The Way of the Samurai

by Inazō Nitobe

Arcturus Publishing Ltd The Way of the Samurai (Arcturus Luxury Classics) ABISBOOK Arcturus Publishing Ltd.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2024

About the author

Nitobe Inazō (新渡戸 稲造; 1862 – 1933) was a Japanese agronomist, diplomat, political scientist, politician, and writer. His father Nitobe Jūjirō was a samurai and retainer to the local daimyō of the Nanbu clan. His grandfather was Nitobe Tsutō and his great-grandfather was Nitobe Denzō (Koretami). He was converted to Christianity under the strong legacy left by William S. Clark, the first Vice-Principal of the College, who had taught in Sapporo for eight months before Nitobe's class arrived in the second year after the opening ofthe college and so they never personally crossed paths. When the League of Nations was established in 1920, Nitobe became one of the Under-Secretaries General of the League, and moved to Geneva, Switzerland. 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).

Reviews

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and in-depth read despite being a short read it is no less intellectually written and exquisite. Chapter on self control is good and a look at bushido, I do not like the quoting of Marx and Capital or authors theological assertions regarding missionaries did not impact the culture I disagree. The time of the writing and the author and his defense of Fedualism ,Feudal Japan and Samurai history is extraordinary even if the author tried to paint a more secular picture despite ironically being a quaker. A must read regardless of any flaws as the prose is incredible and easy to understand as well.

[Adam Ring · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultimately an interesting read, however not what I was expecting. It's an incredibly verbose book, and the writers vocabulary is heavily inclined towarss the academic. I'll be honest, I just wanted to read some cool samurai stuff, but this was more a dissertation on the death of feudalism in Japan, and the author raving about how cool Christianity is. The chapter on swords was my favourite part, even if it's the shortest by far.

[Gianluca · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a rather smooth reading on how feudal Japan used to function. Great introduction to the topic.

[Darrell Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Alan Upchurch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting insights into the ethics of feudal Japan unfortunately surrounded by apology for feudalism, and subjugation in general, as well as some historically questionable accounts.