Toshoko-Goikun

Toshoko-Goikun

The life of a person is just like going through a long way carrying a heavy duty. Never rush to your goal. You will not be unhappy if you think it is usual to be insufficient. Remember the time when you were poor if you desire something now. Think as your anger is your enemy. Patience is the key foundation of your safety that will last long. If you alway win but never lose, then something bad will happen to you. Blame yourself but not others. If you can not reach something, it will still be better than exceeding too much. (/Doing something insufficiently is better than doing something too much.)

東照公御遺訓

"人の一生は重荷を負うて遠き道を行くがごとし。急ぐべからず。不自由を常と思えば不足なし。こころに望みおこらば困窮したる時を思い出すべし。堪忍は無事長久の基、いかりは敵と思え。勝つ事ばかり知りて、負くること知らざれば害その身にいたる。おのれを責めて人をせむるな。及ばざるは過ぎたるよりまされり。"

東照公御遺訓 (とうしょうこうごいくん) : Toshoko-Goikun, The Word of Tokugawa Ieyasu

御 (ご) : This kanji is often added to a name when you respect it.

遺訓 (いくん) : the word left by someone who has already passed away (noun)

御遺訓 :  the word left by someone who has already passed away (noun, You or people respect him or her.)

徳川家康 (とくがわいえやす) : Tokugawa Ieyasu (Wikipedia)

人の一生は重荷を負うて遠き道を行くがごとし。

The life of a person is just like going through a long way carrying a heavy duty.

人 (ひと) : a person, a man, human being (noun)

一生 (いっしょう) : the life of a person, all your life (noun)

人の一生 : the life of a person

重荷 (おもに) : a heavy load (noun)

負う (おう) : to carry something heavy on your back (verb)

重荷を負う : to carry a heavy load (verb)

重荷を負うて、.... : to carry a heavy load and also ..... (verb)

遠い (とおい) : far (adjective)

遠き (とおき) : far (adjective, poetic and old fashioned expression)

道 (みち) : a way (noun)

遠い道 / 遠き道 : a long way

行く (いく) : to go (verb)

遠き道を行く : to go through a long way (verb)

重荷を負うて遠き道を行く : to go through a long way carrying a heavy load (verb)

......がごとし : It is just like ......

人の一生は........がごとし。: The life of a person is just like ............

遠き道を行くがごとし : It is just like going though a long way.

急ぐべからず。

Never rush to your goal.

急ぐ (いそぐ) : to hurry, to rush (verb)

.....べからず : Don't do it. (poetic, old fashioned expression)

急ぐべからず : Don't rush. (poetic, old fashioned expression)

不自由を常と思えば不足なし。

You will not be unhappy if you think it is usual to be insufficient.

自由 (じゆう) : freedom (noun, adjective without a following noun)

不自由 (ふじゆう) : a situation that you are not free because you don't have enough money, skills, knowledge, chances or support from others (noun), not free (adjective without a following noun)

常 (つね) : usual situation (noun), usual (adjective without a following noun)

思う (おもう) : to think, to believe (verb), You think so. (current situation)

常と思う : to think that it is usual (verb)

常と思えば..... : if you think that it is usual then .....

不足 (ふそく) : a lack of something (noun), insufficient (adjective without a following noun)

不足なし : You will not be in insufficient. You will not be dissatisfied.

こころに望みおこらば困窮したる時を思い出すべし。

Remember the time when you were poor if you desire something now.

こころ : your mind, your heart

望み (のぞみ) : a hope, a desire (noun)

おこる : to occur, to happen (verb)

望みおこらば : if you have a hope, if you have a desire (poetic, old fashioned expression)

困窮 (こんきゅう) : a hardship (noun)

困窮したる : You had a hard time.

