Bushido: The Way of the Samurai (Square One Classics)

"I can't better the other review below except to say that this translation of the Bushido is far easier to read, understand, digest and put into daily practice than the hoards of other versions of "Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai by Tsunetomo Yamamoto" which this book is based upon.

Despite a totally different translation, nothing is lost when you put the two books side by side and compare them to each other.

An earlier, and I think more reliable, version of the Bushi-do was written by Daidôji Yûzan called the "Bushido Shoshinshu: The Warrior's Primer". A translation of which can be seen by either William Scott Wilson or Thomas Cleary.


By the way, the title "Bushi-do" does not mean "Hidden behind the Leaves", that is the translation of the "Hagakure". You will easily recognise the two parts of the word: Bushi (Warrior) & do (the way) - The Way of the Warrior (or Samurai).
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~ Written on 2007-02-08

"The title means "hidden leaves" and is great for people who are trying to learn Japanese culture. The book is great at expressing the arts of the Samurai in times of peace. It was written during the Edo period of Japan which was ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate. The idea of the book is not exactly rare, as there are many books written on the Bushido, the way of the Samurai. But it is still a great book, as most other bushido books are written during times of war. This makes Hagakure more useful than most other Bushido books, because people are more likely to relate to this book with their struggles, as it is often used metaphorically by shrewd businessmen and and even military figures in Japan to this day."
~ Written on 2003-10-19