It’s refreshing to hear about cultures that feature politeness, chivalry and honor. So many modern cultures seem to revolve around lawlessness and criminal behavior.
The traditional Samurai were the victims of the fake "Restoration" of 1868 (fake - as the supposed letter from the Emperor demanding a new regime, was a forgery) - for a time they were not even allowed to carry their traditional swords (ritual humiliation). The new regime rested on a conscript army (and a state education system) in which Japanese people were taught to obey any order - no matter how dishonourable it was. By the Second World War this process of indoctrination (including the change of Shrine Shinto into State Shinto) and conquest of lands overseas had been going on for about 70 years - so to blame the atrocities committed by the Japanese military in the 1930s and early 1940s on a traditional society (and code of honour) that had been smashed decades before, is mistaken.
My father fought on Okinawa and was loaded onto the transports prepared for the invasion of the home islands when the Japanese surrendered. He always quipped that the bomb was not the reason, but rather that the emperor had discovered he was on the way. He spent some months in the occupation army before rushing home to create me and he told stories of some encounters with fanatics that did not follow the emperors orders.
Excellent story, really enjoyed it. Like a lot of men of a certain age, swagger is replaced by self deprecating humour, and all the better for it. Thanks for sharing 🙏
Bushido was a concept that became formalised quite late on. It was to become the way of a tamed Samurai. The Samurai of the waring states period were just as ruthless as any other warriors, their main objective was to take as many heads as they could in battle, and gain rank. The Yakuza liked to see themselves as the inheritors of the Samurai mantle, but were thugs. The English did what they did at Agincourt because after their victory they were still outnumbered by the enimy, and feared reprisals.
Bushido really only applied to Japanese warrior classes from what I have read over the decades... the lower classes were expected to bow down or die, and so were any foreigners...
Donn F Draeger, an American, wrote extensively on the subject of Budo and the martial ways of Japan. His three volumes: Classical Bujutsu, Classical Budo and Modern Bujutsu and Budo provide excellent insights into Japanese culture and the philosophy that underpins the concept of Bushido and its impact on the development of Japanese martial arts in particular and Japanese society in general. All three volumes published in the early 70's.
Had to laugh "I doubt children would be taught about Agencourt, nowadays". On the point of that battle. The Knights did refuse to kill the fallen knights on the ground; it was the archers who did it. So the Knights were following a chiralvic code of honor,
The only reason they didn't want them killed is so they could ransom them, the archers killed for their own preservation not to forget the so called French knights had attacked the waggon train with the women and their children that did the cooking and mending.
Members of the lower orders generally do the dirty work of every regime. They will also shoulder the subsequent penalties and carry the shame. I'm remembering"The Reader" by Bernard Schlink...
I always chuckle when I think of the "mercy" the archers would have received if the situation was reversed. Most of the archers were not keen to kill the knights. Some of them were sitting on fortunes...
It's a book I own but never read - picked it up many years back when I was still training in martial arts- think I'll give it a twirl now-thanks for the review Simon 👍
My personal favorite on the code of the Samurai is Yukio Mishima's translation of the Hagakure. Obscured by leaves originally written in the 16 hundreds. at its time of release in the 70's it was described by one reviewer as 'a nasty little' book !
@@grahamdavis820 I think that on reflection the reason that it was not very well received by Western reviewers was because of the opening statement - ''The way of the Samurai is death'' But then the book was not written for Western critics .
Bushido and all things Samurai actually originated in Nigeria. I know, I read it in a book by David Olusoga. Which is actually being made into a theatre production starring Sir Lenny Henry, and will be performed in Travel Lodge establishments up and down the country.😏😂
This is true..little known fact, when the Japanese surrendered, Gen MacArthur was surprised to find Hirohito was black ( as the Emperor had never been seen in public) that he got a stand in to pretend to be the Emperor for the famous picture of the two standing side by side. Because he new it would cause an uproar and civil unrest if Americans new a black man ( and a living God) was responsible for the attack on Pearl harbor.
Hi another leading author on the Samurai and their medieval wars is Stephen Turnbull written a lot on them and their organisation. I'm reading book on the rise of imperial Japan. The Samurai was against the western modernisation of Japan led a rebellion against the government known as the Satsuma or Boshin civil wars about late 1800s which was depicted in the Tom Cruise film The Last Samurai. Its interesting how the Japanese morphed much into Western style militarism while retaining what they believed was the Bushido code
As an avid reader of the chûsei period of Japanese history, and of the Taira, Minamoto, and Ashikaga, I believe I may pick this book up. I usually avoid books on bushido but as you recommend it, I will try it. I’m not expecting it to be anywhere near as good as the Akō vendetta, but then, that’s a very difficult act to follow.
I remember at my junior school in the 1960's we had a Welsh teacher (not a teacher of Welsh but a teacher who happened to be Welsh) called Mr Evans. His hobby horse was that it was the Welsh, not the English, who won the battle of Agincourt because, according to him, the archers were all Welshmen. I don't know if this is true or not. Maybe some of you who know more about such matters then I do can shed some light on this.
No it's not true, CHESHIRE ARCHERS The King's Secret Weapon The Cheshire archers were a body of elite soldiers noted for their skills with the longbow that fought in many engagements in Britain and France in the Middle Ages. Battles at which there were sizeable numbers of Cheshire archers include Agincourt and Crecy. Richard II employed a bodyguard of these yeoman archers who came from the Macclesfield Hundred and the forest districts of Cheshire.
The longbow was originally a Welsh hunting weapon which was employed with such devastating effect on the invading Normans that they adopted it for their own use, even making its practice compulsory throughout the rest of England because it was such a difficult weapon to wield that one had to be trained from childhood be in constant practice in order to be effective.
I read a great book on Japanese culture. Written by a journalist stationed in Japan in 1947. McArthur was still in charge. He wrote about the social network. If a part you were fine. If outside not so good. Lost the title and author, but so good.
It's a long time ago that I read it, but 'The Book of Five Rings' by Miyamato Musashi might also make interesting reading. Written in the 1600s it is a type of text book for samurai covering swordplay and the psychology of success in battle. It used to be, and perhaps still is, a popular read amongst Japanese business men.
