Rating: 
Summary: Code of the Samurai
Review: A must-have. I have always been fascinated by japanese culture and history, especially feudal Japan. This book is a master-piece and it gives a perspective of life that we westerners are losing each day. Qualities like honor, respect and kindness in the midst of adversity are being replaced by sheer materialism, greed and wasted lives. The importance of this book is immense when we think about the post-modern world - without any kind of good standard of living. I really can't say anything about the translation but the reading is fluid and agreable. A tiny book of great wisdom.
Rating: 
Summary: Simple, Essential
Review: A simple Handbook for the "warriors, correcting wayward tendencies, and outlining the personal, social, and professional standards of conduct .... the Japanese chivalric tradition", yet what it has to offer can be much valued even for everyday life! It should be incorporated into every child's mind--and there we would find in 20 years a TRUE change in our society.
Rating:
Summary: A good translation.
Review: A very good translation of the Bushido Shoshinsu.Much of what is writen in the book is compatible with todays lifestyle. As an apprentice in the martial arts, I can only say that this book gives some good ideas about the way of the warrior, bushido.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Martial Arts Primer
Review: Anyone who is interested in the Bushido or any martial arts should read this book! Once again, Thomas Cleary does an excellent job of translating the essence of one of the classics of Feudal Japan. One word of advice I would give to readers is to read this book slowly. The depth of the book's passages far outweigh their length. I've found it best to read a passage and reflect on it in my everyday life before continuing to the next passage. Overall, this is a tremendous book that continues to have a great impact on how I go about my martial arts training, and my daily activities. After all, the martial way isn't just for the training hall and the dojo.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Martial Arts Primer
Review: Anyone who is interested in the Bushido or any martial arts should read this book! Once again, Thomas Cleary does an excellent job of translating the essence of one of the classics of Feudal Japan. One word of advice I would give to readers is to read this book slowly. The depth of the book's passages far outweigh their length. I've found it best to read a passage and reflect on it in my everyday life before continuing to the next passage. Overall, this is a tremendous book that continues to have a great impact on how I go about my martial arts training, and my daily activities. After all, the martial way isn't just for the training hall and the dojo.
Rating: 
Summary: Some Good Common Sense but Inordinately Sexist
Review: As a fan of Thomas Cleary and a student of both the martial arts and eastern philosophy, I read this little book with great interest. But, as with many ancient texts including the Bible, it is written to men by men and has some sexist passages which I find offensive. Having said that, I understand that as a female reader I only have to overlook these passages and apply the entire text to myself as if I were a man. But in the 21st century when our young women are fighting and dying on the battlefield along side our young men, I find this a repulsive necessity. Most of what the book admonishes the warrior to do is basic common sense and some of it is, in my opinion, not especially good advice at that. But for its historical value I think the book is a good read. And for students of military history or Japanese culture or the martial arts, this is a useful book and has some interesting passages. Susanna K. Hutcheson
Owner/Executive Copy Director
Powerwriting.com LLC
Rating:
Summary: Still applicable today
Review: At first glance, this is just a wonderful historical relic. It's stiff and formal, as you might expect of a guide to proper behavior. It was meant to guide young men of the warrior class in an era when war was a fading memory. Even in its day, somewhere around 1700AD, during the Tokugawa era, it was probably a bit old-fashioned. For all that, Shigesuke's advice is remarkably applicable to modern society. Things like loyalty to an employer have almost gone out of style. Today's employers are different, but some employees need the reminder that a paycheck imposes obligations on the receiver. The advice about treating one's wife with courtesy is painfully up to date, as counter-examples in every day's news will show. The idea of maintaining professional skills, even when not immediately needed, is still quite current. So are the needs for basic skills in social setting and for basic education. I am not a student of martial arts. I am a participant in today's business world. This slim volume still has something to say to me, in this different place and century.
Rating:
Summary: great research material
Review: I am somewhat at a loss as to why this book, Code of the Samurai, fascinates me. I liked it enough that I bought a copy for my husband and would consider giving it as a gift to several friends who have interests in "courtly behavior," "chivalry," and "medieval" Japanese history in general (all are members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, like I am). I have never made it through an entire reading of The Art of War and quite frankly The Book of Five Rings was no better as a shortened form thereof. Code of the Samurai is really neither of these books and shares little more than a common Asian ancestry. Instead, it reads rather like one of the pre-1600s Western culture books of proper behavior (for members of recreation organizations, think books like The Babees Book and the Book of Courtesey). Instead of Western Europe, however, this one is set in Tokugawa-era Japan (if I am remembering my history correctly). The book very clearly addresses the actual life of a samurai. Thankfully, the book does not heavily focus on the martial aspects of the samurai's life (though these are touched upon) nor the esoteric, philosophical ideals that might be expected of a book on "Bushido." Instead, the examples of this book simply show you the proper and improper behavior of samurai in a variety of situations as they were viewed in classical Japan. Unfortunately, I cannot speak for the accuracy of the translation because this book includes only the modern English (and I don't read classical or modern Japanese). The text as a whole, despite the lack of original manuscript versions, is rendered in an easy-to-follow style that you can read straight through or only a chapter at a time, at your leisure.
Rating:
Summary: A good book to read and reread
Review: I bought this book out of interest in samurai philosophy and culture that originates in my study of jujutsu. Part of my own personal development that coincides with my physical training is that I read everything I can on the lives, deeds, and philosophy of the samurai. This is where the art I've chosen to study originates, and I want to try my best to understand those original intentions for the physical skills I'm learning. This book does an admirable job of detailing the warrior's life and the expectations that are upon him. However, since I am not educated in the Japanese language, I can only read it in this English translation. I think the original intent is still there, but a lot of the translation sounds as if it was written with businessmen in mind, much like many translations of Musashi that are also translated with that audience in mind. Since I would not buy a book after reading something like this in a review, let me say this: The translation, I feel, could be more true to the setting in which the book was written, but the lessons put forth are the same ones that the samurai were to learn and follow. That is the intent of the book, and that is what a close reading will reveal.
Rating:
Summary: The Authority
Review: I myself may be the last true samurai left on the planet and this book's message may have been what inspired me on my path of training. This is not just a book. The messages inside will change your life if you intend to be a samurai retainer (like myself), samurai warrior or a master/overlord (good luck!). This book may be the reason that I will not die as the last Samurai.
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