Bushido Soul of Japan [Hardcover]

Inazo Nitobe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 1969

Inazo Nitobé (1862-1933) was a Christian, agricultural economist, author, educator, diplomat, and politician during Meiji period and Taisho period Japan. He was in the second class of the Sapporo Agricultural College. In 1883, he entered Tokyo Imperial University for further studies in English literature and in economics. In 1884, he travelled to the United States where he stayed for three years, and studied economics and political science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He was granted an assistant professorship at the Sapporo Agricultural College, but was ordered to first obtain doctorate in agricultural economics in Germany. In 1901 he was appointed technical advisor to the Japanese colonial government in Taiwan, where he headed the Sugar Bureau. He was appointed a full professor of law at the Kyoto Imperial University in 1904 and lectured on colonial administration policies. He is perhaps most famous in the west for his work Bushido: The Soul of Japan (1900), which was one of the first major works on samurai ethics written originally in English for Western readers.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Absolutely the best explanation of bushido in the English language."—Nicklaus Suino, author of The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Language Notes

Text: Japanese, English (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 203 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (September 10, 1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804806934
• ISBN-13: 978-0804806930
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,220,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful introduction, November 7, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bushido: The Soul of Japan (Paperback)

Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933) was a Japanese author with a unique perspective; he was an educator and a Quaker. When queried about the basis of morality in Japan, he thought long and hard on the subject. His answer was that Bushido was the Soul of Japan, and from that idea flowed this book.

In this wonderful book, Mr. Nitobe explains Bushido to the Western observer. Using the Bible and other Western literature as examples of common points of reference, he explains 1) the origins and sources of Bushido, 2) its character and teachings, 3) its influence, and 4) its continuity and permanence.

So, if you are interested in Bushido in particular, or Japan in general, then I strongly recommend this book. Even though it was first published in 1905, it makes a wonderful introduction to the Western reader. I highly recommend this book!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Putting a Name on Ideas Unnameable, February 7, 2001

By 

Michael Holmes (Miyazaki, Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bushido Soul of Japan (P) (Paperback)

Nitobe Sensei did an incredible job of putting into words concepts that are very difficult for all to understand, not only foreigners (non-Japanese.) He also did it as a Christian scholar in a non-Christian land during times of great change in Japanese society. It is a wonderful cross-cultural and cross-theological comparison between Christian and non-Christian belief systems. There's a saying about being able to explain things that are Zen. "If you can explain it, it isn't Zen," if I may paraphrase. Zen and Bushido are inextricably linked and Mr. Nitobe managed to put it into some sort of framework that we could easily understand. Not all things will make sense to the first time reader. When you read it again and again, the things that are true for you, you will clearly understand. As with many discussions of Zen and/or Bushido, it has to become a part of you to be understandable. This doesn't mean you have to pick up a sword or take up calligraphy, it means that you have to see the truth of it in yourself, no matter what you do or where you are. There are universal truths here. Even when you understand, you may not be able to put into words your understanding. That is the time when this book will become most indispensible.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fundamental Cornerstone on the Driving Force of Japan, May 14, 2000

By 

William Simon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bushido Soul of Japan (P) (Paperback)

Nitobe's book is an excellent read for anyone who wants a comprehensive look at the pulse of what drives the Japanese to produce and achieve in war and economics. His writing style is clean and practical rather than sophisticated or complicated. He emphasizes the virtues and concepts that make up the Bushido ethnic.

This book is a superb companion piece to Ruth Benedict's sociological analysis on Japanese culture (The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, printed near or after the Second World War). I strongly encourage anyone interested in the formative aspects of Japanese thought to read this book.