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Interesting that the author mentions that the term "Bushido" wasn't really a thing until last century. I was sure I saw the term mentioned in the writing of Mi

Interesting that the author mentions that the term "Bushido" wasn't really a thing until last century. I was sure I saw the term mentioned in the writing of Miyamoto Musashi, but I assume that might have been a modern translators interpretation. (I read the English version, not the native Japanese one). Also, some of my favourite graphic novels by Stan Sakai, Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima seem to mention the term too, but seeing as they are modern writers, I assume they 'westernised' their dialogue to suit.

ekianjo 10y ago
> Interesting that the author mentions that the term "Bushido" wasn't really a thing until last century. I was sure I saw the term mentioned in the writing of Miyamoto Musashi, but I assume that might have been a modern translators interpretation. (I read the English version, not the native Japanese one). I'm not sure about the author level of Japanese, but when he said that the term "bushido" was not used but the terms "bushi no michi" existed before, well it's the exact same thing. 武士道　is bushido and 武士の道 is bushi no michi. The exact same writing, but a slightly different expression. It can't be that far off of a concept.
shiro 10y ago
The term "bushido" itself can be seen from late 16c literature (甲陽軍鑑, written between 1575 and 1586, is said as the first written appearance of the word), but initially it meant more practical skills of combat or survival. I don't have Miyamoto Musashi's book at hand but I suspect if he used the term it had the similar meaning.
- arca_vorago 10y ago
  I have a couple different translations and I am pretty sure it just references budo or if it says bushido anywhere it would be a mistranslation.
twblalock 10y ago
The use of the word in its modern sense is a modern development. It was used before, but to signify different things. In other words, while the samurai had concepts about the warrior ethos, which they may have called bushido (among other things), the concepts they understood and wrote about were different from the concept of bushido espoused by Nitobe Inazo, who was criticized for being ahistorical by his Japanese contemporaries.

ekianjo 10y ago

> Interesting that the author mentions that the term "Bushido" wasn't really a thing until last century. I was sure I saw the term mentioned in the writing of Miyamoto Musashi, but I assume that might have been a modern translators interpretation. (I read the English version, not the native Japanese one). I'm not sure about the author level of Japanese, but when he said that the term "bushido" was not used but the terms "bushi no michi" existed before, well it's the exact same thing. 武士道　is bushido and 武士の道 is bushi no michi. The exact same writing, but a slightly different expression. It can't be that far off of a concept.

shiro 10y ago

The term "bushido" itself can be seen from late 16c literature (甲陽軍鑑, written between 1575 and 1586, is said as the first written appearance of the word), but initially it meant more practical skills of combat or survival. I don't have Miyamoto Musashi's book at hand but I suspect if he used the term it had the similar meaning.

arca_vorago 10y ago
I have a couple different translations and I am pretty sure it just references budo or if it says bushido anywhere it would be a mistranslation.

twblalock 10y ago

The use of the word in its modern sense is a modern development. It was used before, but to signify different things. In other words, while the samurai had concepts about the warrior ethos, which they may have called bushido (among other things), the concepts they understood and wrote about were different from the concept of bushido espoused by Nitobe Inazo, who was criticized for being ahistorical by his Japanese contemporaries.