Bushido: The Soul of Japan - Israel Bouseman, Inazo Nitobe

Category: Autobiography & Biographies, Spiritual & Religious
Language: English
Keywords: Biography Japan Japanese Memoir Philosophy Psychology Samurai Spirituality

Written by Israel Bouseman, Inazo Nitobe
Read by Diana Gardiner
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps

Bushido. This one word contains a wealth of meaning. Honor and grace, strength and compassion, loyalty and vengeance. Bushido is the warrior code of the samurai, a standard of conduct and an unwritten guide for right behavior and attitude. It is the core principle of ethics in Japan, an ideal that extends into every aspect of life and character.

In this work, Bushido: The Soul of Japan, Inazo Nitobe explores the concept of Bushido and translates it onto a form accessible to western understanding. Nitobe examines each aspect of the Bushido code, showing how it corresponds to courage, honesty, benevolence, and politeness, and how it leads one to an understanding of loyalty and self-control. This work is a study of the way of the samurai, an exploration of the ideal that drove the fiercest and most honorable warrior class in human history.

Bushido: The Soul of Japan was written at the turn of the 20th Century, providing the west a new and unprecedented avenue for the understanding of eastern thought. It captured the hearts and minds of those who encountered it, resulting in more than 10 editions in print. The work was so admired by President Theodore Roosevelt that he bought several copies to distribute among his friends, ensuring that each had access to this wealth of wisdom, and clarity of ethical thought.

The AudioLearn version of Bushido: The Soul of Japan is preceded by a summary that explores the life of the author and the background of the book itself. Also included are an overview, synopsis, analysis, and an exploration of the historical context of the work.

If you are interested in samurai, martial arts, eastern thought, or the ethical code of the warrior, then this is an audiobook that you won’t want to miss.