Bushido Review

Let it be known, I'm reading an Italian version (since, you know, the username 🇮🇹) and my understanding might be influenced by the translation

Here I'll be doing another layer of translation on top to English, and my English isn't perfect, so be aware, this isn't a good studying resource, yada yada yada

The book is thus divided

  1. Bushido as an ethic system
  2. Bushido's sources
  3. Rectitude, or justice
  4. Courage, or the inclination to dare and to endure
  5. Benevolence, or pity towards others' pain
  6. Courtesy
  7. Veridicity and Sincerity
  8. Honor
  9. Duty of loyalty
  10. The Education and the training of a samurai
  11. Power over oneself
  12. The Institute of suicide and reparation of wrongs
  13. The Sword, the soul of a samurai
  14. The Education and the position of the woman
  15. The Influence of Bushido
  16. Is Bushido still alive?
  17. The Future of Bushido

Preamble

This book is old

Very old

But despite all the judgement we might give to the opinions, the morals and the way of life of people that came before us, I think we still need to take a peek at them to better reflect what we are

Also, if a book is considered a classic, is because it left enough of a sign on somebody to remember it, otherwise

The First Chapter: Bushido as an ethic system

first draft

In the first paragraph, Nitobe describes chivalry as an institution so radicated in Japan to be equal in value to cherry flowers, a main stay in Japanese culture and symbol of spring's rebirth and renewal; chivalry managed to survive feudalism, the system of government which originated the rules of chivalry, still valued in the beginning of the 20th century.

Parallels are drawn between the history of Japan and the history of Western culture, to give pinpoints on Western-known history to historical happenings in Japan, like the opening of Japan and the decadence of feudalism. Nitobe also gives a reason to tell about Japanese ethics and history to Western scholars: ignorance

Purpose of the book:

The best term to describe chivalry in Japan is the japanese one, bushido, as it better encapsulates what the author is referring to

Bushido, as it's meant, cannot be studied from a book (before the author published this one), since it's a set of rules passed orally, without any written document

Bushido starts to come in effect with rise of samurais, private knights on horseback which, through a process of elimination, selected only the rudest and the most brutal people; as such they realised they needed a code of conduct, to contain the innate brutishness of warriors (knight in shiny armors exist only in stories)

Bushido must have started as a set of fair play rules, the