Ben Waber reviewed Bushido by Inazo Nitobe (Way of the Warrior)
A Classic but Problematic Book
3 stars
As a work of philosophy, this is a pretty poor book. Nitobe was an economist, not a historian or philosopher, and as such was demonstrably unqualified to write a book about Japanese culture. Because this book became so influential in the West, however, reading this text is a useful window into Japan's engagement with that part of the world post Meiji restoration. To understand the context of this book, however, requires the reader to know about Japan's stature in the world in the 1880s, its recent acquisition of Hokkaido, its designs on Korea and China, and how Japanese academics latched on to the burgeoning eugenics movement. If you have that background you'll be able to appreciate the book and gain a few nuggets from it, otherwise you're better off reading an explainer of the text rather than the primary source
As a work of philosophy, this is a pretty poor book. Nitobe was an economist, not a historian or philosopher, and as such was demonstrably unqualified to write a book about Japanese culture. Because this book became so influential in the West, however, reading this text is a useful window into Japan's engagement with that part of the world post Meiji restoration. To understand the context of this book, however, requires the reader to know about Japan's stature in the world in the 1880s, its recent acquisition of Hokkaido, its designs on Korea and China, and how Japanese academics latched on to the burgeoning eugenics movement. If you have that background you'll be able to appreciate the book and gain a few nuggets from it, otherwise you're better off reading an explainer of the text rather than the primary source