Bushido
Samurai Ethics and the Soul of Japan
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- ¥600
発行者による作品情報
At the turn of the twentieth century, when Japan was evolving from an isolated feudal society into a modern nation, a Japanese educator wrote this book to introduce the rest of the world to his society's traditional values. Author Inazo Nitobé defines bushido (the way of the warrior) as the source of the virtues most admired by his people; rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty, and self-control. In this eloquent work, he explains the influence of the ideals and manners of the martial code and their role in forming the basis of the morals, ethics, and etiquette of Japanese culture, past, and present.
This popular and informative book, translated into more than 30 languages since its original publication in 1900, takes an eclectic and far-reaching approach. Nitobé draws examples from indigenous traditions including Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism, and the centuries-old moral compass supplied by Japanese samurai and sages. He reinforces these illustrations by citing similarities and contrasts from ancient and modern philosophers and statesmen of the Western world.
Generations of scholars and other readers with an interest in sociology have turned to this classic for insights into the nature of Japanese society. Its teachings are essential to gain a true understanding of the soul of Japan.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this generously annotated edition, Nitobe's classic 1900 study of Bushido, the Japanese "Way of the Warrior," is refreshed for contemporary readers. As historian Alexander Bennett notes in his introduction, Nitobe, a scholar who was descended from samurai and who had studied in the U.S. and Germany, was intrigued to compare Eastern and Western cultures. The publication of Nitobe's treatise (first written in English, not Japanese) on Bushido as an expression of the Japanese spirit emphasizing justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, and loyalty made him famous in the West. By carefully including cross-cultural references such as citations of biblical references to anatomy in a discussion of seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) Nitobe ensured himself a wide audience, and the book was translated into dozens of languages (into Japanese in 1908). Bennett enhances Nitobe's text with a thoughtful and thorough overview of its historical context, noting the author's education abroad as reflecting the contemporary Japanese credo of wakon-yosai (Japanese spirit, Western knowledge), and his focus on an ethos associated with Japan's warrior class as reflecting the country's rising power and imperial ambitions in the early 20th century. Bennett's careful research ensures modern readers can fully appreciate a still-fascinating text on the values of the samurai, and consider how they might still apply to the present day.