Apart from reading James Clavell’s ‘Shogun’ (and watching the subsequent TV series of course), the only book I ever bought on the subject of Samurai (and still have) is Stephen R Turnbull’s ‘The Book of the Samurai, The Warrior Class of Japan’ (Arms and Armour Press; 1982). Been a long time since I read it and I assume that, naturally, the accuracy of it has probably diminished over time. Checking the index references to Bushido in it, I must take the time to read it again - would be interesting to compare both book’s respective bibliographies.
For the Japanese it's always about honour. Crime is almost unknown and your bike will never be stolen even if you don't lock it up. Trains run on time. To be late is dishonourable. A commuter train once derailed and crashed into an apartment block in Japan because the driver couldn't face the dishonour of being behind schedule. His service had been required to take more and more passengers while keeping to the same schedule meaning delays at stations but no adjustments to the timetable were made taking this into account. About 100 were killed in the crash.
Bushido was not a nationally unified code of conduct fixed at a moment in any particular time. It was followed by a fraction of the Japanese population and it changed as well as being re enterpreted for particular situations or orders that were made. Sometimes orders were contrary to Bushido as in the story of the 47 Ronin. Stories of Bushido and other martial daring do were encouraged by the Japanese military during conflicts to encourage ordinary soldiers to dream of fighting like a Samurai.
Fascinating. The original book "Bushido, the Samurai warrior code*" is on TH-cam as an audiobook - I believe it's the one you refer to at the start. I used to listen to it to get to sleep, mainly :) *Inazo Nitobe
Simon , your comments about Agincourt are slightly disturbing. Chivalry went out of the window. The English archers were not of noble stock. They were fighting for their lives and their country. They were heavily out numbered. I'm sure you and I would kick Chivalry into the long grass if our lives depended on it. Sadly, these days , the English roll over and pander to anybody. A video talking about The Fox's Prophecy would be good. Keep up the good work.
I don't think they knew they had won at that stage, the ones fallen in the mud were by no means all of the French nobles, the rest were still out there and represented a significant threat. So, despatching what were in effect small fortunes in potential ransom money, would not have been a step taken lightly unless facing a potentially larger threat that could have re-engaged the battle. The fact was, they did not have enough spare men to guard them, so had to tap them on the head and prepare for the next onslaught. From hindsight we now know that never came, the other French nobles having bravely run away!
There is an interesting background to the savagery and barbarism displayed by the Japanese military during WWII. The Japanese and the British military had a good working relationship up to 1920. Prior to that there existed "The Anglo - Japanese Friendship Treaty" which was signed in 1854 and lasted to 1920. Under the provisions of this treaty, both parties exchanged military personnel, trained each other's forces and sent their kids to each other's universities. The friendships existed on both a personal and professional level. It also had a significant influence on the culture of both military forces. In 1920, as a result of British Empire internal politics which are a big story in themselves, the treaty was cancelled. This had huge ramifications to Japan, both economically and socially. The Japanese viewed this as a huge act of betrayal and act of treachery. It affected the culture of their military and population in general. A generally pro European culture reversed to a blind hatred. Consequently, it led to an anti European government being installed in Japan, followed by the militarism and invasion of nearby countries. It has been argued that the cancellation of this treaty led directly to WWII. However, it also provides a context for the savagery and hatred the Japanese felt for the people who they felt had betrayed them.
What nonsense. You seek to blame the victims for Japanese atrocities, disgusting. How then do you explain the atrocities committed against the Chinese and other Asian peoples? If someone tells you that he doesn’t want to be your friend anymore, is that an excuse for you to kick him in the nuts and run away?
@@terrencewalker8219 Perhaps you should work on your reading comprehension skills. I at no time blamed the victims, and I made a point of drawing attention to the savagery and barbarism of the Japanese military. In addition, I gave some historical background which provides some context to their attitude at the time. The cancellation of the friendship treaty resulted in a total collapse of the Japanese economy, and thousands of people literally starved to death in the resulting famine.
@@MelbaOzzie you are full of shit. The only time that you drew attention to Japanese atrocities was when you tried to explain them by the actions of others. Perhaps you are unable to read and comprehend your own statements. They are written plainly and convey the meaning to which I have contributed them.
The Japanese should've allied themselves with the British in 1940, instead of the Germans. "Allow us to access oil and other materials. In return we'll escort and defend your vessels between Suez and Singapore, and send an expeditionary force to assist you in north Africa". Perhaps it didn't happen because the UK regarded the USA as a better partner than Japan.
One of my favourite books I own is by Sir Russel of Liverpool who wrote the Knights of the Bushido, and also wrote The Scourge of the Swastika, it covers the treatment of POW
If any of you have the chance to visit Snowshill Manor (National Trust), take a look at the display of samurai armour. A group of samurai gathered around a night time camp fire; evocative and atmospheric. The suits of armour and weapons are great examples of their type.
when Antony Cumminside went to the Butlins Fusaki beach resort as a child, all the inside info was passed onto him by Jackie WhatyuknowKnow a long term life guard and part time , worked at Sam Your Fries fish and chip shop on the seafront, friar Jackie had an embarrassing great bald patch and wore a cross around her waist but we will not mention that
I’ve followed Cummins’ channel and his work for quite some time and his research is absolutely on-point, his books are essential. I’ve got a few copies of his books on my shelf and a few more on the way to me as we speak-Haven’t had time to read any of them yet as I’m focusing on more immediately important reading in the health department but his books are all very highly-rated online receiving large praise all-round.
I suspect that there was a lot of Meiji era gilding of many aspects of Samurai honour and chivalry. Partly this was due to an increasingly militarily ambitious government wanting stories of a past golden age to aspire to in order to instil militaristic values and patriotism into a generation. Partly, this was martial arts instructors (who were suddenly not very relevant in an age of firearms) looking to infuse their teachings with a bit of fortune cookie philosophy to make it attractive to their new civilian clients. And of course, the likes of Jigaro Kano blended the two.
