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Bushido l'âme du japon
Le Bushid(...) fonds culturel et moral du Japon tout entier, colonne vertébrale de la mentalité nippone, que d'actes de bravoure on aura accomplis en invoquant son nom !. Lorsque Inazô Nitobe écrivit Bushid(...), l'âme du Japon , au début du XXième siècle (vingt années seulement après la loi qui abrogeait l'existence officielle des samouraïs) son projet était de rendre compte d'un code de conduite qui plaidait en faveur d'une nation, d'un peuple, récemment bouleversé par l'intrusion de l'Occident dans son univers.. Et pourtant ce texte va bien au-delà de la simple description d'une morale. Pour des raisons qui tiennent à son extrême qualité d'écriture mais aussi et surtout à l'image très noble, très émouvante, qu'il donne de cette chevalerie orientale, Bushidô apparaît comme un livre initia tique à dimension universelle..
159 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1899
About the author
Inazō Nitobe
176 books100 followersInazo Nitobe (1862-1933): agriculturalist, scholar, Quaker, philosopher, statesman, educator.
Inazo Nitobe was educated at Sapporo Agricultural College, University of Tokyo, Johns Hopkins, and University of Halle (Germany). Early in his life he expressed the desire to be a “bridge over the Pacific” and he devoted much of his life to promoting trust and understanding between the United States and Japan.
- - -
Main works in English of Inazo Nitobe held in the UBC Library
Bushido: the soul of Japan; an exposition of Japanese thought. With an introduction by William Elliot Griffis. Rutland, Vt.: C. E. Tuttle Co., [reprint 1969] E-version of Bushido from Project Gutenberg.
Reminiscences of childhood in the early days of modern Japan by Inazo Nitobe; with introduction and comments by Mary Patterson Elkinton Nitobé. Tokyo, Mazuren company, Ltd. 1934.
The Japanese nation, its land, its people, and its life, with special consideration to its relations with the United States. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources [reprint 1973]
Western influences in modern Japan; a series of papers on cultural relations, by Inazo Nitobe and others. Chicago, Ill., The University of Chicago press [c1931]
The works of Inazo Nitobe. [Tokyo] University of Tokyo Press [1972]
Japan, some phases of her problems and development. New York, Scribner, 1931 [London Ernest Benn limited 1931].
Use and study of foreign languages in Japan. Geneva League of Nations. Undated.
Lectures on Japan; an outline of the development of the Japanese people and their culture, by Inazo Nitobé. [Tokyo, Kenkyusha, 1936] Chicago, Ill.: The University of Chicago Press, 1938.
Inazo Nitobe was educated at Sapporo Agricultural College, University of Tokyo, Johns Hopkins, and University of Halle (Germany). Early in his life he expressed the desire to be a “bridge over the Pacific” and he devoted much of his life to promoting trust and understanding between the United States and Japan.
- - -
Main works in English of Inazo Nitobe held in the UBC Library
Bushido: the soul of Japan; an exposition of Japanese thought. With an introduction by William Elliot Griffis. Rutland, Vt.: C. E. Tuttle Co., [reprint 1969] E-version of Bushido from Project Gutenberg.
Reminiscences of childhood in the early days of modern Japan by Inazo Nitobe; with introduction and comments by Mary Patterson Elkinton Nitobé. Tokyo, Mazuren company, Ltd. 1934.
The Japanese nation, its land, its people, and its life, with special consideration to its relations with the United States. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources [reprint 1973]
Western influences in modern Japan; a series of papers on cultural relations, by Inazo Nitobe and others. Chicago, Ill., The University of Chicago press [c1931]
The works of Inazo Nitobe. [Tokyo] University of Tokyo Press [1972]
Japan, some phases of her problems and development. New York, Scribner, 1931 [London Ernest Benn limited 1931].
Use and study of foreign languages in Japan. Geneva League of Nations. Undated.
Lectures on Japan; an outline of the development of the Japanese people and their culture, by Inazo Nitobé. [Tokyo, Kenkyusha, 1936] Chicago, Ill.: The University of Chicago Press, 1938.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 624 reviews
June 8, 2023
welcome to: THE PENGUIN GREAT IDEAS PROJECT!
i am addicted both to projects and to short books that are Edifying (read: make me seem cool and intellectual) so this series of teeny classics, which i once alleged i would be attempting to read on a daily basis until they were done and now just pick up based on vibes / my shoddy memory, are perfect.
find past books here:
WHAT IS EXISTENTIALISM?
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THREE JAPANESE BUDDHIST MONKS
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THE DECAY OF LYING
AIN'T I A WOMAN
BRIEF NOTES ON THE ART AND MANNER OF ARRANGING ONE'S BOOKS
THE POWER OF WORDS
WHEN I DARE TO BE POWERFUL
HOW TO BE A STOIC
ONE SWALLOW DOES NOT MAKE A SUMMER
badass title i'm not going to lie.
this was, like most installments in these editions, very didactic and occasionally very dry and very fine. i didn't find the topic itself as interesting as i've found some others, so...tough for both me and bushido.
i am addicted both to projects and to short books that are Edifying (read: make me seem cool and intellectual) so this series of teeny classics, which i once alleged i would be attempting to read on a daily basis until they were done and now just pick up based on vibes / my shoddy memory, are perfect.
find past books here:
WHAT IS EXISTENTIALISM?
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THREE JAPANESE BUDDHIST MONKS
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THE DECAY OF LYING
AIN'T I A WOMAN
BRIEF NOTES ON THE ART AND MANNER OF ARRANGING ONE'S BOOKS
THE POWER OF WORDS
WHEN I DARE TO BE POWERFUL
HOW TO BE A STOIC
ONE SWALLOW DOES NOT MAKE A SUMMER
badass title i'm not going to lie.
this was, like most installments in these editions, very didactic and occasionally very dry and very fine. i didn't find the topic itself as interesting as i've found some others, so...tough for both me and bushido.
December 3, 2021
Although I was expecting this to be a book on the basic principles of bushido, it was not what I expected, but still turned out to be worth my time. In a traditional Chinese book binding with lovely Japanese paintings, the author, who wrote it in 1905, is explaining bushido ---- the way of the Samurai --- to Westerners of that time. I think that many cultures have groups within that capture the imagination of their members and profoundly influence their ethos and ideals and values --- for Arabs, the Bedouin; for Europeans, the knights; for Russians, the Cossacks; for Americans, the pioneers and the cowboys --- and, for the Japanese: the Samurai.
It's an interesting book because, like a time capsule in a way, it gives an idea of how Japanese at this point in Japan's "Renaissance", the Meiji Restoration --- a watershed in Japanese history --- saw the ways of their past --- and what they wanted outsiders to know about them.
It's a fascinating comparison of Oriental vs Occidental. Nitobe examines how Bushido is similar to Western values --- sometimes in ways that Westerner themselves coming to Japan may not have understood initially --- and where there are differences.
The presentation of the book is pleasing --- the traditional binding and the beauty of the Japanese prints and art enhance and illustrate the points made by the author.
Not having been to Japan, I would be interested to know what modern Japanese think of this book, and I would also be interested to know to what extent Nitobe's observations about Japanese society from 1900 still hold true today. Obviously, much has changed in Japan since then --- I would think that Japan is likely more materialistic and cosmopolitan and less insular than it was then, but would still think that vestiges of Japan's bushido ethos still permeate much of it even now. But that's conjecture on my part.
It is written in the highly educated, sophisticated vernacular common to Victorian Era writers of the time --- which may seem dated to readers today. Nevertheless, for those interested in Bushido and in learning about Japanese culture, I think this is a great book for that!
It's an interesting book because, like a time capsule in a way, it gives an idea of how Japanese at this point in Japan's "Renaissance", the Meiji Restoration --- a watershed in Japanese history --- saw the ways of their past --- and what they wanted outsiders to know about them.
It's a fascinating comparison of Oriental vs Occidental. Nitobe examines how Bushido is similar to Western values --- sometimes in ways that Westerner themselves coming to Japan may not have understood initially --- and where there are differences.
