Self-Cultivation

新渡户稻造Nanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

3.7

Word count: 2.6K words
Chapters: 15

Summary

Nitobe Inazo's Cultivation is an excellent treatise on character formation. It not only occupies a place in the intellectual movements of the various cultivation societies that formed a current of thought from the late Meiji through the Taisho era, but also proposes a new set of values, embodying the goal and distinctive methodology of fundamentally transforming the Japanese national character. This book is a motivational work on life and cultivation by the author of Bushido, Nitobe Inazo. From the end of Meiji to the early Showa period, it was reprinted 148 times. Over the past century, it has influenced the spiritual lives of generation after generation of Japanese.

Editor's review

This book is Nitobe Inazo's treatise on character formation and spiritual cultivation following Bushido. From the late Meiji to the early Showa period, it was reprinted more than a hundred times in Japan, showing its weight in the country's intellectual movements. The author does not stop at moral exhortation but attempts to propose a new set of values and a methodology for changing the national character, treating cultivation as a practicable and shapeable process. The book discusses self-cultivation, training of the will, habit formation, and the completion of personality. Its language is plain and bears the mark of its era; reading it reveals both the spiritual anxieties of Meiji intellectuals and a simple upward will. For today's readers concerned with self-growth, character education, and East Asian intellectual history, the book offers a historical perspective different from modern self-help literature. It is suitable for careful chapter-by-chapter reading in quiet hours, with notes tied to personal life experience; those unfamiliar with the background of modern Japanese thought may first read the introduction or related background materials before entering the main text, so as not to be kept at a distance by period-specific vocabulary.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in modern Japanese thought and theories of character cultivation
Readers who wish to understand self-cultivation and character education from a historical perspective
Those who like Bushido and want to continue reading Nitobe Inazo's works
Readers looking for a classic work on self-cultivation suitable for slow reading and annotation

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting modern psychological empirical methods or action checklists
Readers with no interest in the Japanese context of the Meiji to Taisho period
Readers seeking light, entertaining reading

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first to understand each chapter's theme, then choose according to interest; there is no need to finish it in one sitting.
After each chapter, write two or three sentences on how it relates to your own life experience to aid digestion.
When encountering vocabulary specific to the Meiji period, mark it first and return to it after finishing the chapter, to avoid interrupting the rhythm.
Read alongside background materials on modern Japanese history to understand the historical motivations behind the values proposed in the book.

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
养生说
论雨井水
论修养帖寄子由
导引语
录赵贫子语
养生难在去欲
阳丹诀
阴丹诀
乐天烧丹
赠张鹗
记三养
谢鲁元翰寄暖肚饼
记服绢
记养黄中

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and Bushido?

Both books are by Nitobe Inazo. Bushido mainly explains Japanese samurai ethics to overseas readers, while Cultivation focuses more on the methodology of character formation and spiritual training, set against the cultivation thought of the late Meiji through Taisho era. You may read Bushido first to understand the author's basic stance, then read this book to see the specific development of his theory of cultivation.

Do the book's views show obvious limitations of their time?

The book was produced from the late Meiji to the early Showa period, and its concerns, vocabulary, and some value orientations inevitably bear the marks of a specific era. It is best read as a text in intellectual history: understand the author's goal of changing the national character while maintaining a contemporary critical perspective, and do not take its claims as universally applicable modern life guidance.

Can I understand it without a foundation in Japanese intellectual history?

You can understand the general meaning. The book discusses cultivation, will, and personality in language that is not difficult. But if you are completely unfamiliar with the Japanese context of the Meiji to Taisho period, some discussions' background and targets may be hard to grasp. It is advisable to skim the introduction or related historical background before entering the main text for smoother reading.

How much is suitable to read each day?

This is a treatise that requires quiet reflection, so speed is not recommended. Reading one chapter or half a chapter a day, with time left for brief notes, is enough. If your time is fragmented, you can read by theme and spend a few minutes reviewing the key points afterward; this makes a deeper impression than reading it all at once.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

新渡户稻造 Author

Nitobe Inazo is an important author in the field of modern Japanese thought and culture, whose works continue to attract attention among Chinese readers. The collection contains 12 of his works, most notably several editions of Bushido, along with The Fifty Years of New Japan: The Influence of Western Thought, The Three Books of Japan, and the co-edited set Understanding Japan: A Familiar Yet Strange Neighbor. Because public information is limited, details of his life are not elaborated here. Judging from the works available, his writing centers on traditional Japanese ethics, national character, and East-West cultural exchange. He often adopts an explanatory approach aimed at outside readers, tracing the origins and behavioral norms of Bushido in clear, argumentative prose. His works appear in categories such as history, culture, social science, and literary appreciation, and offer reference value for understanding modern Japanese thought and cross-cultural awareness.