時 (とき) : a time, when you did it, when it happened

困窮したる時 : when you had a hard time, when you were poor

思い出す (おもいだす) : to recall (verb)

....べし : You should do it. (poetic, old fashioned expression)

思い出すべし : You should recall it. (poetic, old fashioned expression)

困窮したる時を思い出すべし : You should recall when you had a hard time. (poetic, old fashioned expression)

堪忍は無事長久の基、いかりは敵と思え。

Think as your anger is your enemy. Patience is the key foundation of your safety that will last long,

堪忍 (かんにん) : patience (noun)

無事 (ぶじ) : safety (noun), safe (adjective without a following noun)

長久 (ちょうきゅう) : lasting long (noun), eternity (noun)

無事長久 : a situation that your safety lasts long (noun)

基 (もとい) : the foundation (noun, poetic and old fashioned expression)

無事長久の基 : the foundation of the safety which lasts long (noun clause)

堪忍は無事長久の基、.... : Patience is the foundation of your safety that lasts long and/then .....

いかり : anger (noun)

敵 (てき) : the enemy (noun)

思う (おもえ) : to think, to believe (verb), You think so.

敵と思う : You think that someone is your enemy.

思え! (おもえ) : Think!, You should think so!

いかりは敵と思う : You think that anger is your enemy.

いかりは敵と思え : Think as if anger is your enemy. You should think anger as if it is your enemy.

勝つ事ばかり知りて、負くること知らざれば害その身にいたる。

If you alway win but never lose, then something bad will happen to you.

勝つ (かつ) : to win (verb)

事 (こと) : a thing, an event, an issue, something which you have just mentioned (This part is not used by itself. It is used to make a noun or noun clause.)

勝つ事 : winning (noun, '事' is used to make a noun or noun clause in this way.)

勝つ事ばかり : only winning

知る (しる) : to get to know (verb)

知って、.... (しって) : You know it and/then .....

知りて、.... (しりて) : You know it and/then/so/but ..... (poetic, old fashioned expression)

勝つ事ばかり知りて、..... : You always win and/then/so/but ...... (poetic, old fashioned expression)

負ける (まける) : to lose a game (verb)

負ける事 : losing a game (noun, '事' is used to make a noun or noun clause in this way.)

負くる (まくる) : to lose a game (verb, poetic, old fashioned expression)

負くる事 : losing a game (noun, '事' is used to make a noun or noun clause in this way. This is a poetic, old fashioned expression.)

知らない (しらない) : You don't know it.

知らなければ : if you don't know it

知らざれば : if you do not know it (poetic, old fashioned expression)

負くること知らざれば : if you never lose the games (poetic, old fashioned expression)

害 (がい) : a damage (noun), a bad effect (noun), something bad (noun)

身 (み) : your body, yourself (noun)

その身 : that body, yourself

いたる : to get to something, to see a certain condition or situation (verb)

その身にいたる : It will happen to you.

害その身にいたる : Something bad will happen to you.

おのれを責めて人をせむるな。

Blame yourself but not others.

おのれ : you/your (a rude expression, an old fashioned expression)

責める (せめる) : to blame, to complain, to accuse (verb)

おのれを責めて : Blame, complain or accuse yourself and/then/but .....

人 (ひと) : a person, someone else, another person, others

責めるな : Don't blame, complain or accuse someone.

せむるな : Don't blame, complain or accuse. (old fashioned expression)

人をせむるな : Don't blame, complain or accuse others. (old fashioned expression)

及ばざるは過ぎたるよりまされり。

If you can not reach something, it will still be better than exceeding too much.
Doing something insufficiently is better than doing something too much.

及ぶ (およぶ) : to reach (verb)

及ばない (およばない) : You will not reach it.

及ばざる : You will not reach it. (old fashioned expression), a situation that you can not reach something. (noun clause)

過ぎる (すぎる) : to exceed (verb)

過ぎたる : to exceed (verb), a situation that you exceed (noun clause)

勝る (まさる) : to be a better person or thing (verb), It is better. (situation)

まされり : It is better. (situation, poetic and old fashioned expression)

及ばざるはまされり。: If you can't reach it, it will still be better than such a situation.

過ぎたるよりまされり。: Such a situation is better than exceeding.

Menu