The presentation of the book is pleasing --- the traditional binding and the beauty of the Japanese prints and art enhance and illustrate the points made by the author.
Not having been to Japan, I would be interested to know what modern Japanese think of this book, and I would also be interested to know to what extent Nitobe's observations about Japanese society from 1900 still hold true today. Obviously, much has changed in Japan since then --- I would think that Japan is likely more materialistic and cosmopolitan and less insular than it was then, but would still think that vestiges of Japan's bushido ethos still permeate much of it even now. But that's conjecture on my part.
It is written in the highly educated, sophisticated vernacular common to Victorian Era writers of the time --- which may seem dated to readers today. Nevertheless, for those interested in Bushido and in learning about Japanese culture, I think this is a great book for that!
April 26, 2017
This is an enjoyable and enlightening read provided you don't go into it expecting it to be a detailed historical study of Bushido as we would expect to see today. Written at the turn of the century, Inazo Nitobe's book is very much a product of its time and tells the modern reader almost as much about the time in which it was written as it does of feudal Japan.
The author writes well but this is more of a misty-eyed, nostalgic pining for 'the good old days' than a scientific analysis. Nitobe illustrates his points with examples from Japanese mythology and epic historical poems which obviously were not meant to be taken literally. It's a bit like somebody trying to prove the existence of the Christian god using only the Bible as evidence; to accept the veracity of the 'evidence' you have to already have accepted the existence of what you're trying to prove. It's a bit self-defeating to anybody looking on from a neutral, unbiased viewpoint.
That's not to say this isn't worth reading, though. I enjoyed it a great deal, as romanticised and flawed as it is, more as a historical document than an actual history book. It's difficult not to get swept up by the author's enthusiasm and love of his subject.
The author writes well but this is more of a misty-eyed, nostalgic pining for 'the good old days' than a scientific analysis. Nitobe illustrates his points with examples from Japanese mythology and epic historical poems which obviously were not meant to be taken literally. It's a bit like somebody trying to prove the existence of the Christian god using only the Bible as evidence; to accept the veracity of the 'evidence' you have to already have accepted the existence of what you're trying to prove. It's a bit self-defeating to anybody looking on from a neutral, unbiased viewpoint.
That's not to say this isn't worth reading, though. I enjoyed it a great deal, as romanticised and flawed as it is, more as a historical document than an actual history book. It's difficult not to get swept up by the author's enthusiasm and love of his subject.
April 19, 2023
This book has been on my radar for years. I started karate training when I was a teenager, joined the military, spent 30 off and on years there, retired, went back to my old karate school and so most of my life has involved some form of martial training.
This is about Japan, but more accurately the specific tenets of Bushido, which is the feudal ethical code for the warrior class. The author, writing in 1899, also includes a scholarly comparison with other world philosophies with similar moral / cultural codes like the European knights and Native American tribes. Few societies in our recorded history have ever engrained a warrior class as much as that of Japan.
Fighters - whether they are called soldiers, sailors, marines, commandos, guerrillas, or whatever - can become monsters easily and quickly. They are trained at war, taken those lessons and have made stones of their hearts, and are proficient in the implements of battle. They can and / or have killed. Without a code of ethics, a law that restricts chaos, killers will kill indiscriminately and cause all sorts of cruelty and barbarity. With a code, upheld and defended, these same fighters are the pillars of society, the guardian of our community behind whose walls citizens sleep peacefully. Ever noticed how rough police officers can be? The line that separates fighters from criminals, from chaos, is the code, the law.
So, Bushido. The warrior ethos.
Nitobe Inazō has here created an exhaustive, scholarly examination of this philosophy, about the sumarai, the fighting etiquette of Japan that had become a central part of Japanese culture.
This is about Japan, but more accurately the specific tenets of Bushido, which is the feudal ethical code for the warrior class. The author, writing in 1899, also includes a scholarly comparison with other world philosophies with similar moral / cultural codes like the European knights and Native American tribes. Few societies in our recorded history have ever engrained a warrior class as much as that of Japan.
Fighters - whether they are called soldiers, sailors, marines, commandos, guerrillas, or whatever - can become monsters easily and quickly. They are trained at war, taken those lessons and have made stones of their hearts, and are proficient in the implements of battle. They can and / or have killed. Without a code of ethics, a law that restricts chaos, killers will kill indiscriminately and cause all sorts of cruelty and barbarity. With a code, upheld and defended, these same fighters are the pillars of society, the guardian of our community behind whose walls citizens sleep peacefully. Ever noticed how rough police officers can be? The line that separates fighters from criminals, from chaos, is the code, the law.
So, Bushido. The warrior ethos.
Nitobe Inazō has here created an exhaustive, scholarly examination of this philosophy, about the sumarai, the fighting etiquette of Japan that had become a central part of Japanese culture.
May 13, 2021
A highly interesting essay on the philosophy of Bushido. The author's purpose, in his own words: "My attempt is rather to relate, firstly, the origin and sources of our chivalry; secondly, its character and teaching; thirdly, its influence among the masses; and, fourthly, the continuity and permanence of its influence." To my mind, he succeeded on all counts, although the second category certainly received the most in-depth treatment of the four. Given the fact that this essay was less than 100 pages long, I'd say it was quite impressively handled and well worth reading, an insightful, relatively meticulous primer on samurai ethics.
Some excerpts:
Some excerpts:
"Valor and honor alike required that we should own as enemies in war only such as prove worthy of being friends in peace."
"It will be long before it will be recognized how many fortunes were wrecked in the attempt to apply Bushido ethics to business methods; but it was soon patent to every observing mind that the ways of wealth were not the ways of honor."
"Tranquility is courage in repose."
"Fine manners, therefore, mean power in repose."
March 26, 2012
What an interesting little book! As many of my Goodreads friends know, I have a keen interest in Japan, although I've never really read into its' history or the philosophical foundations on which it developed, at least to be what it was prior to significant Western influence.
The author makes a great point that now (over 100 years since he wrote this) that Bushido as a way of life passed through generations is long gone, what with Japan as we all see it today being what it is, but the soul of it still thrives in the people and culture. Of course no where near as prominently as it once did, but it is still there.
I do not mean in only the martial arts and other cultural activities, but in the fostering and development of Japanese people today. Although, as we are seeing on a global scale, this is lessening as we are all (with some exceptions, but as a general rule) converging towards similarity across the globe. This is evident especially when you compare generations in the Japanese, many of the elderly still have that fire and passion in them, where now the youth are focused on more trivial matters and pursuits with little to no interest in their own nation's heritage. Of course Japan is rich in abundance with many unique festivities and whatnot, but a lot of people do these solely because it's always been done, and even though many have religious connotations, Japan is now one of the least religious nations in the world.
Of course Bushido doesn't depend on religion, but the fact it did spawn from it cannot be ignored.
I'd still say this book is of value even reading now and a lot of the psyche and practice comparisons throughout the book between the West and Japanese are relevant to this day. There is a significant amount of referencing to scholarly works and philosophical texts, both Eastern and Western throughout the book so readers from Shakespeare to Confucius may be interested in this man's explanations of such an important part of Japan's life.
The author makes a great point that now (over 100 years since he wrote this) that Bushido as a way of life passed through generations is long gone, what with Japan as we all see it today being what it is, but the soul of it still thrives in the people and culture. Of course no where near as prominently as it once did, but it is still there.
I do not mean in only the martial arts and other cultural activities, but in the fostering and development of Japanese people today. Although, as we are seeing on a global scale, this is lessening as we are all (with some exceptions, but as a general rule) converging towards similarity across the globe. This is evident especially when you compare generations in the Japanese, many of the elderly still have that fire and passion in them, where now the youth are focused on more trivial matters and pursuits with little to no interest in their own nation's heritage. Of course Japan is rich in abundance with many unique festivities and whatnot, but a lot of people do these solely because it's always been done, and even though many have religious connotations, Japan is now one of the least religious nations in the world.
