Bushido: The Soul of Japan [Paperback]

"Bushido: The Soul of Japan" is a masterpiece of its kind in several ways. First, it is the first book to attempt a general description of bushido rather than a sectarian one. Second, it is one of a few early books written by a Japanese in English trying to explain Japan to the West, among which can be counted Kakuzo (Tenshin) Okakura's "The Book of Tea."

For both of these reasons, "Bushido" is worth reading, especially in that it has served as the basis for subsequent studies of the subject. The book does have its faults, however. For example, the description of the role of the emperor in Japanese society seems to reflect the author's own times rather than those of the samurai, when the emperor was overshadowed by the shogun.

Comparing the present edition to the original, one notices several improvements. One is that the book includes an introduction to the author, who, we find, was born a samurai himself. Second, there is the inclusion of illustrations, most of which are based on photographs taken at the end of the samurai era. Then there is the fact that the editor of the book has helped the author out when he has stumbled (Nitobe's English is far inferior to Okakura's), and the simple but very useful feature of adding subheadings to keep the reader on track. And finally there is a simple index.

Though the book is not even 200 pages long, it covers a lot of territory. There are four parts: The Foundations of Bushido, Samurai Virtues, The Life of a Samurai, and the Impact and Future of Bushido. Included are such things as honor, loyalty, truthfulness, education, suicide, revenge, the sword as symbol and weapon, the martial arts, and the position of women. It is not a how-to guide to becoming a samurai, but it is a good place to start to get an overall view.

One question left in the mind after reading this book is something that the author could not have possibly answered himself; that is, what influence does bushido have on the Japanese people today? The author lists the sources of bushido as being Buddhism, Shinto, and Confucianism. Judging from the number of Japanese books published on these subjects, the Japanese people retain an abiding interest in them. There are also any number of books on bushido, including manga and some even for young children, as well as innumerable books on the Tokugawa shoguns and the more famous warlords, such as Oda Nobunaga. And as for "Bushido: The Soul of Japan," there have been a number of recent Japanese translations, complementing the already existing older ones, the first of which was apparently published in 1908. So, at least from this perspective it can be said that bushido has not entirely slipped from the minds of modern Japanese.

As a relative newcomer to literature about Japanese culture and history, I found BUSHIDO: THE SOUL OF JAPAN to be an informative read and a fabulous introduction to bushido. I read with great interest as the author explained the foundations of bushido, continued by exploring the lives and virtues of the samurai, and concluded with some thoughts on the influence and future of bushido. He presents some thought-provoking ideas on the nature of the samurai, as well as on the basic tenets embedded in Japanese culture.

There are many versions of Nitobe's popular work available. I found this particular version however to be clearer, more understandable, and more readable than the rest. This is made possible, in part, by the editor's addition of section headings. The headings effectively break apart what are at times quite lengthy paragraphs containing many ideas into smaller, more easily digestible sections with one central idea. They truly aid the reader in ascertaining Nitobe's meaning, and are especially helpful when going back to review a key concept. I also found the index to be quite useful when I needed to find more on a concept or term . The index is a feature that is unique to this version of BUSHIDO: THE SOUL OF JAPAN.

I highly recommend BUSHIDO to anyone with an interest in the samurai or Japanese culture in general. While some of Nitobe's references to scholars, philosophers, and writers of the past can be a bit confusing to the average reader today, there is much to be learned from this great work.