Bushido: The Way of the Samurai (Square One Classics)

Bushido is the first English translation of the Hagakure. This work provides a powerful message aimed at the mind and spirit of the samurai warrior. It offers beliefs that are difficult for the Western mind to embrace, yet fascinating in their pursuit of absolute service. With Bushido, one can better put into perspective Japan s historical path and gain greater insight into the Japan of today.

In particular, the book outlines the aspects of Bushido philosophy:

Justice
Courage
Benevolence
Loyalty
Honor
Self-control
Sincerity

The book of course gives the meaning of Samurai rituals, including seppuku (hari-kiri) and discussing the training of a warrior. Lest you think this is old hat, business leaders in Japan today all study Kendo, the martial art of the sword and the closest to Bushido's heart.

Even women are not exempted from the Bushido code. They are expected to do their part as warriors, and women traditionally have used the naginata (halberd or pike) as a defensive weapon. It's funny to think that the naginata is considered "effeminate" and watch a Japanese sportswoman wielding that deadly blade against eight opponents during a martial arts demonstration. It's wise not to take Japanese women in business lightly. They nearly all study naginata in school.

I've worked briefly in Japan and have studied Aikido in the past. I found "Bushido" to be one of the most valuable books I own on the subject of Japanese culture and mindset, as well as an additional good book on military philosophy.


Creating Super-men...   December 15, 2003
C. Middleton (Australia)
78 out of 83 found this review helpful

The Hagakure was dictated by Yamamoto and later scribed verbatim by Tsuramoto Tashiro over a period of seven years (1710-1716) in which they lived together in a far off mountain retreat in Japan. Tashiro was sworn to secrecy over the texts contents because the author believed the teachings to be far too radical and too militaristic for the then peaceful times during the Shogunate Rule (1603-1867). During this time of unusual calmness, the teachings of Buddhism and the ethical codes of Confucius permeated Japan, enriching every aspect of her culture from arts to politics. But the old Samurai, Yamamoto, believed (though acknowledging the Buddha and the tenets of Confucius) that the Samurai, as a class, had become effeminate and weak. Yamamoto's basic premise was that the Samurai could not serve two masters (religion and the Clan) and by doing so had become less effective. The service of the lord and the clan should come first, and once this was done, one could then amuse oneself with the studies of the humanities. In writing the Hagakura, Yamamoto hoped that someday the Samurai would return to the purity of its strong and compassionate past. More than this, however, he wanted to create a class of super-men. As Tanaka explains in his historical overview:

"In his (Yamamoto) talks, he wanted every Samurai to become a super-man. But he wanted super-men who were capable of gaining great power, not for their own self-interest, but for the interest of the clan. He wanted super-men who were capable of operating effectively for the solidarity of the clan." (xv)

This is the key to the power and longevity of the way of the Samurai, and that is its notion of devout loyalty to the Lord of the Clan and the Clan itself. All other concerns in life are simply deemed irrelevant. Moreover, that other essential dictum, do your duty to your parents. And lastly, but most importantly, ensuring compassion for all sentient beings and the devout service of others. By devoting oneself to these vows of allegiance and practicing them, Yamamoto believed the Samurai would attain super-man status.

This particular translation is divided into eleven books, covering personal, social and philosophical advice from How to Excel Above Others, How to Conduct Yourself, Spiritual Vigour and Conceal Your Wisdom. These titles really speak for themselves.

This is an excellent text to prime oneself on the foundational tenets of the way of the Samurai and a good introduction to the history of Japanese culture and thought in terms of social discourse and philosophical perspective.


A look into the warrior's mind   April 3, 2004
wiredweird (Earth, or somewhere nearby)
27 out of 29 found this review helpful

This book was written at the very start of the 19th century, by a samurai in retirement. It gives a unique look back to the late 18th, when Yamamoto was active as a samurai. The view is unique, in part, because Japan was unifying and there was less need for each minor lord to have an armed class. The warrior ethic was changing as war became less common. In part, these notes seem to mourn the passing of the clearest, purest form of that ethic.

