It was early morning in Kanazawa’shistorical Higashi Chaya district, a row of old latticed teahouses in a townthat’s convoluted in both its layout and history. Steam wafted up from thestone road. A geisha scurried across the empty street like an alley cat, onlythe clicking of her wooden geta sandals giving her away. Yet I didn’t come herelooking for geisha. I wanted to learn about the world of another Japanese icon:the samurai.

那是一个清晨，我来到金泽的东茶屋历史街区，一排古老的网格状茶馆彰显出它独特的布局和悠久的历史。蒸汽从石板路上冒起，一名歌妓像野猫一样飞速从我面前穿过，只听到日式木屐的哒哒声回荡在空旷的街道上。但我不是来这里寻找木屐的，我想了解日本的另外一个文化象征：武士。

Located between the Sea of Japan and theJapanese Alps in western Japan, Kanazawa is considered one of the country’sbest places to learn about samurai history. The town was spared fromdestruction during World War II and remains one of the best-preserved castletowns of the Edo Period. It’s one of the only cities in Japan to still have a samurai district.Of course, samurai were abolished in the late-19th Century as Japan modernised,so you can’t find samurai here today. But much of their world remains.

金泽位于日本西部，地处日本海与日本阿尔卑斯之间，是了解日本武士历史发展最好的样本城市之一。这座小镇在二战期间免于战火破坏，至今仍是江户时代保存最完整的城郡，同时也是日本为数不多的几个仍然拥有武士区的城市之一。当然，随着日本在19世纪末实现了现代化，武士制度也随之废除，所以在这里同样找不到真正的武士。不过，武士们当初的生活环境仍然有很多得以保留下来。

Making the 473km trip from Tokyo toKanazawa used to take five hours and require changing trains. But the trip justgot much easier. Starting March 14, 2015, the new, direct Hokuriku Shinkansen(bullet train) run by West Japan Railway Company cut the travel time in half.And like the slower trains, it arrives at Kanazawa Station, often listed as oneof the world’s most beautiful.

从东京到金泽的距离约为473公里，以往乘坐火车大约需要5小时，中途还要换车。但现在便利了许多。从2015年3月14日开始，西日本铁路公司运营的北陆新干线将时间缩短了一半。与之前的慢车一样，新干线同样会在金泽站停靠，那里被誉为全世界最美丽的火车站之一。

I’d always been fascinated by samurai,those warriors who were almost inhumanly stoic and ever willing to fall ontheir sword for their masters or slay anyone showing disrespect. At least, thatwas how I’d imagined samurai to be, thanks to films like The Last Samurai and13 Assassins. I was about to learn there was more to their story.

我一直都对日本武士非常着迷，这些剑客就像一群毫无人情味的冷血杀手，他们甘愿为了主人结束自己的生命，或者杀死任何心怀不敬的人。至少，这是在观看了《最后的武士》和《十三刺客》等影片后，日本武士给我留下的印象。我即将对他们背后的故事展开更加深入的探索。

On my first morning in Kanazawa, I made abeeline for the neighbourhood of Higashi Chaya and met Kiyoe Nagashima, a6th-generation resident and Kanazawa Excursions guide. The pounding of a taikodrum in a nearby temple filled the air, summoning the feeling I often have whenin a foreign place: of following the city’s beating pulse.

来到金泽的第一个早晨，我径直前往东茶屋街，见到了Kiyoe Nagashima，她是这里的第6代居民，也是金泽远足组织(Kanazawa Excursions)的一名导游。附近寺庙里日本太鼓的敲击声回荡在四周，唤起了我在异国他乡常有的那种感受：与城市的脉搏一同跳动。

“Kanazawa is not a place for theme parks, but a place for living,”she said, her face beaming with pride. In fact, for the most part, the city isa modern metropolis dotted with luxury shops such as Louis Vuitton. HigashiChaya, however, is anything but modern.

“金泽不适合建主题公园，但却是个非常宜居的地方。”她说这话时脸上洋溢着自豪。事实上，从很多方面来看，这都是一座现代化的城市，经常可以看到路易·威登等奢侈品的专卖店。但东茶屋街却丝毫没有现代化的影子。

Following Nagashima into the labyrinth ofteahouses, temples and restored samurai houses, I felt like Alice slipping intothe rabbit hole. We walked along the row of beautiful latticed buildings andturned down a narrow street lined with yellowing gingko trees. Then we careenedup a steep path that was so slender and discreet, I thought we were trespassingin a private driveway. When we arrived at the top, however, the path branchedout into more narrow, winding roads. Kanazawa’s streets were partly designed tomislead and disorient outsiders, and I was learning firsthand, they do soeffectively.

跟着Nagashima来到由茶馆、寺庙和重建的武士府邸组成的迷宫后，我感觉自己像是掉进了兔子洞的爱丽丝。我们沿着一排美丽的网格状建筑前行，拐进了一条狭窄的街道，两旁种满了金黄色的银杏树。之后，我们又来到一条细长的而陡峭的小路，我感觉这应该是闯入了一条私家小道。但当我们走到尽头后，却发现这条路又分出了更多蜿蜒狭窄的支路。金泽的街道之所以采用这种设计，部分原因就是为了误导外来者，使之迷失方向。亲身体会之后，我发现这种设计的确很有效。

From the top of the hill, we walked intothe adjacent neighborhood of Utatsuyama. Samurai once lived in Buddhist templeshere, Nagashima explained, working as security guards called boukan. The roofsof the stately wood buildings with detailed carvings sprouted from clusters ofgingko and maple trees.

