Bushido: The Soul of Japan

By: Israel Bouseman, Inazo Nitobe

Narrated by: Diana Gardiner

Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2017 AudioLearn (P)2017 AudioLearn

Wow.

First off, the narrator did an excellent job. She pronounced every word and name properly and effortlessly. Inazo Nitobe was an amazing author and man, and this book is proof of his extraordinary life.

Good book - unneeded lengthy foreword

What made the experience of listening to Bushido: The Soul of Japan the most enjoyable?

The actual book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but without foreword.

Any additional comments?

I don't know how I missed that good part (about an hour) of this audiobook is foreword where Bouseman tries to explain book before you read it, anyway it confused the hell out of me. When the actual book written by Nitobe started only at that point I actually figured that all until than was a overly lengthy foreword. Actual book is amazing and educational. If you want the real deal skip the foreword.

Good reference to understand Japanese culture

Not a simple listening for non native English speaker, there are many references in old style. But it explaims how current Japanese behavior was developed. Recommended

Good Book

Loved the book, Inazo Nitobe work is inspiring, and the narrator did really well.

But I got confused on how the chapters were broken up, the summaries seemed unnecessary, and had some trouble telling what was Nitobe and what was Bouseman.

Good book if you have a thesaurus handy.

The content was very good. It did seem at times that the author was trying to impress you with his vocabulary though.

didn't understand/like it

this is either not my cup of tea or nonsense! sorry guys. some of these Japanese and Chinese ideologies don't sound practical today.