Might I suggest 'Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan' by Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook? It's a bit DRY; but it seems quite comprehensive to the point of being definitive.
In WW1, the Japanese were exemplary in behaviour, and their German prisoners from battles in China were full of praise for their captors. ...... Britain and Japan were in alliance, and had much in common, particularly in naval terms. ...... When this close connection was severed by Britain in the 1920s, Japan's attitude changed, particularly as Japan's demands for resources fast outstripped those easily acquired. ...... For this reason Japan continued her territorial expansion, that begun in 1910 with Korea, by taking parts of nearby Asia such as Manchuria, and parts of China. ...... The attacks on China brought Japan into conflict with those European powers, including Britain, who either had possessions ( such as Britain's Hong Kong ), or had trade concessions in places such as Shanghai. The brutality of Japanese politics meant the assassination of politicians, and the bitter divisions between the Japanese army and navy were central to Japanese government. ...... The entire Japanese war strategy of WW2 was of a Push Me - Pull You kind of thing, with the army bogged down in China, and the navy rushing off almost to Australia and India, with a nation so dependent on shipping, and an inadequate industrial infrastructure, it was simply biting off far more than they could hope to chew. Lord Russell's book, The Knights of Bushido, was an eye-opener to me, and I have never forgotten the photo of the Indian POWs lined up as living targets on a firing range at Singapore. ...... Some brutality to British POWs attributed to the Japanese, is in fact due to Koreans, whose were brutalised by the Japanese, and both sides of North and South Koreans could be brutal in the Korean War. ...... The atrocities carried out by the Japanese at Camp 731 beggar belief. ...... But how could senior Japanese officers - presumably believers in Samurai values - execute in cold blood allied airmen, and cook and eat delicacies such as the liver? When around 10, I visited a retired British Brigadier who had a Japanese wife, and although this is over 50 years ago, I still recall his British military bearing, and her exotic gentleness that filled their London apartment. ...... I was thinking of going to Sandhurst, and my family in Devon were having my checked out by various senior officers. ...... The Brigadier took me to the Imperial War Museum - quite a treat for a Devon boy, whose access to military things was limited to my father's exploits as an officer on HM Submarine in WW2, and digging through a drawer in a linen press filled with officer's swords, and even a huge Turkish executioner's sword with a solid brass handle with a cock's head ( the blade was 3 inches or more wide, and the sword was perfectly balanced by the weight of the handle ). ...... Having digressed slightly, I am proud to have briefly known that Japanese lady, and to have remembered her all these years. Life is a Paradox, is it not? ...... We see every possibility displayed before us. ...... Surely what matters, is what we choose, and the consequences that Karma brings to us all, for just as Life appears to be only a paradox, yet Perfect Justice is there too - if one has the eye to see Karma at work.
I have read and still own several books by Stephen Turnbull on the military history of the Samurai .What particularly fascinated me was the continuous strife between the various noble houses that only really ended with the Tokugawa Shogunate .It is not entirely unique as evidenced by England which virtually from about the time the Romans went home in the fifth century AD, through the Norman 'Harrying of the North ', when Christ and his Saints slept in the twelfth century up to the end of the eighteenth century knew all about 'The age of The country at war '.The common folk knew all about the much heralded honour and chivalry of the 'Warrior elite '.
I'll have to get a copy of the book as I'm a reader of feudal Japan and before and after. Several authors have written books on the ways of Bushido. My father read the book "knights of the Bushido". The samurai were of different status and rank not indifferent to European warrior classes.
Try having a read of the publication 'Knights Of Bushido' a code quite diverse of our own civilisation & certainly no excuse for their barbarity some decades back.
I read the book by Iris Chang "The Rape Of Nanking" years ago, it pretty much dispelled any Romanic or chivalrous view of Japanese nobility or Samurai I'd had previously, much like the vaunted ethics and nobility of the German upper class during World War Two.
A book to interesting to compare with Bushido Soul of Japan is Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. Both books were using a romanticised and false view of the past to push an agenda in the present day (i.e. for when they were written). Although the two books have very different aims and very different perspectives on the same area of history.
The french at agincourt flew the red flag meaning they would take no prisoners and the English would be put to death if they were captured.Chivalry was not in the rules of combat that day.
Sounds like an interesting read, and of course Watkins bookshop in central London is an excellent place to find many fascinating books on religion, esoterica, the occult etc
"Cummins has positioned himself as a character of controversy, a sound tactic for attracting attention and views to his videos and publications, as seen by the success of President Donald J. Trump, who used a similar tactic to great effect. In a similar vein to President Trump, Cummins makes volatile and often inflammatory statements in his videos which attract the attention of the legitimate martial arts community." rent-free.
"legitimate martial arts" is a bit of an oxymoron these days. Most of the supposedly "traditional" martial arts are less than a century old and have been found wanting when pressure tested against other training methods.
Bu-Shi-Do. Bushi. ( Warrior ) Do ( way, path ) Very difficult for anyone who hasn't trained fully in Martial Arts to fully understand the implications . Chivalry does not explain what the term means. Most people think it means being " nice " to your opponent. Quite the opposite in fact. A Samurai would be trained to fight to the end, never surrender, and never be taken prisoner Japanese soldiers of WW2 were expected to have Bu-Shi-Do . ( Kamikaze ) So anyone allowing themselves to be captured didn't have Bu-Shi-Do spirit so deserved to die. Which explains the way they treated POWs. Reading about the history , of Samurai, doesn't fully explain the mindset you had to have to be a true warrior.
What motivated Cummins to write this? Have we now so totally maligned, belittled and deconstructed the entire history of the West that we must now set out to do the same to the Orient?
Simon, have you heard the ludicrous claim that black Africans were the original Samurai and ninja? Apparently they travelled to Asia and taught it to the Japanese and Chinese. I wish that I was making this up, but I'm not. And the rationale for it is that they dress in dark clothing.
Japan has a fascinating culture, that still beguiles the West until this day. It was only recently that I discovered the plight of the Burakumin, that particular nation's underclass.
