The Swordless Samurai - by Kitami Masao (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In a time of endless chaos and bloodshed, when the only law was the law of the sword, a peasant boy named Hideyoshi dreamed of becoming a samurai. Despite his lack of strength and size, he learned to outthink and outmaneuver every foe to become not just a samurai, but one of the greatest military and civic leaders Japan has ever known. Hideyoshi's timeless leadership secrets offer effective strategies for succeeding in business, con?ict, and life, and are destined to take their place beside such classics as The Book of Five Rings and The Art of War.

Review Quotes

"Hideyoshi is no typical business guru, but his lessons have inspired generations of executives. . . . I spent more than a decade in Japan, and The Swordless Samurai is valuable reading for anyone doing business there or looking for a deeper understanding of timeless leadership principles." --Ken Belson of The New York Times

"The wisdom of this sixteenth-century samurai is astonishingly prescient and pertinent for twenty-first-century leaders. Practical wisdom at its best." --Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business, USC, and author of On Becoming a Leader

"A must-read for anyone trying to steer their organization down the right path." --Brendan I. Koerner, contributing editor, Wired magazine

About the Author

TIM CLARK spent ten years working in Japan, founding a pioneering Asia-focused marketing research consultancy that was acquired by a public corporation. