On today’s episode we discuss how the “way of the samurai” or bushido, fueled the creation of the imperial Japanese nation state.

Bushido is supposedly the value system that governed the behavior of Samurai in feudal Japan. It encouraged them to be loyal, courageous , polite, etc. What’s interesting is that the term “bushido” wasn’t really a thing prior to the 1800s. It was an invented concept used to inspire national identity. Come join us to learn more about how “thinkers” use symbols from the past as a tool to create nationalism.

Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory

Sources:

Oleg Benesch – Inventing the Way of the Samurai
Inazo Nitobe – Bushido, the Soul of Japan
Edwin, Reischauer – Japan: Story of Nation
K. Henshall – A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower
Bushi-NO: The Myth of the Samurai Chivalric Code
John Stuart Mill – Considerations on Representative Government
Eric Hobsbawm – The Invention of Tradition
Basil Hall Chamberlain – The Invention of a New Religion

Episode #187

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