The Samurai were legally allowed to chop off peasants heads so to practice their swordsmanship. So chivalry, when practiced, was only between the Japanese aristocracy
oh come on , it is well known that Japan in the 1600's was inhabited by blks and that an invading army of interlopers killed or enslaved them and stole Bushido off them. The new japanese then became who we see today . Its all true and in this book I'm making up right now , "Bantu Japan" . Don't fail to miss it !
If you read much on WW2, it's easy to find instances of scrupulous law-abiding by Germans. On the other hand... Ordinary psycho-sociopathic type-A's exist everywhere. Tsujigiri's a good one for the Mary's, as contrary as they are to any law, whilst draping themselves in whatever tattered soiled rag is local. *13 Assassins is good, surely one of the longest fight scenes in cinema - 45mins or so, & a very entertaining film.
Yes the history i read on the samurai did not paint them as saviours of the poor and farm workers more the oppressors . Murder of unarmed peasant's was deemed okay and some took it to far and where dishonoured and deemed as Ronin . Female samurai where called " Onna - Bugeisha ". The Bushido code died with the last samurai in 1877 . The resurrected code was a bastardized one that the Japanese Military abuse to get their soldiers to fight to the death .
The modernisation of the Imperial Japanese Army was heavily influenced by the French in the late 1800’s until the French were defeated in by a collective of German States in the war of 1871. Thereafter the Japanese IJA was influenced and advised by German/Prussian military advisers. The French made a comeback in the early 1900’s when they advised the Japanese on its Air Arm.. The Imperial Japanese Navy had many American and European influences in its modernisation and was the 3rd largest Naval Power in the World after the British and US Navies in the 1920’s. I lived in Japan for several years and a Japanese friend of mine whose Father fought in the IJA told him that the ordinary Japanese soldiers were primarily drawn from rural Japan and were often brutalised by the Officer Class. I don’t know if this is factual but trends certainly in armies of that era, young men sent out by old men to fight. Whatever the history of conflicts all War is Hell! …must have a read of that book Simon 👍.
Hey man the ‘Samurai’ could have been Serbian mercenaries. When Serbs went to war their battle cry was ‘Sam u raj’ which in English means ‘alone to heaven’. The Samurai were bigger and hairier than the local orientals and brought over to fight for the empire.
I struggled to read mien kampf and eventually gave up because I didn't know anything about the politics, history and cultures of the regions Hitler was writing about
So does this book fall into the "revisionist" camp, that is the popular modern trend of "rubbishing" previously revered historical characters and ideas?
It’s refreshing to hear about cultures that feature politeness, chivalry and honor. So many modern cultures seem to revolve around lawlessness and criminal behavior.
It is easy to be polite to someone who is likely to murder you for the most minor infraction.
Their silliness benefitted the Mongols, as ours is benefitting the horde of 2022.
Great review Simon, but the question is, if they are going to make a BBC adaptation, how many black Samurai will they cast?
😂🍶😂🍶😂
47
There was actually a black samuri, and an english samuri.
Just bought the book, waiting for delivery 👍
one! he will be played by Forest Whitaker and it shall be called Ghost Dog!
Hi Simon. Thank you so much for doing this book review for me. I am glad you had a chance to read the book. All the best with the channel.
Simon, I swear I see you daily more than I see my parents. God bless you, you're the best of this site.
Mrs. Hetty has said the same!
The Samurai had been wiped out decades before the second World War, the army of Japan had little to do with the way of the warrior Bushido.
Search TH-cam for a 2021 video entitled: "Why BUSHIDO Is The Root of All Social Problems in Japan".
@John James Is "soke the Woke" somebody's username?
The traditional Samurai were the victims of the fake "Restoration" of 1868 (fake - as the supposed letter from the Emperor demanding a new regime, was a forgery) - for a time they were not even allowed to carry their traditional swords (ritual humiliation). The new regime rested on a conscript army (and a state education system) in which Japanese people were taught to obey any order - no matter how dishonourable it was. By the Second World War this process of indoctrination (including the change of Shrine Shinto into State Shinto) and conquest of lands overseas had been going on for about 70 years - so to blame the atrocities committed by the Japanese military in the 1930s and early 1940s on a traditional society (and code of honour) that had been smashed decades before, is mistaken.
My father fought on Okinawa and was loaded onto the transports prepared for the invasion of the home islands when the Japanese surrendered. He always quipped that the bomb was not the reason, but rather that the emperor had discovered he was on the way. He spent some months in the occupation army before rushing home to create me and he told stories of some encounters with fanatics that did not follow the emperors orders.
Excellent story, really enjoyed it. Like a lot of men of a certain age, swagger is replaced by self deprecating humour, and all the better for it.
Thanks for sharing 🙏
@@somebloke13 Reminds me of the title of Spike Milligan's book 'Hitler: My Part in his Downfall.'
Your father created you?
What a clever fellow!! ; )
I listen to your videos every morning while I make breakfast. Thanks for all your hard work, your channel is excellent.
Bushido was a concept that became formalised quite late on. It was to become the way of a tamed Samurai. The Samurai of the waring states period were just as ruthless as any other warriors, their main objective was to take as many heads as they could in battle, and gain rank. The Yakuza liked to see themselves as the inheritors of the Samurai mantle, but were thugs.
The English did what they did at Agincourt because after their victory they were still outnumbered by the enimy, and feared reprisals.
Boris Johnsons wrighting a book it's called bullshito
@@paulcarruthers8646 Very good! Lightened my mood and made me laugh out loud.
@@paulcarruthers8646 you made me laugh mate ,nice one
Bushido really only applied to Japanese warrior classes from what I have read over the decades... the lower classes were expected to bow down or die, and so were any foreigners...
Donn F Draeger, an American, wrote extensively on the subject of Budo and the martial ways of Japan. His three volumes: Classical Bujutsu, Classical Budo and Modern Bujutsu and Budo provide excellent insights into Japanese culture and the philosophy that underpins the concept of Bushido and its impact on the development of Japanese martial arts in particular and Japanese society in general. All three volumes published in the early 70's.
