seeks punishment, and should be flogged.”
• “Clever generals did not burn lands and slay farmers, instead using enemy resources to build and replenish their own.”
• “Commanders should hide weakness and project strength in warfare.”
• “Never form one from exhausted soldiers. They’re too tired to be effective; you’d just be throwing their lives away.”
• “Samurai choose their own lords.”
• “A samurai must serve and command, but before that, a samurai must prepare and study.”
• “No enemy was ever overcome by repeating the same strategy. Innovation creates victory.”
• “Lady Sun and Lord Moon made us with a left hand and a right hand. In the left hand goes the text, and in the right hand goes the sword. Remember this.”
• “Nothing is more important than the art of warfare, for it protects all other art.”
• “Soldiers will follow orders. Families will embrace them. Therefore, foster fellowship!”
• “I borrow my name from my ancestors. I must return it to them unharmed. I borrow my honor from my descendants. In shaming myself, I shame them as well.”
• “There is no greater strength, no greater resource, than those who share your bloodline. A family's abilities can be harnessed in war to tremendous effect—and should be.”
• “One army may be stronger than another, but none are stronger than hunger.”

References

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