The Japanese word ‘bushidō’ simply means ‘the way of the warrior,’ and gained traction through Nitobe Inazō’s seminal work Bushido: The Soul of Japan of 1899.
During this late nineteenth century period, with Western aggression in China and European colonial ambitions throughout Asia, Japan faced a national identity crisis. Politicians, journalists and public intellectuals alike vividly debated bushido, some explaining bushido as analogous to European chivalry while others highlighted its connotations with loyalty, martial power and military growth.
This talk will explore these debates and their significance. It will highlight how, critically, the rise of bushido was directly linked to literature imported from the United States and Europe, as well as Western ideas on masculinity and gentlemanliness. It will further demonstrate Japanese self-perception through the eyes of outsiders. In the context of exhibitions, arms and armour on display outside of Japan became a vital component of this invention of an archaic ‘way of the samurai’.
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The subject is fascinating and the experts are well informed, but please sent twenty bucks and buy some proper recording mics. As it stands, the sound is terrible.
Will admit this 55:48 was my only point of reference, 20 years ago, to the post-Edo period of social strife in Japan! Always a pleasure @RoyalArmouries
Cheers~
I like Japanese Military history.
Sound could be better, i love this kind of video's.
Is there a timestamp were the audio stabilizes?
9:33
I really want to listen to this, but it sounds like 💩
this talk is great but the audio was a bit sore, just would like to make someone aware of it
Thanks very much for a fascinating lecture.
At least for me, the gremlins introduced by Zoom, Google and PowerPoint did not diminish the appeal of this subject.
Of course it's a foreign bird. Of course it is.