I'm looking forward to the next historical must-read by David Olusoga. I think it's titled, 'The Glory of the British Empire'. Can't wait!
Don’t you mean blacktish empire.
😂
It will be in the library no doubt, probably in the children's section under fairy tales.
@@davemiller6893 Perhaps the BBC will make a series out of it.
Had to laugh "I doubt children would be taught about Agencourt, nowadays". On the point of that battle. The Knights did refuse to kill the fallen knights on the ground; it was the archers who did it. So the Knights were following a chiralvic code of honor,
The only reason they didn't want them killed is so they could ransom them, the archers killed for their own preservation not to forget the so called French knights had attacked the waggon train with the women and their children that did the cooking and mending.
Members of the lower orders generally do the dirty work of every regime. They will also shoulder the subsequent penalties and carry the shame.
I'm remembering"The Reader" by Bernard Schlink...
Is that where the old panto saying comes from.... He's behind you! Chop chop.
I always chuckle when I think of the "mercy" the archers would have received if the situation was reversed. Most of the archers were not keen to kill the knights. Some of them were sitting on fortunes...
It's a book I own but never read - picked it up many years back when I was still training in martial arts- think I'll give it a twirl now-thanks for the review Simon 👍
It was just published....
@@emilfriisruud9199 yep got mixed up with book much older
A fantastic book on the subject is "The Fighting Spirit of Japan. The esoteric study of martial arts and the way of life in Japan" - by E J Harrison
My personal favorite on the code of the Samurai is Yukio Mishima's translation of the Hagakure. Obscured by leaves originally written in the 16 hundreds. at its time of release in the 70's it was described by one reviewer as 'a nasty little' book !
I've got that here somewhere, one day I hope to get around to finishing it.
I have this book too.
agree. Hagakure describes a code of conduct and ethics which is in many ways quite a contrast to many modern western notions of such concepts.
@@grahamdavis820 I think that on reflection the reason that it was not very well received by Western reviewers was because of the opening statement - ''The way of the Samurai is death'' But then the book was not written for Western critics .
Bushido and all things Samurai actually originated in Nigeria.
I know, I read it in a book by David Olusoga.
Which is actually being made into a theatre production starring Sir Lenny Henry, and will be performed in Travel Lodge establishments up and down the country.😏😂
This is true..little known fact, when the Japanese surrendered, Gen MacArthur was surprised to find Hirohito was black ( as the Emperor had never been seen in public) that he got a stand in to pretend to be the Emperor for the famous picture of the two standing side by side. Because he new it would cause an uproar and civil unrest if Americans new a black man ( and a living God) was responsible for the attack on Pearl harbor.
😂😂😂
Hi another leading author on the Samurai and their medieval wars is Stephen Turnbull written a lot on them and their organisation. I'm reading book on the rise of imperial Japan. The Samurai was against the western modernisation of Japan led a rebellion against the government known as the Satsuma or Boshin civil wars about late 1800s which was depicted in the Tom Cruise film The Last Samurai. Its interesting how the Japanese morphed much into Western style militarism while retaining what they believed was the Bushido code
As an avid reader of the chûsei period of Japanese history, and of the Taira, Minamoto, and Ashikaga, I believe I may pick this book up. I usually avoid books on bushido but as you recommend it, I will try it. I’m not expecting it to be anywhere near as good as the Akō vendetta, but then, that’s a very difficult act to follow.
Be thankful that you have had an opportunity to review something prepared by someone who takes the matter of history seriously.
Who doesn’t?
I remember at my junior school in the 1960's we had a Welsh teacher (not a teacher of Welsh but a teacher who happened to be Welsh) called Mr Evans. His hobby horse was that it was the Welsh, not the English, who won the battle of Agincourt because, according to him, the archers were all Welshmen. I don't know if this is true or not. Maybe some of you who know more about such matters then I do can shed some light on this.
No it's not true,
CHESHIRE ARCHERS
The King's Secret Weapon
The Cheshire archers were a body of elite soldiers noted for their skills with the longbow that fought in many engagements in Britain and France in the Middle Ages. Battles at which there were sizeable numbers of Cheshire archers include Agincourt and Crecy. Richard II employed a bodyguard of these yeoman archers who came from the Macclesfield Hundred and the forest districts of Cheshire.
The longbow was originally a Welsh hunting weapon which was employed with such devastating effect on the invading Normans that they adopted it for their own use, even making its practice compulsory throughout the rest of England because it was such a difficult weapon to wield that one had to be trained from childhood be in constant practice in order to be effective.
@@Ubu987 The Normans got the long bow from the Bretons who were Welsh. The Bretons made up 30% of the soldiers of William!
I read a great book on Japanese culture. Written by a journalist stationed in Japan in 1947. McArthur was still in charge. He wrote about the social network. If a part you were fine. If outside not so good. Lost the title and author, but so good.
It's a long time ago that I read it, but 'The Book of Five Rings' by Miyamato Musashi might also make interesting reading. Written in the 1600s it is a type of text book for samurai covering swordplay and the psychology of success in battle. It used to be, and perhaps still is, a popular read amongst Japanese business men.
That's an audiobook, free on TH-cam, too :)
The Lone Samurai - The life of Miyamoto Musashi and The Book of Five Rings are great reads if you are into Samurai / Bushido subjects
Apart from reading James Clavell’s ‘Shogun’ (and watching the subsequent TV series of course), the only book I ever bought on the subject of Samurai (and still have) is Stephen R Turnbull’s ‘The Book of the Samurai, The Warrior Class of Japan’ (Arms and Armour Press; 1982). Been a long time since I read it and I assume that, naturally, the accuracy of it has probably diminished over time. Checking the index references to Bushido in it, I must take the time to read it again - would be interesting to compare both book’s respective bibliographies.
For the Japanese it's always about honour. Crime is almost unknown and your bike will never be stolen even if you don't lock it up. Trains run on time. To be late is dishonourable. A commuter train once derailed and crashed into an apartment block in Japan because the driver couldn't face the dishonour of being behind schedule. His service had been required to take more and more passengers while keeping to the same schedule meaning delays at stations but no adjustments to the timetable were made taking this into account. About 100 were killed in the crash.
