Aug 04, 2023 (Royal Armouries) - 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’.
