Bushido: The Warrior's Code

The book is an ideal introduction to Bushido. It offers a simple insight into 19th Century Japanese society in short chapters. A Japanese forum recommended this book to me to help in my research for my next book. One of the more interesting ideas the author offers is how Bushido is quite similar to chivalry during the Middle Ages in Europe. That concept helped me to comprehend what Bushido meant to the Japanese.

The book will help you get into the mind of the Samurai. Has an excellent description of an actual sepuku ceremony.

Bushido is literally translated "warrior path" and this book explains that path in to-the-point detail. the whole book is filled with inspiring quotes, practical advice and a good look at what a feudal samurai had to be. Some other things are explained, such as suppuku (ritual suicide), honor, commitment and more. For those interested in the martial arts, Japanese history and fighting cultures... this is an excellent book. It is well combined with "The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi, "The Art of War" By Sun Tzu, "The Tao te Ching" by Lao Tzu and "budoshoshinshu" by Daidoji Yuzan.

This is a good introduction to Bushido for Western readers. A little dramatic but then again, it does capture the ethos of the subject.