You'd think killing 100 people would be seen as more dishonourable than being late.
Bushido was not a nationally unified code of conduct fixed at a moment in any particular time. It was followed by a fraction of the Japanese population and it changed as well as being re enterpreted for particular situations or orders that were made. Sometimes orders were contrary to Bushido as in the story of the 47 Ronin. Stories of Bushido and other martial daring do were encouraged by the Japanese military during conflicts to encourage ordinary soldiers to dream of fighting like a Samurai.
Thanks John👍
I am surprised that Black people did not create Bushido
Naah- they created Bul-shido
@@oldschool1993 😆😝 ahahaha!!
Fascinating. The original book "Bushido, the Samurai warrior code*" is on TH-cam as an audiobook - I believe it's the one you refer to at the start. I used to listen to it to get to sleep, mainly :)
*Inazo Nitobe
Simon , your comments about Agincourt are slightly disturbing.
Chivalry went out of the window.
The English archers were not of noble stock. They were fighting for their lives and their country. They were heavily out numbered.
I'm sure you and I would kick Chivalry into the long grass if our lives depended on it.
Sadly, these days , the English roll over and pander to anybody.
A video talking about The Fox's Prophecy would be good.
Keep up the good work.
Added to that, the fallen Knights were the cream of the French aristocracy. Bloody toffs, have at them!
I don't think they knew they had won at that stage, the ones fallen in the mud were by no means all of the French nobles, the rest were still out there and represented a significant threat. So, despatching what were in effect small fortunes in potential ransom money, would not have been a step taken lightly unless facing a potentially larger threat that could have re-engaged the battle. The fact was, they did not have enough spare men to guard them, so had to tap them on the head and prepare for the next onslaught. From hindsight we now know that never came, the other French nobles having bravely run away!
Well the code of the samurai only extended to other samurai not to the peasants.
Learnt more about Japan as a child from watching Shogun, and a few smatterings of Japanese also.
@Jill Atherton It's a great book but the series did it justice I thought.
There is an interesting background to the savagery and barbarism displayed by the Japanese military during WWII.
The Japanese and the British military had a good working relationship up to 1920.
Prior to that there existed "The Anglo - Japanese Friendship Treaty" which was signed in 1854 and lasted to 1920.
Under the provisions of this treaty, both parties exchanged military personnel, trained each other's forces and sent their kids to each other's universities. The friendships existed on both a personal and professional level.
It also had a significant influence on the culture of both military forces.
In 1920, as a result of British Empire internal politics which are a big story in themselves, the treaty was cancelled.
This had huge ramifications to Japan, both economically and socially.
The Japanese viewed this as a huge act of betrayal and act of treachery.
It affected the culture of their military and population in general. A generally pro European culture reversed to a blind hatred.
Consequently, it led to an anti European government being installed in Japan, followed by the militarism and invasion of nearby countries.
It has been argued that the cancellation of this treaty led directly to WWII.
However, it also provides a context for the savagery and hatred the Japanese felt for the people who they felt had betrayed them.
What nonsense. You seek to blame the victims for Japanese atrocities, disgusting.
How then do you explain the atrocities committed against the Chinese and other Asian peoples?
If someone tells you that he doesn’t want to be your friend anymore, is that an excuse for you to kick him in the nuts and run away?
@@terrencewalker8219 Perhaps you should work on your reading comprehension skills.
I at no time blamed the victims, and I made a point of drawing attention to the savagery and barbarism of the Japanese military.
In addition, I gave some historical background which provides some context to their attitude at the time.
The cancellation of the friendship treaty resulted in a total collapse of the Japanese economy, and thousands of people literally starved to death in the resulting famine.
@@MelbaOzzie you are full of shit. The only time that you drew attention to Japanese atrocities was when you tried to explain them by the actions of others.
Perhaps you are unable to read and comprehend your own statements. They are written plainly and convey the meaning to which I have contributed them.
The Japanese should've allied themselves with the British in 1940, instead of the Germans. "Allow us to access oil and other materials. In return we'll escort and defend your vessels between Suez and Singapore, and send an expeditionary force to assist you in north Africa". Perhaps it didn't happen because the UK regarded the USA as a better partner than Japan.
@@raypurchase801 l don’t believe that the Allies could have accepted the behaviour of the Japanese in China.
'The Shogunate' channel on this platform, may well be worth a look.
The videos are numerous and very informative.
'The Book of Five Rings' by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is a popular read amongst martial artists.
Indeed, I’ve had that book for decades.
I've got to say it never helped me much in a pub cark park compared to a few hours on the punch bag!
@@drstrangelove4998 my old kendo teacher penned and published one of the early English translations.
@@jamesbaskerville9800 you needed to read "The art of nose biting" by B.Rawler. 1987.
One's character is defined by how one conducts himself in victory.
One of my favourite books I own is by Sir Russel of Liverpool who wrote the Knights of the Bushido, and also wrote The Scourge of the Swastika, it covers the treatment of POW
Nightmareish behavior.
If any of you have the chance to visit Snowshill Manor (National Trust), take a look at the display of samurai armour. A group of samurai gathered around a night time camp fire; evocative and atmospheric. The suits of armour and weapons are great examples of their type.
when Antony Cumminside went to the Butlins Fusaki beach resort as a child, all the inside info was passed onto him by Jackie WhatyuknowKnow a long term life guard and part time , worked at Sam Your Fries fish and chip shop on the seafront, friar Jackie had an embarrassing great bald patch and wore a cross around her waist but we will not mention that
Very interesting. I shall add it to the reading list. Good to see you actually debunking some history!
I’ve followed Cummins’ channel and his work for quite some time and his research is absolutely on-point, his books are essential. I’ve got a few copies of his books on my shelf and a few more on the way to me as we speak-Haven’t had time to read any of them yet as I’m focusing on more immediately important reading in the health department but his books are all very highly-rated online receiving large praise all-round.
