Rating: 
Summary: Good summary of Bushido concepts
Review: This book provides a good introduction to the concepts of Bushido, namely Loyalty, Duty and Courage. On the surface, the book goes to excrutiating detail on how to show these traits. This is useful, but not profound. When you apply the duties of a knight to his overlord in the context of modern business, it helps explain the salaryman phenomenon in Japan Inc. This is the true value of the book.This book is about individual performance, though and not strategy. As such, the lessons are more along the lines of "The Book of 5 rings" than "The Art of War". I found the overall lessons less profound than those classics, but that is not the responsibility of the translator. Cleary is an expert at translating Eastern thoughts for Western readers. My one complaint on the translation is the use of metaphors such as, "at the end of one's rope". It leaves the reader questioning the translation - was he trying to tranlate another metaphor, or is he turning a concrete concept into a cliche?
Rating:
Summary: Good summary of Bushido concepts
Review: This book provides a good introduction to the concepts of Bushido, namely Loyalty, Duty and Courage. On the surface, the book goes to excrutiating detail on how to show these traits. This is useful, but not profound. When you apply the duties of a knight to his overlord in the context of modern business, it helps explain the salaryman phenomenon in Japan Inc. This is the true value of the book. This book is about individual performance, though and not strategy. As such, the lessons are more along the lines of "The Book of 5 rings" than "The Art of War". I found the overall lessons less profound than those classics, but that is not the responsibility of the translator. Cleary is an expert at translating Eastern thoughts for Western readers. My one complaint on the translation is the use of metaphors such as, "at the end of one's rope". It leaves the reader questioning the translation - was he trying to tranlate another metaphor, or is he turning a concrete concept into a cliche?
Rating: 
Summary: The warriors way
Review: This is a great book whether you want to live like the Samurai did or your interested in a history lesson. I have been in martial arts for 14 years and i found several aspects of this book that will enhance my training, and just the general way I live my life. This is a must buy for anyone who is even mildly interested in the Samurai.
Rating:
Summary: informative and delightful
Review: Wonderful read, and unlike such weightier classics as THE ART OF WAR or THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS, this one is readily accessible to the western mind. After reading it twice, I came to think that everything after the first chapter -- nay, after the first two paragraphs -- was mere repetition. This is because all the behaviors and philosophies the author recommends would be the natural consequence if one truly were to "keep death in mind at every possible moment." The book is a series of short chapters like "Loyalty," "Finances," "Personal Appearance;" each describing the ideal behavior of an ideal samurai with respect to each. I can't comment on the organization or skill of Cleary's translation, though, since I know of no other version of this book. However I am inclined to think it is adept, since the nature of the work suggests the original Japanese would be extremely stiff. This is not the case with the English. Gripes: 1. Note that this is a thin book; you can read it in about an hour. I was expecting something much thicker, at least the size of THE UNFETTERED MIND, say. 2. Oscar Ratti's illustrations will be disappointing to those familiar with his work in SECRETS OF THE SAMURAI and AIKIDO: THE DYNAMIC SPHERE. There are only a handful of them, and that handful isn't very interesting. 3. The binding of this book came apart rather quickly, after just the first read. Perhaps just my copy, though. 4. Sadly, the introduction by Cleary is completely forgettable.
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