Of course Bushido doesn't depend on religion, but the fact it did spawn from it cannot be ignored.
I'd still say this book is of value even reading now and a lot of the psyche and practice comparisons throughout the book between the West and Japanese are relevant to this day. There is a significant amount of referencing to scholarly works and philosophical texts, both Eastern and Western throughout the book so readers from Shakespeare to Confucius may be interested in this man's explanations of such an important part of Japan's life.
March 13, 2015
There are several reasons why I didn't really like this book. First, it feels very dated. Nitobe often compares samurai to the knights of chivalry in a favorable light, which may have appealed to westerners when this was published, but really doesn't appeal to the modern reader which has a less romantic understanding of medieval life. When I read these comparisons, it brought up mostly negative images even though it was clear that the author meant it to be a positive image.
Second, Nitobe's sources are a bit suspect. When citing Japanese sources, he often cites literary, legendary, or semi-historical examples. He never once cites any documentary evidence or any testimony from any living samurais. The feudal system was abolish only around 30 years before the publication of this book, so numerous living sources were available at that time. The legendary sources that he cites are exceptional, not typical, which is why they have come down to us as legend. Creating a theory on how the typical samurai lived by citing exceptional sources is not convincing.
Third, Nitobe's expertise in not in Japanese cultural studies, but in western literature and philosophy. This can be seen in his reliance on western sources to help explain his concept of samurai ethics. Since more than half of his references are western, it underscores the weakness of his Japanese sources.
If you want to learn about pre-modern Japanese society and culture, or about the samurai themselves, there are other better researched sources. I would advise you to give this one a pass.
Second, Nitobe's sources are a bit suspect. When citing Japanese sources, he often cites literary, legendary, or semi-historical examples. He never once cites any documentary evidence or any testimony from any living samurais. The feudal system was abolish only around 30 years before the publication of this book, so numerous living sources were available at that time. The legendary sources that he cites are exceptional, not typical, which is why they have come down to us as legend. Creating a theory on how the typical samurai lived by citing exceptional sources is not convincing.
Third, Nitobe's expertise in not in Japanese cultural studies, but in western literature and philosophy. This can be seen in his reliance on western sources to help explain his concept of samurai ethics. Since more than half of his references are western, it underscores the weakness of his Japanese sources.
If you want to learn about pre-modern Japanese society and culture, or about the samurai themselves, there are other better researched sources. I would advise you to give this one a pass.
May 7, 2016
Nitobe specifically wrote this book in 1900 to comparatively explain bushido to an occidental audience. He wrote it in English, later translated into Japanese, and he breaks down the tenets of bushido or the ways of the warrior, bushi (warrior) and do (way) and placed them within the historical context of chivalry and knighthood. Using analogies that western European readers would be familiar with from ancient Greek philosophers to Nietzsche.
Born before the Meiji Restoration (1868), he brings a syncretic perspective of feudal Japan and modern Japan. The transition, the changes in society greatly affected outward manifestation of bushido ideals, but he alludes to a deeper collective unconscious, the soul of Japan. He wrote this for his father, for a time that had past, and there is an underlining thread of how these tenets when perverted are problematic. Very quietly, there are hints that as a Christian Nitobe saw the rising imperial cultism and the intolerance that was manifesting as troubling. Read as a time coded document it is very interesting. It's value as a depository of Japanese culture, less so.
This book is out of copyright and available to read for free with downloads from Gutenberg Press: Bushido: The Soul of Japan
Born before the Meiji Restoration (1868), he brings a syncretic perspective of feudal Japan and modern Japan. The transition, the changes in society greatly affected outward manifestation of bushido ideals, but he alludes to a deeper collective unconscious, the soul of Japan. He wrote this for his father, for a time that had past, and there is an underlining thread of how these tenets when perverted are problematic. Very quietly, there are hints that as a Christian Nitobe saw the rising imperial cultism and the intolerance that was manifesting as troubling. Read as a time coded document it is very interesting. It's value as a depository of Japanese culture, less so.
This book is out of copyright and available to read for free with downloads from Gutenberg Press: Bushido: The Soul of Japan
The irresistible tide of triumphant democracy, which can tolerate no form or shape of trust—and Bushido was a trust organized by those who monopolized reserve capital of intellect and culture, fixing the grades and value of moral qualities—is alone powerful enough to engulf the remnant of Bushido. The present societary forces are antagonistic to petty class spirit, and Chivalry is, as Freeman severely criticizes, a class spirit. Modern society, if it pretends to any unity, cannot admit "purely personal obligations devised in the interests of an exclusive class."
January 21, 2016
I recommend this book to all who want to understand the character of the Japanese people. The author was the best known author in the west in his time. He melds the phylosophies of the east with the phylosophies of the west going back to the Romans and the Greeks.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond
July 25, 2015
On the whole, people have ambivalent feelings about feudal times. On the one hand, these were horrible times to be alive for 99.5% of the population. Chances are that if you'd lived during that time you'd be toiling ceaselessly on the land with no hope of your lot in life ever improving. To add insult to injury, everything was determined on a hereditary basis, with merit having little to do with anything. Therefore, that person you would have to slather obsequiousness on was as likely to be a putz as not.
On the other hand, there is a kind of nostalgia about these times because we can't help but feel that there is a kind of virtue that has been lost. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, we think that society is ever advancing, but, in reality, we advance like a wave--losing as much on the backside as we gain on the front.
Inazo Nitobe's book give us an accounting of the virtue practiced by the samurai, the warrior class of feudal Japan. Bushido means the way of the warrior. Nitobe lived after the feudal era of Japan, in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was and educator, and the book has a feeling of erudition. Interestingly, the author was a Quaker and received education in the West, and, therefore, is able to contrast the Japanese worldview with that of Westerners.
The book is built around discussion of the seven precepts of bushido: justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, and loyalty. Each of these virtues has a chapter devoted to it (Ch. 3 through 9.) The book first introduces bushido as an ethical system, and then it explains the effect that Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confucianism played in the development of this system.
Later chapters outline the education and training of a samurai, the importance of stoicism, the institution of suicide (seppuku), the symbolism of the sword in Japanese society, the role of women, the role of bushido as an ethical system in the present-day (his present), and its role in the future.
Our views of virtue have changed, but in some sense remain the same. The seven virtues are all still considered virtuous, but we don't regard them in the same way today. In some cases, we are better off with today's views, but it's not always so clear.
Consider the seventh precept, loyalty. We still value loyalty, but in today's society there is a Shakespearean addenda: "to thine own self be true." In other words, we no longer believe in loyalty that is blind as was valued in the days of old.
Sincerity, which is also referred to as veracity or honesty, is also seen differently today. As depicted in the Jim Carey movie, Liar, Liar, there is a widespread view that it is better the fib and make someone feel better than it is to tell the truth and hurt the other's feelings.
One of the most intriguing chapters is the one that deals with seppuku. This is a concept that has never been well-understood in the West, and it's a major point of cultural disconnect. While the Japanese have tended to see suicide as a means to restore honor that was lost in failure, in the West we tend to see it as a more pathetic and cowardly affair. I've recently been reading Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice, and this is one of many points of diverging attitudes between "Tiger" Tanaka and James Bond.
This book is definitely worth a read. It is thought-provoking, and is one of those books to be read slowly and conscientiously.
On the other hand, there is a kind of nostalgia about these times because we can't help but feel that there is a kind of virtue that has been lost. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, we think that society is ever advancing, but, in reality, we advance like a wave--losing as much on the backside as we gain on the front.
Inazo Nitobe's book give us an accounting of the virtue practiced by the samurai, the warrior class of feudal Japan. Bushido means the way of the warrior. Nitobe lived after the feudal era of Japan, in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was and educator, and the book has a feeling of erudition. Interestingly, the author was a Quaker and received education in the West, and, therefore, is able to contrast the Japanese worldview with that of Westerners.
