This paper is a study of Inazo Nitobe's Bushido: The Soul of Japan, an elegant explanation for Western audiences of the fundamental code guiding the life of Japanese civilization. A respected scholar and a Christian convert, Nitobe sought to define a philosophy that was understood well by his countrymen but which remained mysterious to outsiders. Published less than 50 years after Commodore Perry forced Japan to open trade with the West, The Soul of Japan offers a glimpse into a culture dominated by a carefully evolved code of behavior. Bushido is the name for the system of chivalry practiced by the warrior class. As Nitobe explains, it is also the key to understanding how the nation was so well able to weather the enormous cultural forces that made Japan's entry into the the modern age one of the most dramatic stories in world history of the last century. At the time of its publication, Japan was in the middle of a remarkable upheaval. The Soul of Japan reflects this astonishing moment in history.
As European explorers expanded trade routes during the sixteenth century, they came in contact with the great civilizations of Asia. Slowly, over the next several hundred years, East and West began to interact cautiously. Japan, because of its geographical isolation, was able to stay more aloof from Western overtures; several fortuitously timed storms at sea over the subsequent centuries enabled the nation to believe itself protected by the gods from too much foreign involvement.
However, starting in 1853, American Commodore Matthew C. Perry succeeded in steaming into Japanese harbors with his fleet. This show of force brought home the inevitable necessity for closer involvement with the West. Once they had made the decision to do so, the people of Japan moved rapidly into the modern age. More than any other Asian civilization, Japan was able to adapt well to Westernization. Kenneth B. Pyle speculates on the reasons:
Wh...