Customer Reviews

The Japanese Art of War: Understanding the Culture of Strategy (Shambhala Classics)

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In history most nations are always taking ideas and beliefs from others, even when they don't know it. Japan is no different. Much of the Far East classes in American colleges spend much of their time teaching students about where Japan gets much of its culture, language and traditions.
The Art of War is like everything else that came to Japan. They took it, made it Japanese and used it in the way THEY felt was best. The Art of War soon spread into areas of business and philosophy. The ideas were soon adapted and proved to be useful rules for every walk of Japanese life. It could guide a warrior or help a baker do his best.

As a life-long student of the martial arts, most especially Japanese combat arts, I found this book to be an excellent basic guide to the heart and soul of the Japanese Bushi(Warrior-Samurai). The author is well-known for his expertise on asian culture. He is a Buddhist scholar and lived in Japan for six years. This volume covers the history of warfare in Japan, the role of Zen in the warrior philosophy, schemes of the samurai, the thirty strategies of war, bushido and christianty, and the Zen razor.

In conclusion, this is a book that will be of interest to serious students of Japanese martial arts, as well as for scholars of Asian history.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Wakizashi-Jutsu Official Manual--Bushi Satori Ryu).

7.15.05 - Clearly a secret weapon in business today. If you take time to study what the book is sharing the information can be applied to every aspect of business. The information is very old but timeless. What is remarkable is how applicable the information is to the American buying and sell process. Salesmen - put down your modivational books and start studying information that will make a difference in your customers lives.