The book is built around discussion of the seven precepts of bushido: justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, and loyalty. Each of these virtues has a chapter devoted to it (Ch. 3 through 9.) The book first introduces bushido as an ethical system, and then it explains the effect that Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confucianism played in the development of this system.
Later chapters outline the education and training of a samurai, the importance of stoicism, the institution of suicide (seppuku), the symbolism of the sword in Japanese society, the role of women, the role of bushido as an ethical system in the present-day (his present), and its role in the future.
Our views of virtue have changed, but in some sense remain the same. The seven virtues are all still considered virtuous, but we don't regard them in the same way today. In some cases, we are better off with today's views, but it's not always so clear.
Consider the seventh precept, loyalty. We still value loyalty, but in today's society there is a Shakespearean addenda: "to thine own self be true." In other words, we no longer believe in loyalty that is blind as was valued in the days of old.
Sincerity, which is also referred to as veracity or honesty, is also seen differently today. As depicted in the Jim Carey movie, Liar, Liar, there is a widespread view that it is better the fib and make someone feel better than it is to tell the truth and hurt the other's feelings.
One of the most intriguing chapters is the one that deals with seppuku. This is a concept that has never been well-understood in the West, and it's a major point of cultural disconnect. While the Japanese have tended to see suicide as a means to restore honor that was lost in failure, in the West we tend to see it as a more pathetic and cowardly affair. I've recently been reading Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice, and this is one of many points of diverging attitudes between "Tiger" Tanaka and James Bond.
This book is definitely worth a read. It is thought-provoking, and is one of those books to be read slowly and conscientiously.
April 17, 2012
I wish all philosophy books were more like this! Engaging and beautifully written, BUSHIDO is an insider's look into the foundational beliefs and customs of one of the most mysterious (to Westerners) cultures on the planet. After reading this, you'll definitely have a much better understanding and appreciation of many aspects of Japanese culture that initially come across as being either senseless or totally barbaric. Nitobe does a fantastic job of finding unexpected parallels between both Eastern and Western trains of thought, and he offers many examples as to how they aren't nearly as dissimilar as one might think. Nitobe's knowledge of western philosophy is incredible, and his tone throughout the entire book is respectful of Western culture and not nearly as biased in favor of Eastern philosophy as I would have thought. Sure, being Japanese, he obviously has a sentimental attachment to the precepts of Bushido as part of his national heritage, but he's also quick to point out its weaknesses and abuses (which were rampant). However, Nitobe argues that the code of Bushido, when applied the way it was originally intended, is actually very similar to more "enlightened" religions like Christianity. He certainly makes a very appealing case for it--aside from the stuff about seppuku (ritualistic suicide).
November 7, 2015
A book written by a Westernized Japanese scholar,to answer Westerners' questions about the Japanese mentality and Bushido. So the book doesn't feel Japanese at all, you will find historical comparisons between the Chivalry of Europe and the Bushido of Japan. You will find many examples from the European and American cultures describing Bushido. Even when we encounter something against values of the western culture, like ritual suicide, we find him citing examples for it from the Western Culture. May be this method was what me dislike the book. The following is some parts that caught my attention:
What Japan was she owed to the samurai. They were not only the flower of the nation, but its root as well.
We cannot share the admiration of the Europeans for their roses, which lack the simplicity of our flower. Then, too, the thorns that are hidden beneath the sweetness of the rose, the tenacity with which she clings to life, as though loth or afraid to die rather than drop untimely, preferring to rot on her stem; her showy colours and heavy odours--all these are traits so unlike our flower, which carries no dagger or poison under its beauty, which is ever ready to depart life at the call of nature, whose colours are never gorgeous, and whose light fragrance never palls. Beauty of colour and of form is limited in its showing; it is a fixed quality of existence, whereas fragrance is volatile, ethereal as the breathing of life. So in all religious ceremonies frankincense and myrrh play a prominent part. There is something spirituelle in redolence.
The swordsmith was not a mere artisan but an inspired artist and his workshop a sanctuary. Daily he commenced his craft with prayer and purification, or, as the phrase was, "he committed his soul and spirit into the forging and tempering of the steel." Every swing of the sledge, every plunge into water, every friction on the grindstone, was a religious act of no slight import. Was it the spirit of the master or of his tutelary god that cast a formidable spell over our sword? Perfect as a work of art, setting at defiance its Toledo and Damascus rivals, there was more than art could impart. Its cold blade, collecting on its surface the moment it is drawn the vapour of the atmosphere; its immaculate texture, flashing light of bluish hue; its matchless edge, upon which histories and possibilities hang; the curve of its back, uniting exquisite grace with utmost strength;--all these thrill us with mixed feelings of power and beauty, of awe and terror.
What Japan was she owed to the samurai. They were not only the flower of the nation, but its root as well.
We cannot share the admiration of the Europeans for their roses, which lack the simplicity of our flower. Then, too, the thorns that are hidden beneath the sweetness of the rose, the tenacity with which she clings to life, as though loth or afraid to die rather than drop untimely, preferring to rot on her stem; her showy colours and heavy odours--all these are traits so unlike our flower, which carries no dagger or poison under its beauty, which is ever ready to depart life at the call of nature, whose colours are never gorgeous, and whose light fragrance never palls. Beauty of colour and of form is limited in its showing; it is a fixed quality of existence, whereas fragrance is volatile, ethereal as the breathing of life. So in all religious ceremonies frankincense and myrrh play a prominent part. There is something spirituelle in redolence.
The swordsmith was not a mere artisan but an inspired artist and his workshop a sanctuary. Daily he commenced his craft with prayer and purification, or, as the phrase was, "he committed his soul and spirit into the forging and tempering of the steel." Every swing of the sledge, every plunge into water, every friction on the grindstone, was a religious act of no slight import. Was it the spirit of the master or of his tutelary god that cast a formidable spell over our sword? Perfect as a work of art, setting at defiance its Toledo and Damascus rivals, there was more than art could impart. Its cold blade, collecting on its surface the moment it is drawn the vapour of the atmosphere; its immaculate texture, flashing light of bluish hue; its matchless edge, upon which histories and possibilities hang; the curve of its back, uniting exquisite grace with utmost strength;--all these thrill us with mixed feelings of power and beauty, of awe and terror.
April 27, 2017
It was a very interesting book, I really enjoyed exploring the samurai ways of living, I highly recommend it .
February 18, 2010
It's not often I read non-fiction, and this was undeniably dry; but I'm glad I stuck with it. Being half-Japanese and having studied Japanese language and literature, having lived in Japan and with Japanese people, I've accumulated a slew of images and memories of quirks, anomalies, mannerisms and truisms that are all uniquely Japanese. A Japanese movie or TV show generally brings one or two of those to mind, but reading this Bushido book really gets to the heart of the Japanese matter. I'm surprised how relatable it remains today, 40 years after it was first published.
Not only is it interesting to study the roots of Japanese ethics, feudalism and notions of valor; but this book really made me think about some American things outside my normal sphere of reference - for example life for US military families, how moral relationships like the governing and the governed differ in various countries (or political parties), and also differing cultural views of self-control, respect for enemies, disdain for the intellectual, etc.
Based on names I came across in this book, I have a list of biographies I want to look for now: Sakuma, Saigo, Okubo, Kido, Ito, Okuma, Itagaki.
Not only is it interesting to study the roots of Japanese ethics, feudalism and notions of valor; but this book really made me think about some American things outside my normal sphere of reference - for example life for US military families, how moral relationships like the governing and the governed differ in various countries (or political parties), and also differing cultural views of self-control, respect for enemies, disdain for the intellectual, etc.
Based on names I came across in this book, I have a list of biographies I want to look for now: Sakuma, Saigo, Okubo, Kido, Ito, Okuma, Itagaki.
December 31, 2017
If you like Japanese history and martial arts this is a good book.🐯👍
June 13, 2015
When men's fowls and dogs are lost, they know to seek for them again, but they lose their mind and do not know to seek for it.
