Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Again Endo takes a hold of the Christian faith and shows us its simplicity and its strength. Here we have the Samurai and the missionary who both pursue the material and the worldly. The Missionary strives to gain trade with "Nueva Espana" and become Bishop of Japan, and the Samurai to regain the ancestral lands once belonging to his family. As both men travel through "Nueva Espana" and Europe they find that their lives are touched by each other and the mysterious "man on the cross". To the missionary this man finally fills the void that wordliness left empty. To the Samurai the man on the cross becomes "a mangy dog who will never betray ... and never leave." Both men are touched by the "man on the cross" and in the end find peace in surrender. In The Samurai Endo takes historical characters and forms a novel that is vivid, touching and alive.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent
Review: Great novel. Not as powerful as Silence but still a classic! Endo does an excellent job of showcasing the power of christianity without force feeding it the way a western writer would tend to. This story is very subdued and theres never that huge climax that some may expect, instead Endo carries strong points throughout the entire book. I dont quite understand the reviewer who said you cant learn everything about Japan in this book, was I supposed to?
Rating:
Summary: Powerful, Profound; Endo's Other Masterpiece.
Review: I found "The Samurai" to be not quite as powerful and stark as "Silence," and the themes are similar--but this novel is more complex and nuanced in its characterization and scenario. Once again Endo emphasizes the lowly, humble nature of Christ (who is described repeatedly as "that emaciated man"), and how understanding this nature of God is the key for the spiritual awakenings of both the scheming Velasco and the humble samurai. At times I felt the point was a bit overdrawn and obvious, but by the book's second half most of my objections had disappeared; Endo's sheer skill at narration and portraying elegaic tragedy is unmatched.This is still an excellent novel. Highly recommended, as both a historical adventure and a rumination on what it means to take up one's Cross and follow Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: A gloriously honorable tragedy
Review: One of the biggest surprises I have received in the last year was "The Samurai", for good reason. Though it starts slowly, this novel is a gripping tale of determination, sacrifice, honor, deceit, and love, following a group of three Japanese noblemen and a Spanish priest in their trek from Japan to Rome. The priest hopes to be declared Bishop of Japan in order to oversee the missionary effort in that country, and is willing to sacrifice almost anything to conquer the religious intolerance of Japan at the time. The noblemen are trying to regain family lands by succeeding in their mission to establish trade between Japan and Nueva Espana. I could not put this novel down once the quest began, and I nearly wept as I finished it. I highly recommend this novel to one and all.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling narrarive
Review: Shusaku Endo is a great writer. The way he recreates with painstaking details both physical surroundings and state of mind of main characters leaves you feeling like you experienced it yourself. At the same time the main focus of this novel is religion, particularly christianity. The other stuff, such as description of travel by japanese envoys to Europe that took place in seventeenth century, although extremelly vivid and interesting, serves mostly as a background to more deeply embedded line of deliberation on the meaning of christianity. The book also helps to better understand the modern Japanese society through the prysm of the first experience between japanese and european societies. I gave it only four stars because I found the novel to be sometimes too slow, even repetitive, But it could me just my perception.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful exploration of the nature of the gospel
Review: Shusaku Endo's novel The Samurai is a brilliant look at the ways which western missionary efforts in the 1600's profoundly failed to take root in the eastern world of feudal Japan. It is the story of Father Velasco, a Spanish Franciscan missionary, who attempts to cope with the difficulties of proselytization of an increasingly isolationist Japan. Father Velasco believes he can guarantee the continued success of missionary work in Japan if only he can forge a strong trade alliance with the ports of Nueva Espana (modern-day central Mexico). Not only is he concerned with the continued spread of the gospel through Japan, but also with the spread of the influence his own order, the Franciscan society, over against the Jesuits who also are working in Japan. Through the successes of trade alliances, Velasco hopes to secure for himself the preeminent position of Bishop of Japan.
