Product Description

A 400-year-old explication of the rules and expectations embodied in Bushido, the Japanese way of the warrior. Bushido has played a major role in shaping modern Japanese society and the modern martial arts in Japan and internationally.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154226 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-22
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

Customer Reviews

another excellent work from leading author of eastern philos
Thomas Cleary (and Scott William Wilson) appear to be the leading lights in any writing on eastern philosophy/religion; particularly here dealing with the Bushido code of the Samurai as Way of Life. Readers will also find Thomas Cleary's translations of Sun Tzu's "Art of War" (Shambhala) the best translation and also should consider all the Shambhala publications as best translations of sought after Eastern strategic classics, including "The Book of Five Rings" and Cleary's "Japanese Art of War" for overview on strategic writings in a more generalised form.

Clear, simple translation.
A conduct code for all the "young samurais". It's very helpfull to understand the Japanese way of thinking. Everyone can learn something from it.
The translation is in very simple english, so it's easy to focus on the moral lessons...
Only 4 stars because it's "to much Japanese". I prefer other books more universal, like "Art of War" - Sun Tsu - or "Book of the Five Rings" - Miamoto Musachi

The Original Translation?
This is a really interesting & enlightening read. You get a real feel for the way the mind of the Samurai worked some 400 years ago. It's miraculous & very fortunate for us that copies of such books survived that various warring periods & times of great upheaval in Japan over this time.

This subject is still relatively new to me & there appear to be several different versions of the Bushido around (?). This one by Daidôji Yûzan appeared between 1639 - 1730, which is some years before the one that draws the main amount of interest and my question is who's copying who?

This one seems to be more complete & covers a wider range of subjects that the "other" version by Tsunetomo Yamamoto, sometimes referred to as the "Hagakure". Tsunetomo was born some 20 years after Daidôji & lived between 1659 - 1719.

This book is presented in 44 short treatises about the proper way a Samurai should live & conduct himself. Whether or not some of these duties have been grouped together I can't yet say, however, either copy of the book are fantastically insightful & interesting.

There is another & later copy of this book by William Scott Wilson called "Budoshoshinshu: The Warrior's Primer of Daidoji Yuzan (Literary Links to the Orient)" in which he lists 56 such duties of a Samurai.

A great translation which must have been difficult for the authors & a fairly easy read. Although the subject is a little dry it's not at all heavy & would be enjoyed & very useful to anyone practicing any form of [traditional] martial art.