If the author of this book on the way of the Samurai had stopped two-thirds of the way through, I would be writing a five star review. The last third dealt with women and the future of the Japanese warrior. The former was painful; the latter verged on cultural chauvinism. Bushido: The Soul of Japan. A Classic Essay on Samurai Ethics merits about a 3.4 star rating.
Author Inazo Nitobe wrote this book in 1899 in his ongoing effort to explain traditions of his homeland to American readers. A Quaker, Nitobe draws heavily on the sayings of Confucius and the writings of Mencius to provide a holistic understanding of the worldview of the warrior society that dominated Japan from around 1100 to 1868 CE. I like this type of book and really think the author did a fine job with the exceptions noted above.
If the author of this book on the way of the Samurai had stopped two-thirds of the way through, I would be writing a five star review. The last third dealt with women and the future of the Japanese warrior. The former was painful; the latter verged on cultural chauvinism. Bushido: The Soul of Japan. A Classic Essay on Samurai Ethics merits about a 3.4 star rating.
Author Inazo Nitobe wrote this book in 1899 in his ongoing effort to explain traditions of his homeland to American readers. A Quaker, Nitobe draws heavily on the sayings of Confucius and the writings of Mencius to provide a holistic understanding of the worldview of the warrior society that dominated Japan from around 1100 to 1868 CE. I like this type of book and really think the author did a fine job with the exceptions noted above.
July 5, 2015
This book is a bit dated. For example:
Niggardliness of gold and of life excited as much disapprobation as their lavish use was panegyrized. - pg. 72
Just the use of the term "niggardliness" (which means quite simply, "greed" without overt albeit underlying racist connotations) shows that this is an old book. For reference, since the Shambhala cover and the relatively unknown nature of the book (but not its concept) could imply otherwise, "Bushido" was published at the turn of the 20th Century, and some historical context is in order.
American Commodore Perry opened up Japan to Western Trade in 1854 when he sailed a few gunboats into Tokyo harbor and "convinced" the Japanese to trade with the United States. The changes that took place in Japan soon afterward are carefully noted and documented by Inazo Nitobe - a Christianized, Western-educated, loyal Japanese - who watches the end of Japanese feudalism and the beginnings of Japanese modernization over the Meiji Restoration when Japan was centralized, reformed, and began its development.
Around the time "Bushido" was written, Japan had just defeated Qing China in a massive war (the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-5, referenced in the book as Japan's "newly acquired territories of Korea and Formosa, without a hint of irony) and would soon defeat Russia in the humiliating Russo-Japanese War ending in 1905. (And in my edition, William E. Griffis is writing his Introduction while this war is taking place, adding new urgency to this book's understanding.)
Japan's rise from feudal, backward, poverty-stricken monarchy on the fringe of Asia to a modern military machine capable of subduing one of the world's foremost civilizations was watched carefully and troubling to Western nations. With the defeat of Russia, the psychology of westernization was thrown into virtual chaos. If the Japanese are a "Yellow race" and any race "below white" was supposed to be naturally inferior, then how did the Japanese manage to pull off such a feat? Was it because the Japanese industrialized and Russia... didn't? Do degrees of industrialization count? ... Were Western theories of racial superiority... wrong?
This book serves as one historic explanation for this difference. Inazo Nitobe (or Nitobe Inazo to Japanese) converted to Christianity but still confessed that hsi major moral upbringing and current influence was Bushido, the code of the samurai. He then goes on to explain in excruciating detail the mindset of the modern Japanese man at he beginning of the 20th Century using poignant examples from the Bible, Shakespeare, and Greco-Roman mythology that the average westerner today and in 1900 would be well aware of.
So the central questions of "Bushido" are where did Bushido come from? What is Bushido? And where is Bushido going?
He answers the first rather simply ("why, from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism, of course!"), but draws interesting questions that are never answered, for example:
Shinto theology has no place for the dogma of “original sin.” On the contrary it believes in the innate goodness and Godlike purity of the human soul, adoring it as the adytum from which divine oracles are proclaimed. - pg. 9
The second question draws mostly from Western examples to show how the Samurai of Japan and the Knights of Europe are quite similar (albeit with a late 19th Century romanticized ideal of both Samurai and Knights), equating much of the Japanese mindset with the Europeans. Or as one disingenuous reviewer put it, "I imagine him expounding on this point while wearing a tophat in a London salon, charming the knickers of some gaggle of Oxbridge twats." While I disagree with the sentiment Joey Kurtzman expressed, there is some truth to this idea: Nitobe was dictating to a Western audience that he wanted to use contemporary (of the geographic kind) examples to show that he wasn't some alien from another planet. He did this rather successfully, even if some readers (including myself) a century later would prefer our study of oriental culture and philosophy mixed with oriental history and anecdotes. It's important to remember the CONTEXT with which Nitobe was trying to explain, most notably his audience.
Context, people. Context.
Has Western Civilization, in its march through our land, already wiped out every trace of its ancient discipline? It were a sad thing if a nation's soul could die so fast. That were a poor soul that could succumb so easily to extraneous influences. - pg. 127
But this here is the central question of the book, and is as important and interesting of a question in 2015 as it was in 1900. Nitobe makes a point that "Stoicism" is no longer a coherent system of thought, but has been entirely subsumed into a gamut of emotions that one can feel. No longer does one make a conscious decision to be "a stoic" one simply "can be" without drawing counter point logical answers. So Nitobe hypothesizes in 1900, that Bushido will die out in Japan as a framework, but survive in the background of the minds of Japanese just as Stoicism survives in the West centuries (millenia) after the death of Marcus Aurelius.
Scratch a Japanese of the most advanced ideas, and he will show a samurai. - pg. 142
I first picked this book up in my school. I live and work in Korea but my boss, raised in Japan originally told me, "This book is the key to understanding the Japanese mind." I'm writing this when I'm supposed to be in Japan, experiencing it (travel difficulties have me writing this from a Seoul suburb) but I have to say that from my limited experience with Japanese people, Nitobe is not far off.
I gave this book five stars because after reading it, you will understand *the essence* of what the Japanese think. The notion that being polite is more important than telling the truth, is totally averse to a western mindset and what has led a Canadian acquaintance of mine to label the Japanese as "a slimy, two-faced people" but in actuality, being in close contact with them, is just a way of trying to avoid offending... even if the imagined possible offense would come off as incredibly ridiculous to a boy raised in New England.
This book delivers the essence of what a Japanese thinks and the historic motivating factors that underlie Japanese culture. It is also well-written, and a pleasure to read (I read it on an extended subway journey). Each chapter leads into the other quite easily, which is quite impressive and not something I feel authors at the turn of the century (in their non-native tongue) were good at constructing. What solidifies the stars is that it makes the reader think as it implies hard HARD questions about culture, society, colonialism, and westernization.
Nitobe at one point discusses the division between the honorable samurai, and the shrewd merchant class of Japan. That it was considered beneath Japanese nobility to deal with finances and that even farmers (in your FACE Indian Varna system!) were above merchants who dealt in the marketplaces. The required separation between money and nobility was necessary to maintain a balance between the powerful and the rich.
But what happened in Nitobe's lifetime, that he mentions a bit, was how Commodore Perry transformed Japan simply by opening up Japan to capitalism and western trade. The prices of goods in Japan dropped dramatically and the price of her domestic goods rose as they were prepared for foreign export (the opening of Japan is usually used as a prime example of the good of free trade). What happened, though it should be noted that this is solely my opinion and not expressed at all by Nitobe, Griffis, or Shambhala publications (which is a strange company to be publishing this book since it's hardly Buddhist at all) is that all of a sudden, that lowly merchant class was able to grasp at what they wanted: power. The merchants were able to buy power, just as the merchant classes (that troublesome fourth estate) gained power in England, and other European states, who eventually went on to found the United States itself. The samurai dwindled, until going out in a blaze of glory in the Satsuma Rebellion. But while the Samurai were the last official card-carrying members of Bushido, just as the Knights were the last members of the Chivalric code, the merchants and gentlemen rising to power, rubbing elbows with Kings and Emperors, now became gentrified and were able to adopt the noblesse customs that had been forbidden them for so long. And so Bushido, albeit corrupted just like corrupted ideas of Chivalry, survive in the Japanese mindset.