I suspect that there was a lot of Meiji era gilding of many aspects of Samurai honour and chivalry.
Partly this was due to an increasingly militarily ambitious government wanting stories of a past golden age to aspire to in order to instil militaristic values and patriotism into a generation.
Partly, this was martial arts instructors (who were suddenly not very relevant in an age of firearms) looking to infuse their teachings with a bit of fortune cookie philosophy to make it attractive to their new civilian clients.
And of course, the likes of Jigaro Kano blended the two.
RIP Bushido Brown
Chivalry is a luxury which a warrior may aspire to only after the heat of battle when he is alive and the foe is vanquished.
Let's ask Shogo ..... great channel.
Does anyone remember the turf war between the local triads and Yakuza in South west London? it was known as the Shepherds Bushido
😂😂😂
My neighbor a marine in WW2 tell us, kids, that the Bushido Knights on the islands would crawl out at night and eat dead marines
You gotta eat.
Good review from Simon
Might I suggest 'Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan' by Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook? It's a bit DRY; but it seems quite comprehensive to the point of being definitive.
Interesting review, thanks.
In WW1, the Japanese were exemplary in behaviour, and their German prisoners from battles in China were full of praise for their captors. ...... Britain and Japan were in alliance, and had much in common, particularly in naval terms. ...... When this close connection was severed by Britain in the 1920s, Japan's attitude changed, particularly as Japan's demands for resources fast outstripped those easily acquired. ...... For this reason Japan continued her territorial expansion, that begun in 1910 with Korea, by taking parts of nearby Asia such as Manchuria, and parts of China. ...... The attacks on China brought Japan into conflict with those European powers, including Britain, who either had possessions ( such as Britain's Hong Kong ), or had trade concessions in places such as Shanghai.
The brutality of Japanese politics meant the assassination of politicians, and the bitter divisions between the Japanese army and navy were central to Japanese government. ...... The entire Japanese war strategy of WW2 was of a Push Me - Pull You kind of thing, with the army bogged down in China, and the navy rushing off almost to Australia and India, with a nation so dependent on shipping, and an inadequate industrial infrastructure, it was simply biting off far more than they could hope to chew.
Lord Russell's book, The Knights of Bushido, was an eye-opener to me, and I have never forgotten the photo of the Indian POWs lined up as living targets on a firing range at Singapore. ...... Some brutality to British POWs attributed to the Japanese, is in fact due to Koreans, whose were brutalised by the Japanese, and both sides of North and South Koreans could be brutal in the Korean War. ...... The atrocities carried out by the Japanese at Camp 731 beggar belief. ...... But how could senior Japanese officers - presumably believers in Samurai values - execute in cold blood allied airmen, and cook and eat delicacies such as the liver?
When around 10, I visited a retired British Brigadier who had a Japanese wife, and although this is over 50 years ago, I still recall his British military bearing, and her exotic gentleness that filled their London apartment. ...... I was thinking of going to Sandhurst, and my family in Devon were having my checked out by various senior officers. ...... The Brigadier took me to the Imperial War Museum - quite a treat for a Devon boy, whose access to military things was limited to my father's exploits as an officer on HM Submarine in WW2, and digging through a drawer in a linen press filled with officer's swords, and even a huge Turkish executioner's sword with a solid brass handle with a cock's head ( the blade was 3 inches or more wide, and the sword was perfectly balanced by the weight of the handle ). ...... Having digressed slightly, I am proud to have briefly known that Japanese lady, and to have remembered her all these years.
Life is a Paradox, is it not? ...... We see every possibility displayed before us. ...... Surely what matters, is what we choose, and the consequences that Karma brings to us all, for just as Life appears to be only a paradox, yet Perfect Justice is there too - if one has the eye to see Karma at work.
The Art of Bushido was probably abandoned during times of war, its a common concept which is not completely linked to Japanese culture.
I have read and still own several books by Stephen Turnbull on the military history of the Samurai .What particularly fascinated me was the continuous strife between the various noble houses that only really ended with the Tokugawa Shogunate .It is not entirely unique as evidenced by England which virtually from about the time the Romans went home in the fifth century AD, through the Norman 'Harrying of the North ', when Christ and his Saints slept in the twelfth century up to the end of the eighteenth century knew all about 'The age of The country at war '.The common folk knew all about the much heralded honour and chivalry of the 'Warrior elite '.
Thank you for review of this book
Have read three of your history books
Which I found very interesting.
I'll have to get a copy of the book as I'm a reader of feudal Japan and before and after. Several authors have written books on the ways of Bushido. My father read the book "knights of the Bushido". The samurai were of different status and rank not indifferent to European warrior classes.
Try having a read of the publication 'Knights Of Bushido' a code quite diverse of our own civilisation & certainly no excuse for their barbarity some decades back.
Mr Webb, could you offer your thoughts on the book The Victorians, by Jacob Rhees-Mogg?
Anthony Cummins writes superb books on samurai history as does Mr.Stephen Turnbull
I read the book by Iris Chang "The Rape Of Nanking" years ago, it pretty much dispelled any Romanic or chivalrous view of Japanese nobility or Samurai I'd had previously, much like the vaunted ethics and nobility of the German upper class during World War Two.
A book to interesting to compare with Bushido Soul of Japan is Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. Both books were using a romanticised and false view of the past to push an agenda in the present day (i.e. for when they were written). Although the two books have very different aims and very different perspectives on the same area of history.
Ronin were Samurai who had no allegiance to a warlord much like Anglo Saxon Thanes.
The french at agincourt flew the red flag meaning they would take no prisoners and the English would be put to death if they were captured.Chivalry was not in the rules of combat that day.
Thanks for the review. Interesting.
Sounds like an interesting read, and of course Watkins bookshop in central London is an excellent place to find many fascinating books on religion, esoterica, the occult etc
The best Knight ironically belongs to the Early Modern period not the Medieval era.
Always interesting, thank you.
Thats correct...bushido and samurai is apparently the ancestor of the yakuza...
