Picturesque and inherently dramatic, the samurai have inspired scores of books and movies. But who were they, really? In 1899, Japanese diplomat Inazo Nitoze wrote this classic text on Bushido, or the samurai Way of the Warrior, to help Westerners better appreciate this poorly understood tradition. Far from being just a bygone discipline, Nitoze argues that the basic Bushido principles—including courage, loyalty, rectitude, and politeness—are the true key to understanding the soul of Japan.