Now that is a book I look forward to: Bushido Revisted, the Samurai Code of Honor in Historic and Current Context
Niggardliness of gold and of life excited as much disapprobation as their lavish use was panegyrized. - pg. 72
Just the use of the term "niggardliness" (which means quite simply, "greed" without overt albeit underlying racist connotations) shows that this is an old book. For reference, since the Shambhala cover and the relatively unknown nature of the book (but not its concept) could imply otherwise, "Bushido" was published at the turn of the 20th Century, and some historical context is in order.
American Commodore Perry opened up Japan to Western Trade in 1854 when he sailed a few gunboats into Tokyo harbor and "convinced" the Japanese to trade with the United States. The changes that took place in Japan soon afterward are carefully noted and documented by Inazo Nitobe - a Christianized, Western-educated, loyal Japanese - who watches the end of Japanese feudalism and the beginnings of Japanese modernization over the Meiji Restoration when Japan was centralized, reformed, and began its development.
Around the time "Bushido" was written, Japan had just defeated Qing China in a massive war (the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-5, referenced in the book as Japan's "newly acquired territories of Korea and Formosa, without a hint of irony) and would soon defeat Russia in the humiliating Russo-Japanese War ending in 1905. (And in my edition, William E. Griffis is writing his Introduction while this war is taking place, adding new urgency to this book's understanding.)
Japan's rise from feudal, backward, poverty-stricken monarchy on the fringe of Asia to a modern military machine capable of subduing one of the world's foremost civilizations was watched carefully and troubling to Western nations. With the defeat of Russia, the psychology of westernization was thrown into virtual chaos. If the Japanese are a "Yellow race" and any race "below white" was supposed to be naturally inferior, then how did the Japanese manage to pull off such a feat? Was it because the Japanese industrialized and Russia... didn't? Do degrees of industrialization count? ... Were Western theories of racial superiority... wrong?
This book serves as one historic explanation for this difference. Inazo Nitobe (or Nitobe Inazo to Japanese) converted to Christianity but still confessed that hsi major moral upbringing and current influence was Bushido, the code of the samurai. He then goes on to explain in excruciating detail the mindset of the modern Japanese man at he beginning of the 20th Century using poignant examples from the Bible, Shakespeare, and Greco-Roman mythology that the average westerner today and in 1900 would be well aware of.
So the central questions of "Bushido" are where did Bushido come from? What is Bushido? And where is Bushido going?
He answers the first rather simply ("why, from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism, of course!"), but draws interesting questions that are never answered, for example:
Shinto theology has no place for the dogma of “original sin.” On the contrary it believes in the innate goodness and Godlike purity of the human soul, adoring it as the adytum from which divine oracles are proclaimed. - pg. 9
The second question draws mostly from Western examples to show how the Samurai of Japan and the Knights of Europe are quite similar (albeit with a late 19th Century romanticized ideal of both Samurai and Knights), equating much of the Japanese mindset with the Europeans. Or as one disingenuous reviewer put it, "I imagine him expounding on this point while wearing a tophat in a London salon, charming the knickers of some gaggle of Oxbridge twats." While I disagree with the sentiment Joey Kurtzman expressed, there is some truth to this idea: Nitobe was dictating to a Western audience that he wanted to use contemporary (of the geographic kind) examples to show that he wasn't some alien from another planet. He did this rather successfully, even if some readers (including myself) a century later would prefer our study of oriental culture and philosophy mixed with oriental history and anecdotes. It's important to remember the CONTEXT with which Nitobe was trying to explain, most notably his audience.
Context, people. Context.
Has Western Civilization, in its march through our land, already wiped out every trace of its ancient discipline? It were a sad thing if a nation's soul could die so fast. That were a poor soul that could succumb so easily to extraneous influences. - pg. 127
But this here is the central question of the book, and is as important and interesting of a question in 2015 as it was in 1900. Nitobe makes a point that "Stoicism" is no longer a coherent system of thought, but has been entirely subsumed into a gamut of emotions that one can feel. No longer does one make a conscious decision to be "a stoic" one simply "can be" without drawing counter point logical answers. So Nitobe hypothesizes in 1900, that Bushido will die out in Japan as a framework, but survive in the background of the minds of Japanese just as Stoicism survives in the West centuries (millenia) after the death of Marcus Aurelius.
Scratch a Japanese of the most advanced ideas, and he will show a samurai. - pg. 142
I first picked this book up in my school. I live and work in Korea but my boss, raised in Japan originally told me, "This book is the key to understanding the Japanese mind." I'm writing this when I'm supposed to be in Japan, experiencing it (travel difficulties have me writing this from a Seoul suburb) but I have to say that from my limited experience with Japanese people, Nitobe is not far off.
I gave this book five stars because after reading it, you will understand *the essence* of what the Japanese think. The notion that being polite is more important than telling the truth, is totally averse to a western mindset and what has led a Canadian acquaintance of mine to label the Japanese as "a slimy, two-faced people" but in actuality, being in close contact with them, is just a way of trying to avoid offending... even if the imagined possible offense would come off as incredibly ridiculous to a boy raised in New England.
This book delivers the essence of what a Japanese thinks and the historic motivating factors that underlie Japanese culture. It is also well-written, and a pleasure to read (I read it on an extended subway journey). Each chapter leads into the other quite easily, which is quite impressive and not something I feel authors at the turn of the century (in their non-native tongue) were good at constructing. What solidifies the stars is that it makes the reader think as it implies hard HARD questions about culture, society, colonialism, and westernization.
Nitobe at one point discusses the division between the honorable samurai, and the shrewd merchant class of Japan. That it was considered beneath Japanese nobility to deal with finances and that even farmers (in your FACE Indian Varna system!) were above merchants who dealt in the marketplaces. The required separation between money and nobility was necessary to maintain a balance between the powerful and the rich.
But what happened in Nitobe's lifetime, that he mentions a bit, was how Commodore Perry transformed Japan simply by opening up Japan to capitalism and western trade. The prices of goods in Japan dropped dramatically and the price of her domestic goods rose as they were prepared for foreign export (the opening of Japan is usually used as a prime example of the good of free trade). What happened, though it should be noted that this is solely my opinion and not expressed at all by Nitobe, Griffis, or Shambhala publications (which is a strange company to be publishing this book since it's hardly Buddhist at all) is that all of a sudden, that lowly merchant class was able to grasp at what they wanted: power. The merchants were able to buy power, just as the merchant classes (that troublesome fourth estate) gained power in England, and other European states, who eventually went on to found the United States itself. The samurai dwindled, until going out in a blaze of glory in the Satsuma Rebellion. But while the Samurai were the last official card-carrying members of Bushido, just as the Knights were the last members of the Chivalric code, the merchants and gentlemen rising to power, rubbing elbows with Kings and Emperors, now became gentrified and were able to adopt the noblesse customs that had been forbidden them for so long. And so Bushido, albeit corrupted just like corrupted ideas of Chivalry, survive in the Japanese mindset.
Now that is a book I look forward to: Bushido Revisted, the Samurai Code of Honor in Historic and Current Context
November 27, 2023
Japonya'yı tanımak isteyen kişilerin mutlaka okuması gereken bir kitap bence! Sadece samuray kafasıyla değil tamamen Batıylada harmanlayıp güzel bir karşılaştırma olmuş. Yetiştirilme tarzlarından yönetilme biçimlerine kadar her şeyi en ince ayrıntısına kadar Batı'daki anlamıyla birleştiriyorsunuz. Onur denilen kavramın Japonlar için ne kadar önemli olduğunu daha iyi anladım. İlgi ve merakla okudum; kesinlikle güzel bir araştırma olmuş.
