Bushido: The Soul of Japan - Hardcover

"Bushido: The Soul of Japan," which has been called the best explanation of bushido in the English language, outlines the codes and ethics of the Samurai warrior class of Tokugawa era Japan. Much like the code of Chivalry of European Knights, Bushido lays down stringent rules of behavior towards superiors and inferiors, of behavior in battle and in peace, as well as the minutia of life. Written in 1900, "Bushido: the Soul of Japan" was meant to educate the Western audience about the soul of Japan and eliminate common prejudices towards the Japanese civilization. As such, "Bushido: the Soul of Japan" provides a wonderful cross-cultural and cross-theological comparison between Christian and non-Christian belief systems. Nitobe takes it for granted that the reader is familiar with Shakespeare and often uses Shakespearian characters as mouthpieces for the Western point of view while explaining the origin and sources of Bushido, its character and teachings, its influence, and its permanence. Often turning to fables and examples to illustrate his points, Nitobe clearly sees the value in this military way of life and waxes poetic from time to time. This book is a great resource for understanding historic Japan and the Samurai cast.

Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933) was a Japanese agricultural economist, author, educator, diplomat, politician, and Christian during Meiji and Taisho period Japan. Nitobe was a prolific writer. He published many scholarly books as well as books for general readers (see below). He also contributed hundreds of articles to popular magazines and newspapers. Nitobe, however, 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 and Japanese culture written originally in English for Western readers (The book was subsequently translated into Japanese and many other languages). Although sometimes criticized as portraying the samurai in terms so Western as to take away some of their actual meaning, this book nonetheless was a pioneering work of its kind. The Nitobe Memorial Garden at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada is named in his honor. A Second Memorial Garden has been built at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.