The Samurai is simultaneously the story of a poor peasant samurai, chosen among a handful of his compatriots, to accompany Velasco on this mission to forge a trade alliance. They are told that their families will be rewarded (indeed, honored) by their betters nearer to the emperor if they were to succeed in their mission. The samurai, who has never been away from his humble marshland fief, is anguished at the prospect of leaving his family and his homeland, but merely obeys--a trait deeply valued by the Japanese. Several other samurai and a cadre of servants accompany him on this long mission. Though each of the men represent different points of view on the outside world (from deeply suspicious to overwhelmingly accepting), none are truly interested in Velasco's Christianity for its own sake. While several of the Japanese end up submitting to the Christian sacrament of baptism, they do so only in the interest of their mission and they retain a distaste for the suffering figure that Velasco (and indeed the whole western world) seem to worship.
The story progresses through the terrible difficulties faced by this strange mix of eastern and western travelers. They press on through violent storms at sea, unwelcome receptions at the various ports they visit, local uprisings throughout Nueva Espana, and eventually end up in Spain and then in Rome, all the while pressing every advantage they can find to complete their trade alliance.
Their are essentially two great strengths to the story. First, it is simply an excellent adventure story of a difficult mission that takes a group of strong but naive men halfway round the world on an impossible mission. The story moves quickly and their is plenty to enthrall the reader along the way. Second, and more importantly, the story explores the adventure from two points of view, both Velasco's and the samurai's. As the story approaches climax, the reader is drawn more and more to the center of conflict between the eastern and western mindsets. At the novel's conclusion, no real bridge between the two cultures is ever built and the reader is left alone, defeated by the chasm. But Endo leaves the reader also with another experience. The reader, through the samurai character, is nevertheless brought into contact with the divine in way that subtly but manifestly changes him. Though beyond conscious experience, the samurai comes into contact with the Divine Will in moments of profound supernatural mystery and deep human sorrow, and ultimately finds fellowship with Velasco (and ultimately, with God) only in this experience. God triumphs in the shadowy mists of shared humanity that transcend culture.
The Samurai should be read by all those who sense a deepening divide growing between so-called "tribes" in the postmodern world. Endo's story is for the reader a poignant reminder of men's inability to bridge the deep cultural fissures we create for ourselves as well as a reminder of God's ability to do just that in the suffering figure who bore the cross.
Rating:
Summary: a stark and moving read
Review: The samurai is a thoroughly worthwhile read, set in Japan in the 16th century the plot revolves around the poor peasent Samurai "Hasekura" and how he get's embroiled against his will in the social, political and religious changes sweeping through his country. Endo's ability to create characters who are both perfect and flawed is his great achievment and you can empathise with almost every person in this book whether you agree with their motive's or not. Ultimetly the book is about discovery, the discovery of new worlds, the discovery of betrayal, perhaps even the discovery of salvation but most importantly the discovery that all men, though seperated by ocean's, religion's and nationalities, are all the same
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: This is a fictionalized account of a true event, a Japanese diplomatic expedition to Mexico and eventually to Spain and Rome. The characters are well drawn, and their motivations made clear notwithstanding the considerable cultural differences between their time/place and ours. Not a book you will soon forget -- highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent Choice
Review: This is a wonderful book to contrast with Clavell's vastly more popular "Shogun". It is the grunt Samurai's view of the waning moments of Chistiandom in Japan. "Samurai" is a terrific period piece, deeply tragic, and a great adventure all-in-one. The story survives translation remarkably well, with the Japanese subtleties in tact. "Samurai" is a window to the traditional Japanese psyche.
Rating: 
Summary: Pot Noodle Bushido
Review: This novel of a 17th century samurai's odyssey to Europe starts as a very straightforward story and rather continues that way, but towards the end, Endo does get in a few good points. The style is somewhat pedantic and staid, but easy to read. It's certainly not a zen classic and the story never really gets off the ground or totally convinces. The historical backdrops are paper thin and obvious cut-and-pastes from history textbooks. I must admit I am somewhat baffled by all the rave reviews here. I can only conclude that a lot of people who don't really have much experience of Japan, think they've stumbled upon some sort of motherlode of bushido spirit in this conveniantly Westernized piece of writing by a Japanesese Christian. Remember, not every Japanese woman is a geisha, and not every Japanese writer can wield his pen like a samurai's sword.
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