December 20, 2007
I read this book as i have a general fascination with japan and its sense of morals and values. This book was immeasurably helpful when it comes to giving an insight into where their beliefs came from and the thinking behind it. This book contains many quotes from priests and scrolls which give a better understanding of the many ways in which the samurai code can be interpreted. This was great for understanding, so much so that even though its a small book, it took a long time to read because i was caught for long periods of time in a contemplative spell.
October 2, 2017
While this is a short read, it is not necessarily a quick one. Inazo Nitobe was highly educated and his writing reflects this. This is a book that takes some thought, to not only follow the vocabulary of the author, but the concepts and comparisons that he postulates.
I enjoyed the insight into the philosophy of the Japanese samurai warrior, and the Japanese people. Inazo Nitobe effectively compares this philosophy to that of the European knight and the christian thought of his age. Very informative and worth reading.
I enjoyed the insight into the philosophy of the Japanese samurai warrior, and the Japanese people. Inazo Nitobe effectively compares this philosophy to that of the European knight and the christian thought of his age. Very informative and worth reading.
September 19, 2021
My thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This is going to be a rather strange review, as I did not finish this book, but NOT because it was bad.
No, this was all my due to my ignorance of Japanese culture and needing someone better versed in it to read this book with me and explain it. This book is incredibly dense and trying to read it on my own was causing me to have way more questions than answers and I was concerned that if I didn't truly understand what I was reading, I would walk away with some very mistaken ideas on Bushido and how it influenced Japanese culture and thought.
I do not want to unintentionally disrespect Japanese culture and thought by just plowing through this and assuming I now knew anything about Bushido and Japanese thought, so I need to re-visit this with someone more knowledgable about the topic so I can truly LEARN and not ASSUME.
That being said, this is a gorgeous book and has a lot in it. It just is a higher level than I am ready for at this time.
4, beautiful book with important things to impart, stars.
This is going to be a rather strange review, as I did not finish this book, but NOT because it was bad.
No, this was all my due to my ignorance of Japanese culture and needing someone better versed in it to read this book with me and explain it. This book is incredibly dense and trying to read it on my own was causing me to have way more questions than answers and I was concerned that if I didn't truly understand what I was reading, I would walk away with some very mistaken ideas on Bushido and how it influenced Japanese culture and thought.
I do not want to unintentionally disrespect Japanese culture and thought by just plowing through this and assuming I now knew anything about Bushido and Japanese thought, so I need to re-visit this with someone more knowledgable about the topic so I can truly LEARN and not ASSUME.
That being said, this is a gorgeous book and has a lot in it. It just is a higher level than I am ready for at this time.
4, beautiful book with important things to impart, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2016
The relationship between ethos and ethics seems evident. When used as a noun, Ethics is the philosophical study of principles relating to the conduct of right or wrong actions. Contrariwise, ethos is the basic values that make up the character of a person, a culture, or in the case of this book, a nation. This distinction may be superfluous, nonetheless, it must be recognized in order to attempt an understanding of what Inazo Nitobe’s intent was in formulating Bushido: The Soul of Japan. A Classic Essay on Samurai Ethics.
It is hard to take away the fact that Nitobe is an intellectual. His education and training surely prepared him for the stylistic approach apparent throughout the book. At times poetic, at times intriguing, there are numerous examples of the great rhetorical care Nitobe took in composing his words. There should be no question that Nitobe understands and uses a rhetorical mastery in his writing style. Perhaps, though, this is the reason that it is questionable whether or not Nitobe’s writings should be appraised or critiqued.
I have given a justification for praise, now is the time for critique. Is Nitobe really the proper authority to speak for the people of Japan? While the book is beautifully written, most of the evidence provided is incredulous or anecdotal. The stories used to explain the ethos of Bushido are no more than anecdotal evidence, handed down in the form of myths and bedtime stories. Not that this is necessarily wrong, but the problem lies in the fact that this is all there is. The people cited by Nitobe, which are few and far in between, are mostly other Western-trained literati’s whose driving ethos are separable from what one could ascertain to be the true spirit of the Samurai. This book was written in 1899, less than 30 years after the restoration measures which begun the downfall of the warrior. Why would Nitobe not use the people who were these warriors to explain their belief systems and their insight into the true nature of Bushido?
At this point, I must retreat and talk a little about the positive aspects of the book. Nitobe’s initial instinct seems correct when he writes, “…the philosophical student reads the results of today in the stored energies of ages gone” (xvi). If only Nitobe would have remembered this intuition when writing. The main thesis, as I can gather is,
Enticing as is an historical disquisition on the comparison between European and Japanese feudalism and chivalry, it is not the purpose of this paper to enter into it at length. My attempt is rather to relate firstly, the origin and sources of our chivalry; secondly, its character and teaching; thirdly, its influence among the masses; and fourthly, the continuity and permanence of its influence (2).
Nevertheless, Nitobe fails to embrace his own thesis, because he does “enter into it at length,” the comparison between chivalry and Japanese feudalism. In fact, the very next sentence of the thesis equivocates Bushido as “…the origin and sources of our chivalry”(2).(/p>
Ultimately, there is some good discussion about the eight virtues of Bushido; viz., justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty, and self-control. The discussion is only overshadowed by Nitobe’s continual attempts at relating these virtues to Western conceptions.
There is much to love, and loathe about this text. If you can take anything away from my review / critique, take away the message that not all good writing is historical fact. Not all intents are for understanding. Sometimes, people just want to put what they believe, rather than what is fact, into writing, and hope that they can sway others to agree with them. After all isn’t that what persuasive writing is all about?
June 15, 2022
Un ensayo súper interesante, did��ctico, apasionante e imprescindible para conocer y entender la cultura japonesa tanto de la época feudal como de la actual a pesar de las influencias de otras culturas,
“Arañad a un japonés que defienda las ideas más avanzadas y encontraréis un samurái”.
«El Bushido podría desaparecer como código ético independiente, pero su poder no desaparecerá de la tierra. Como su flor simbólica, una vez arrastrada por los cuatro vientos, seguirá bendiciendo a la humanidad con el perfume con el que enriquecerá la vida. Eras después, cuando sus seguidores estén ya enterrados y hasta su nombre se haya olvidado, sus aromas seguirán flotando en el aire como llegados de una lejana e invisible colina, “la mirada más allá del borde del camino”.»
Destacar la maravillosa edición de Tikal con encuadernación china que hace de este brillante ensayo una verdadera joya.
“Arañad a un japonés que defienda las ideas más avanzadas y encontraréis un samurái”.
«El Bushido podría desaparecer como código ético independiente, pero su poder no desaparecerá de la tierra. Como su flor simbólica, una vez arrastrada por los cuatro vientos, seguirá bendiciendo a la humanidad con el perfume con el que enriquecerá la vida. Eras después, cuando sus seguidores estén ya enterrados y hasta su nombre se haya olvidado, sus aromas seguirán flotando en el aire como llegados de una lejana e invisible colina, “la mirada más allá del borde del camino”.»
Destacar la maravillosa edición de Tikal con encuadernación china que hace de este brillante ensayo una verdadera joya.
July 19, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this book. At the time of this review, this book was written over a century before, and while I do think it's a worthwhile read as a study in Japanese history, it's not too impressive on its own.
One thing should be clear - this is not a how-to guide to Bushido or anything. Rather. it is a long essay (broken into chapters) of various tenets of Bushido (honor, obedience, self-discipline, a woman's position, and yes, seppuku/hara-kiri) as viewed/explained by a Japanese man who has had a Western education.
Fortunately, this book is a relatively quick read, and does actually offer Westerners some points and ways to better understand Bushido and Japanese tradition.
One thing should be clear - this is not a how-to guide to Bushido or anything. Rather. it is a long essay (broken into chapters) of various tenets of Bushido (honor, obedience, self-discipline, a woman's position, and yes, seppuku/hara-kiri) as viewed/explained by a Japanese man who has had a Western education.
Fortunately, this book is a relatively quick read, and does actually offer Westerners some points and ways to better understand Bushido and Japanese tradition.