The Book Of The Five Rings is also excellent. It was originally written by arguably the greatest swordsman to have ever lived, Miyamoto Musashi
Hello History, I hope that we get to converse someday on a livestream, your Irishman from Wexford ❤️☘️🇮🇪👍
"Cummins has positioned himself as a character of controversy, a sound tactic for attracting attention and views to his videos and publications, as seen by the success of President Donald J. Trump, who used a similar tactic to great effect. In a similar vein to President Trump, Cummins makes volatile and often inflammatory statements in his videos which attract the attention of the legitimate martial arts community."
rent-free.
"legitimate martial arts" is a bit of an oxymoron these days. Most of the supposedly "traditional" martial arts are less than a century old and have been found wanting when pressure tested against other training methods.
In the 1950s there was a book called " The Knights of Bushido", I read it. You can not get it today!
From English knights committing war crimes to becoming a knight for commiting war crimes
I love this channel, but I must admit that this comment section is a gem too
Simon could you review the recent book by Robert Kennedy Jr and also comment on the protests/government reaction in Canada.
Read THE KNIGHTS OF BUSHIDO to see just how polite the Japanese were.
Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings is useful. The rings were borrowed to be the logo for the Olympics.
Bu-Shi-Do.
Bushi. ( Warrior )
Do ( way, path )
Very difficult for anyone who hasn't trained fully in Martial Arts to fully understand the implications .
Chivalry does not explain what the term means.
Most people think it means being " nice " to your opponent.
Quite the opposite in fact.
A Samurai would be trained to fight to the end, never surrender, and never be taken prisoner
Japanese soldiers of WW2 were expected to have Bu-Shi-Do . ( Kamikaze )
So anyone allowing themselves to be captured didn't have Bu-Shi-Do spirit so deserved to die.
Which explains the way they treated POWs.
Reading about the history , of Samurai, doesn't fully explain the mindset you had to have to be a true warrior.
Like Nazism, the history of Japan or Germany didn’t start in 1940. 🙄 Btw, the author doesn’t seem too confident in his work.
What motivated Cummins to write this? Have we now so totally maligned, belittled and deconstructed the entire history of the West that we must now set out to do the same to the Orient?
Simon, have you heard the ludicrous claim that black Africans were the original Samurai and ninja? Apparently they travelled to Asia and taught it to the Japanese and Chinese. I wish that I was making this up, but I'm not. And the rationale for it is that they dress in dark clothing.
Plenty of Ninja looking people in London so it might be true? 🤷♂️
A book I doubt our MPs would follow even if they read it .
The beano is more apt for these people
The Samurai were pretty brutal and there was as much intrigue, betrayal etc., in their lives as the Chivalric Knights
Japan has a fascinating culture, that still beguiles the West until this day. It was only recently that I discovered the plight of the Burakumin, that particular nation's underclass.
The Samurai were legally allowed to chop off peasants heads so to practice their swordsmanship. So chivalry, when practiced, was only between the Japanese aristocracy
@@Makmak-yf4dt absolutely, blue blood and all
oh come on , it is well known that Japan in the 1600's was inhabited by blks and that an invading army of interlopers killed or enslaved them and stole Bushido off them. The new japanese then became who we see today .
Its all true and in this book I'm making up right now , "Bantu Japan" . Don't fail to miss it !
If you read much on WW2, it's easy to find instances of scrupulous law-abiding by Germans. On the other hand...
Ordinary psycho-sociopathic type-A's exist everywhere. Tsujigiri's a good one for the Mary's, as contrary as they are to any law, whilst draping themselves in whatever tattered soiled rag is local. *13 Assassins is good, surely one of the longest fight scenes in cinema - 45mins or so, & a very entertaining film.
Yes the history i read on the samurai did not paint them as saviours of the poor and farm workers more the oppressors . Murder of unarmed peasant's was deemed okay and some took it to far and where dishonoured and deemed as Ronin .
Female samurai where called " Onna - Bugeisha ".
The Bushido code died with the last samurai in 1877 . The resurrected code was a bastardized one that the Japanese Military abuse to get their soldiers to fight to the death .
The modernisation of the Imperial Japanese Army was heavily influenced by the French in the late 1800’s until the French were defeated in by a collective of German States in the war of 1871. Thereafter the Japanese IJA was influenced and advised by German/Prussian military advisers. The French made a comeback in the early 1900’s when they advised the Japanese on its Air Arm.. The Imperial Japanese Navy had many American and European influences in its modernisation and was the 3rd largest Naval Power in the World after the British and US Navies in the 1920’s. I lived in Japan for several years and a Japanese friend of mine whose Father fought in the IJA told him that the ordinary Japanese soldiers were primarily drawn from rural Japan and were often brutalised by the Officer Class. I don’t know if this is factual but trends certainly in armies of that era, young men sent out by old men to fight. Whatever the history of conflicts all War is Hell! …must have a read of that book Simon 👍.
I realy like your challel bot please turn the sound UP
From the disgusting actions of my former Japanese wife recently I’d say any kind of honour or loyalty is long gone .
I recommend "The Naked Island" by Russell Braddon.
I believe 'Shogun' is closer to the mark --- showing the Samurai to be as violent & fickle as any medieval knight.
coincidently i just finished watching "men behind the sun"
phew, quite hard viewing
Very Interesting
Hey man the ‘Samurai’ could have been Serbian mercenaries. When Serbs went to war their battle cry was ‘Sam u raj’ which in English means ‘alone to heaven’. The Samurai were bigger and hairier than the local orientals and brought over to fight for the empire.
Once Hollywood has created a false impression of some event or person in history, it may as well be set in stone.
Samurai William by Giles Milton is an excellent book on the code of ethics though not as detailed as the book you're reviewing.
I believe there were Christian samurai.
I've read that there were.
I struggled to read mien kampf and eventually gave up because I didn't know anything about the politics, history and cultures of the regions Hitler was writing about
Nanking:enough said😤
So does this book fall into the "revisionist" camp, that is the popular modern trend of "rubbishing" previously revered historical characters and ideas?