Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding and with a
timeless design, Bushido Illustrated: The Soul of Japan includes the
classic Inazo Nitobe text with a new introduction and colorful
illustrations throughout.
"Chivalry is a flower no less indigenous to the soil of Japan than
cherry blossom" are the opening words to Inazo Nitobe's Bushido: The
Soul of Japan. It was 1900 and Inazo, a Japanese academic living in the
USA, had been prompted to write the book after an American professor had
wondered how the Japanese imparted moral education to their children if
schools didn't offer any religious instruction. The answer, Inazo
realized, was through Bushido. Bushido is the chivalric code of moral
principles that the Samurai followed: rectitude, courage, benevolence,
respect, honesty, honor, 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.
