Bushido Shoshinshu

By Inazō Nitobe, Inazo Nitob, Inazo Nitobe

Book Overview

Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding with a cloth cover and string, and with a timeless design, this book includes the classic Inazo text with a new introduction. It will appeal to anyone interested in leadership, the nobility of the Samurai and Japanese culture. Bushido is the chivalric code of moral principles that the Samurai followed: rectitude, frugality, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honour and loyalty. Influenced by Confucianism, Shinto and Zen Buddhism, it tempers the violence of a warrior with wisdom and serenity. Alongside Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Machiavelli's The Prince , Inazo's book has become influential among military and corporate leaders looking for ways to manage their people and overcome their opponents. The term bushido was originally used in the 17th Century and came into common use around the world after the original publication of this book in 1899. In the tradition of the Kojiki, the Heike Monogatari, and The Book of Five Rings, this collection of principles sheds a great deal of clarity on the evolution of the Japanese Samurai culture.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0785830529
• ISBN13: 9780785830528
• Release Date: August 2013
• Publisher: Chartwell Books
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.7" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

A good basic primer on Bushido

The book is an ideal introduction to Bushido. It offers a simple insight into 19th Century Japanese society in short chapters. A Japanese forum recommended this book to me to help in my research for my next book. One of the more interesting ideas the author offers is how Bushido is quite similar to chivalry during the Middle Ages in Europe. That concept helped me to comprehend what Bushido meant to the Japanese.

Think like a Samurai

The book will help you get into the mind of the Samurai. Has an excellent description of an actual sepuku ceremony.

A fantastic introduction to the way of the warrior

Bushido is literally translated "warrior path" and this book explains that path in to-the-point detail. the whole book is filled with inspiring quotes, practical advice and a good look at what a feudal samurai had to be. Some other things are explained, such as suppuku (ritual suicide), honor, commitment and more. For those interested in the martial arts, Japanese history and fighting cultures... this is an excellent book. It is well combined with "The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi, "The Art of War" By Sun Tzu, "The Tao te Ching" by Lao Tzu and "budoshoshinshu" by Daidoji Yuzan.

A Good Primer

This is a good introduction to Bushido for Western readers. A little dramatic but then again, it does capture the ethos of the subject.