Bushido: The Soul of Japan

Bushido: The Soul of Japan, Published in 1900 is a book written by InazōNitobe exploring the way of the samurai. Bushido: The Soul of Japanwas a best-seller in its day, it was read by many influential foreigners, among them President Theodore Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy and Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts. Bushido is the chivalric code of moral principles that the Samurai followed: rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honour 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. In Bushido, Nitobe points out similarities between Western and Japanese history and culture. He argues that ""no matter how different any two cultures may appear to be on the surface, they are still created by human beings, and as such have deep similarities."" Nitobe believed that connecting Bushido with greater teachings could make an important contribution to all humanity-that the way of the Samurai is not something peculiarly Japanese, but of value to the entire human race.