Bushido, the Soul of Japan (tenth revised edition, 1905)

Nitobe Inazō · 22 May 1905

The book opens with

The fault lies with church methods and forms that obscure Christ's teachings, not with the teachings themselves

Their wordsIt is with ecclesiastical methods and with the forms which obscure the teachings of Christ, and not with the teachings themselves, that I have little sympathy. I believe in the religion taught by Him and handed down to us in the New Testament, as well as in the law written in the heart.

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Our reading
The fault lies with church methods and forms that obscure Christ's teachings, not with the teachings themselves

Their wordsIt is with ecclesiastical methods and with the forms which obscure the teachings of Christ, and not with the teachings themselves, that I have little sympathy. I believe in the religion taught by Him and handed down to us in the New Testament, as well as in the law written in the heart.
Our reading
Chivalry is as native to Japan as the cherry blossom and is still a living moral force there

Their wordsChivalry is a flower no less indigenous to the soil of Japan than its emblem, the cherry blossom; nor is it a dried-up specimen of an antique virtue preserved in the herbarium of our history. It is still a living object of power and beauty among us; and if it assumes no tangible shape or form, it not the less scents the moral atmosphere, and makes us aware that we are still under its potent spell.
Our reading
Under feudalism, benevolence is what saved Japan from despotism of the worst kind

Their wordsUnder the régime of feudalism, which could easily be perverted into militarism, it was to Benevolence that we owed our deliverance from despotism of the worst kind.
Our reading
Feudalism should not be identified with despotism

Their wordsLet it be far from me to uphold despotism of any sort; but it is a mistake to identify feudalism with it.
Our reading
Politeness that comes only from fear of offending taste is a poor virtue; it should express regard for others' feelings

Their wordsPoliteness is a poor virtue, if it is actuated only by a fear of offending good taste, whereas it should be the outward manifestation of a sympathetic regard for the feelings of others.
Our reading
Discipline in self-control can go too far, repressing the soul and distorting pliant natures

Their wordsDiscipline in self-control can easily go too far. It can well repress the genial current of the soul. It can force pliant natures into distortions and monstrosities.
Our reading
Bushido may vanish as a separate code of ethics, but its power and light will survive

Their wordsBushido as an independent code of ethics may vanish, but its power will not perish from the earth; its schools of martial prowess or civic honor may be demolished, but its light and its glory will long survive their ruins.

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