来到山顶后，我们进入了卯辰山附近的一片街区。Nagashima解释道，日本武士曾经在这里的寺庙居住，担任一种名为boukan的护卫。这些庄严的建筑由木头制成，房顶有许多银杏木或枫木制作的精美雕刻。

Nagashima made it clear that the samuraiwho flourished in this city during the Edo Period (1603-1868) were almostnothing like the ferocious warriors I’d imagined them to be. During thispeaceful golden age, the feudal military class focused most of its energy onscholarly pursuits and craftsmanship. As the highest social caste during thistime, the samurai built extravagant residences and opulent gardens behindthick, earthen walls; you can still see evidence of the walls today. Of course,most samurai in Japan never lived this luxurious, peaceful lifestyle. Therefined samurai of Kanazawa were an anomaly, made possible by their ruler’sdisinterest in violence and affection for the arts.

但Nagashima明确表示，江户时代(1603-1868)在这座城市兴旺一时的武士根本就不像我们想象得那么残忍。在那个和平的黄金年代，封建军人阶级把多数精力都用来追求学术和学习技能。作为那时等级最高的社会阶层，武士在厚厚的土墙后建起了奢华的府邸和富饶的花园。你至今仍然能看到土墙的遗迹。当然，多数日本武士从来没有享受过如此奢侈、和平的生活。文雅的金泽武士属于异类，这是因为他们的统治者不喜欢暴力，反而对艺术情有独钟。

Kanazawa’s largest architectural relic ofthe samurai age is the stunning white Kanazawa Castle, resting on a hill thatoffers 360-degree views of the city. The castle was built in the 16th Centuryby the Maeda family, the beloved rulers of Kanazawa until 1868. During theMaeda’s rule, the castle was their fortress, surrounded by a moat and stonewall that still stands today. The castle's striking white tile roof is made ofweathered lead. Adjoining the castle, the Kenroku-en garden is home to plum,cherry, and Japanese maple trees and is considered one of Japan’s finestgardens.

宏伟的金泽城堡是当地规模最大的武士时代建筑遗迹。这座白色建筑坐落在山顶，可以360度鸟瞰整座城市。金泽城堡始建于16世纪，它的建造者备受当地人推崇，其统治一直持续到1868年。在前田家族统治时期，这座城堡是他们的要塞，四周的护城河和石墙保留至今。白瓦胜雪的屋顶由风化的铅制成。紧邻城堡的兼六园是日本三大名园之首，里面种有梅树、樱树和日本枫树。

We continued on to the Nagamachineighborhood, which was once home to upper- and middle-class samurai. Many ofthe original houses were torn down during Japan’s industrial revolution. Still,the district’s cobblestone streets, towering mud walls and peaceful canalremain, and a couple of restored samurai houses are open to the public,including the Nomura House, which contains artifacts from its namesake family.

我们接着来到了长町，中上层武士曾经居住于此。很多传统住宅在日本工业革命期间被拆毁。不过，这一地区的鹅卵石街道、高耸的泥墙和平静的运河仍然保留下来，还有一些经过修复的武士府邸也对公众开放，包括野村府邸，里面陈列着野村家族遗留下来的一些器物。

I returned to the Nomura House thefollowing day and strolled inside, expecting to find swords, armor and perhapssome paintings immortalising moments of triumphant battles. Instead, I wasgreeted by a koi pond and zen fusuma – or painted rice paper panels –created bythe Maeda family’s personal artist.

我第二天又返回了野村府邸，认真参观了内部的陈设，希望找到宝剑、盔甲或者一些记录战斗胜利的绘画。但迎接我的却是一个锦鲤池塘和前田家族的私人画师绘制的禅宗韵味的拉阖门。

Then I recalled something Nagashima hadsaid on the tour: “To defend Kanazawa, the Maeda clan encouraged the samuraisto focus on arts and craftsmanship instead of fighting. That way they did notpose a threat to the clan with the highest power, and so were not invaded. As aresult, there was actually almost no fighting in Kanazawa for 400 years.”

之后，我回想起来Nagashima对我说过的一番话：“为了防守金泽，前田家族鼓励武士集中精力钻研艺术、学习技能，而不是好勇斗狠。通过这种方式，他们就不会对拥有最高权力的家族构成威胁，也就不会遭到入侵。因此，金泽大约有400年几乎没有爆发过任何战斗。”

Maybe that was the real lesson of Kanazawa’s samurai.Their greatest weapon was not the sword but their focus on the arts –a slydefense tactic in disguise.

或许这才是金泽武士留给后人的真正财富：他们最强大的武器不是利剑，而是对艺术的专注——这是一种经过精心伪装的防御技巧。