The Bushido Code defined the moral precepts of the samurai that guided personal and professional behavior. Hideyoshi was no exemplar of Bushido; he used bribery and deception to overcome adversaries, and was more concerned with victory than with winning "fair and square."

But he was an egalitarian leader who rewarded performance over pedigree and who personally exemplified age-old Confucian values of gratitude, filial piety, and devotion to one's employer. These qualities, which are also part of the Bushido code, made him a great leader.

My third book, The Prosperous Peasant: FIve Secrets of Fortune & Fulfillment From the Samurai's Temple School, deals at length with Bushido, and the powerful effect it continues to have on contemporary Japanese business and culture. The new work includes what I believe is the most concise English revision of this extraordinary moral code compiled in more than a century. Review the full text of the most authoritative exposition of Bushido ever written.

Copyright 2007-2010 by Tim Clark