June 3, 2013
Nitobe shows his strong respect for the Bushido ethical system. Placing a high value on stoic character, loyalty, and honorable behavior, bushido has no like in modern day society. Since the 18th century, Japan has tried to adopt Shintoism as its national religion, but has not succeeded in finding a replacement for Bushido. Instead, a Westernized utilitarian ethic has emerged, which has no binding principle. He hints that the Christian ideal of love might be the answer to our modern quest for synthesizing eastern and western culture.
February 9, 2024
Meow. My cat is being annoying right now. But the book was like um idk I can't remember. Ohhh yeah wait no yeah. No... It's like how samurais would live their lives and their ethical code and all that. At the end it's all dramatic like saying Bushido may die but I will live in on spirit forever. get off my screen luy. Meowww I hear you. What you want food?? Okay come with me. I'm back now what was the book about. But it was very interesting idk why anyone else would read this but urr samurais!!!! They are cool right??? Hahaa. Nooooooo stoppppppo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2016
I can only admire and be fascinated by how a Japanese author is capable of describing his culture (or better, an element of his culture) by means of the classic European standards.
He translate the ever-lasting Samurai way of living through the point of view of a scholar of the XIX th century: it is amazing to see how Marx, Hegel, Montesquieu or even Bacon ideas pop up and are used to make understandable the perspective of the Bushi, even more, to show that they are not that different to us. But the author does not stop there, he shows a deep knowledge of the European culture by confronting Christian, Classical Greek and Roman or Medieval Islamic to Confucianism and Mencius ideas. He provides a common system of reference to describe something as esoteric and variable as the Bushido. Honestly, I have really enjoyed this essay.
Even more, because at the same time he presents without realizing, the society and main references of the European society at his time. The British imperialism, the late French revolution system and the German social nationalism are taken as the correct values, or better, the expected ones for a society to succeed. In this sense, a beautiful mix can be found: the pride and respect of his Japanese feudal origins confronted to the society he wish his country should become. And I think (under the few knowledge I have of the history of Japan) that this two forces seem to have originated the modern Japanese way that culminated in the world war II. So, it is an cultivating journey also through the way society was back then. Interesting enough, I'm surprised on how the patriarchy and machismo are different from the European perspective. The role of women in Japanese society seems more active (at least as presented by the author), although always reduced to the back side. It is just an impression though, I don't have enough background to judge this.
Finally, I'm really surprised of the deep cultural knowledge the author has. He is able to compare the Japanese literature and poetry to German romanticism, he likes to have Shakespeare as a reference as much as he can and the classic mythological heroes are used for us to understand the feelings and emotions of the Samurai. Even don Quijote appears as a common frame to expose how absurd some situations could be. An enriching experience indeed.
He translate the ever-lasting Samurai way of living through the point of view of a scholar of the XIX th century: it is amazing to see how Marx, Hegel, Montesquieu or even Bacon ideas pop up and are used to make understandable the perspective of the Bushi, even more, to show that they are not that different to us. But the author does not stop there, he shows a deep knowledge of the European culture by confronting Christian, Classical Greek and Roman or Medieval Islamic to Confucianism and Mencius ideas. He provides a common system of reference to describe something as esoteric and variable as the Bushido. Honestly, I have really enjoyed this essay.
Even more, because at the same time he presents without realizing, the society and main references of the European society at his time. The British imperialism, the late French revolution system and the German social nationalism are taken as the correct values, or better, the expected ones for a society to succeed. In this sense, a beautiful mix can be found: the pride and respect of his Japanese feudal origins confronted to the society he wish his country should become. And I think (under the few knowledge I have of the history of Japan) that this two forces seem to have originated the modern Japanese way that culminated in the world war II. So, it is an cultivating journey also through the way society was back then. Interesting enough, I'm surprised on how the patriarchy and machismo are different from the European perspective. The role of women in Japanese society seems more active (at least as presented by the author), although always reduced to the back side. It is just an impression though, I don't have enough background to judge this.
Finally, I'm really surprised of the deep cultural knowledge the author has. He is able to compare the Japanese literature and poetry to German romanticism, he likes to have Shakespeare as a reference as much as he can and the classic mythological heroes are used for us to understand the feelings and emotions of the Samurai. Even don Quijote appears as a common frame to expose how absurd some situations could be. An enriching experience indeed.
May 6, 2016
This was not necessarily what I expected. Was a short book but not the easiest book to read or understand. Had a very academical approach in the way he described the history and etymology of Bushido. I really did like the strong contrasts between Japanese culture and Western culture and that's precisely were I faced my dilemma with this book because I wanted to read this book to pick up on some ways of wife or ethics of the samurai. But I forget somehow that I grew up IN the west so the contrast of opinions on certain subjects is almost the opposite so I find it extremely hard to relate or be able to apply them to my life. I forget on how important honor is to the samurai but I find it to be almost a weakness this idea that you have to prove something to someone or that you are not willing to do something because of it. Another thing is Politeness, Sure, I understand that you should be polite to people but I would find it almost IMPOSSIBLE to trade the truth and be fake just so that you are polite. I was more hoping for some warrior ways of life....something like "practice your breathing every day so that you will have more energy to fight multiple enemies in battle"........Oh well. I did particularly like the chapter about Harakiri. That was brutal!!! It wasn't just epic with the whole ceremonial aspect of it but it was also very explicit with the movement of the blade and the direction the body HAS to fall in. Worth reading
December 5, 2015
There are times when Bushido: The Soul of Japan is almost poetic. But I think that's more the subject matter rather than the actual writing, since the actual writing verges on being pedantic at times. Seriously, I had to read certain lines three or four times just to get the gist of what he was saying, which felt totally unnecessary. Mr. Nitobe was a man who must have loved to hear himself talk. But I guess that's just how people wrote back in 1900, which is when the book was published. Predating both World Wars, the idea and conscience of Bushido probably seemed much more alive back then that it does today. Still, this acts as a sort of winsome time capsule of the better times. It also acts as a nice companion to any of the James Clavell samurai novels, which I'm sure Clavell pulled a great deal from this book.
But there is a bit of a discrepancy in that the author was a devout Christian, and some of the beliefs of Shintoism don't align with that of the author's, so it doesn't feel as entirely authentic as it might have. Even so, there are certain aspects of this, like the talk of seppuku and the sword that are fascinating, and others not so much. It's a relatively short book with a lot of depth. All in all, it was okay.
But there is a bit of a discrepancy in that the author was a devout Christian, and some of the beliefs of Shintoism don't align with that of the author's, so it doesn't feel as entirely authentic as it might have. Even so, there are certain aspects of this, like the talk of seppuku and the sword that are fascinating, and others not so much. It's a relatively short book with a lot of depth. All in all, it was okay.
January 4, 2020
First I should thank my dog for eating this book (just the covers and all the pages through the foreword), which prompted me to finally read this book which I have had on my shelves for like 15 years.
Bushido - The Way of the Samurai - gives an interesting insight into Japanese mentality.
You’d think it would be dated, having been written more than 100 years ago about a system that was abolished more than 200 years ago, but having lived in this fascinating and peculiar country for 7 years, I found myself nodding a lot and thinking - Ahha! That’s why!
Despite popular belief, Japan (I fondly refer to it often as Planet Japan) progresses very, very slow.
Truly, bushido had become a virtue and part of the soul of Japan and even after it manifested in its most horrific form during WWII, we can still see and appreciate the aspects that make this country so unique today.
Bushido - The Way of the Samurai - gives an interesting insight into Japanese mentality.
You’d think it would be dated, having been written more than 100 years ago about a system that was abolished more than 200 years ago, but having lived in this fascinating and peculiar country for 7 years, I found myself nodding a lot and thinking - Ahha! That’s why!
Despite popular belief, Japan (I fondly refer to it often as Planet Japan) progresses very, very slow.
Truly, bushido had become a virtue and part of the soul of Japan and even after it manifested in its most horrific form during WWII, we can still see and appreciate the aspects that make this country so unique today.
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