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rjy22's review against another edition
5.0
A well-written book worthy of rereading again and again. Learning the history behind the concept of Bushido served to enhance my understanding and inspire me to adopt and apply its ideas to my own life. Will definitely be revisiting this book to better ruminate on its lessons.
amyred's review against another edition
3.0
Gave a vivid account of a seppuku ceremony and a surprising number of samurai anecdotes. Quite beautifully written.
captainfez's review against another edition
4.0
Nitobe's text reveals (albeit longwindedly, though this is probably the result of the age of the work) a fair bit about the overarching framework that defined Japan under feudal arrangements, and still holds some sway today. It's interesting, though possibly only to those very interested in Japan, or in philosophy.
djdembeck's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
2.25
Some good bits, and undeniably an interesting topic. However, this felt more like the author was trying to draw comparisons to his own religion. This often came across as a humble brag about how his religion is right because "an ancient ethos aligns with it".
Brian Nishii was a great narrator for the audiobook.
Brian Nishii was a great narrator for the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry
annewithabook's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fascinating book to read, especially since it compares the morality of the west and the east. Nitobe spends much time in explaining why certain beliefs were common in Japan during feudialism, a combination of Buddhism, Shintoism, and samurai war. I can't say I agreed with a lot of the beliefs, including the uplifting of suicide and subjegation of women (this author, interestingly enough, comments that the lower class women were more equal to men than the wealthy women), but it was fascinating to read. I love how the author spends extensive time comparing Bushido beliefs (the beliefs of the samurai) with Christian beliefs. It's a quick read, and well worth reading to understand some of Japan's oldest moral codes.