The fundamental philosophy of the samurai is that of self-detachment. In the opening of Hagakure, Tsunetomo states that "the Way of the Samurai is found in death." Samurai should not fear death, it must be accepted. The relationship between the samurai and his master is of the utmost importance, and it is only through detachment that the samurai can fully and properly serve his master. These are two fundamental philosophies of bushido, heavily influenced by two other important schools of thought of the time, Zen Buddhism and Confucianism. In Hagakure, great importance is placed on the samurai ideology surrounding death. The samurai must live his life as if his body had already disappeared, and through this "he gains freedom in the Way." His entire life will be blameless and he will succeed in his vocation.” This detachment is of fundamental importance for the samurai, and this relationship with death is strongly influenced by Buddhism. Zen Buddhism influenced the samurai with its unique respect for life and death. A samurai knows that dying is just another part of life and there is no need to worry about it. This lack of fear is inherent in samurai from birth and remains with them throughout their lives. Whatever the daimyo tells a samurai to do, he will do it regardless of personal risk. By detaching himself from the thought of risk, danger or death, and the concern for morality, the samurai manages to remain more faithful to the daimyo. Total loyalty is only possible through detachment from personal risk, morality and thought. Zen Buddhism teaches a concept called wu-nien, or “non-thought.” This of course is not a literal absence of thought, but rather it is a detachment from the thousand...... middle of paper ...... tomo promotes throughout Hagakure are moral in nature, as be courageous, loyal and honorable. During the relatively peaceful Tokugawa period, the samurai were not as busy waging war as in the past, and as such, they had begun to devote their time to other things. Samurai devoted more time to intellectual and artistic pursuits and, thanks in part to Tsunetomo himself, Bushido culture flourished. Bushido became a formal ideology and was reconstituted by the samurai of the time (including Tsunetomo), in the same way that chivalry had been formalized in Europe. Ironically, Tsunetomo had done exactly as he had been advised. As he despaired about the fate of the samurai and became more involved in scientific and artistic pursuits, he himself spent time philosophizing about the Way of the Samurai.Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure,1906