The warrior ethic only changed, though and still underlies many aspects of modern Japanese thought and policy. The feudal caste system still gives a fair decription of different levels of management.

This book is not just about a time and a culture different from that in the modern West. It teaches personal responsibility, a lesson that many too many people still need. In part, this means responsibility to one's self, in maintaining professional skills and personal credibility. It also means responsibility towards one's employer. I do not feel crass in saying that, by accepting the pay that feeds and houses me, I have a duty to return the value given. Self interest, if not personal honor, should encourage me to support my employer well enough to keep supporting me and to support me better in the future.

I was also interested to see that a strict code of honor can include a strictly preserved set of personal freedoms. Yamamoto stresses the need to tolerate a few flaws in order to use a person's strengths. He also notes that samurai - or, I think, any professionals - can be effective only when free to make decisions on their own. This is not insubordination, quite the opposite. The skilled employee must be able to make decisions based on that skill. Too tight a managerial rein just strangles the professional's effectiveness.

I was surprised (but perhaps should not have been) that this book describes the modern professional so well. Yamamoto's advice is right in line with my own business experience. I think that more of today's skilled workers, and their managers, would be more effective if they applied this book in their lives.

It was also surprising, but satisfying, to read Yamamoto's most secret advice: to do what you love most. I certainly see why this maxim must be held back. This advice can only enrich a person who is already so trained that their loves are honorable, loyal, and productive. Keeping with Yamamoto's Zen spirit, though, I would say that such people do not need that inner secret. Today, as then, such people already follow what they love.


Hagakure for beginners   March 27, 2005
Terinati (Washington, DC)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

As the title of my review suggests, I think this book makes a good introductory text for someone who doesn't have a lot of time to dedicate to studying bushido, someone who is just getting acclimated to the new way of thinking, or someone who is merely curious.

The positives:

-Each quotation is clearly titled and indexed, making it easy to find and reference specific quotes regarding specific topics.
-Some translations have been changed to better accomodate the literal English-speaking reader.

The negatives:

-Short. It is only a small sampling of the wisdom of Hagakure.
-While the modified translations will help English speakers avoid some of the pitfalls associated with reading from a different cultural context, they are also an incomplete and sometimes shallow understanding of the text.

Again, as an introductory text this one is a good one. For a better, more complete translation of Hagakure, look for the one by William Scott Wilson. It is one of my favorite texts, though I will admit that when pressed for a quotation on short notice, I will still often turn to the present book because of its reader-friendly indexing.


idealized self aggrandisement that covers over ugly realities   March 13, 2007
Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France)
12 out of 17 found this review helpful

This is one of those basic tracts that is given to those who move to Japan, as a view into how things are supposed to work. While it sounds very good when you read it - there are indeed wonderful codes to live by that are elegantly expressed - once you have lived there for a few months you see that it has less (and more) to do with everyday life than meets the eye.

Afterall, there are two levels when dealing with Japan: Tatemae, the syrupy feel-good version of things that saves everyone's "face", and Honne, which is the way people really feel about things; the former gets pounded into your head at the office, the latter you elicit slowly when you go to the bars after work and get drunk. However, Tatemae is a useful tool for bureaucracies, as it is the official way things are supposed to appear to function, complete with a code for the behavior that one should simulate, no matter how differently (or alienated) one feels underneath. The "Bushido" is the purest Tatemae, an instrument of control that is wielded but has little personal meaning beyond that. In my opinion - and I witnessed this often while living in Japan - all the talk of honor and value and loyalty is just that: mere words to mask brutal authoritarianism and mindless obedience to one's place in the hierarchy. As such, there are very interesting things to learn here about how people choose (or submit to a compulsion from without) to behave, but it will not teach the reader about how they feel inside.

Recommended, but don't take it at face value. Indeed, if you accept this as reality, it is the same as believing that medieval knights lived strictly in accordance with chivalric codes and the Chritian ideal, I wish I could sound more inspired and interested about Japan, but having lived there, I know the ugliness underneath from experience.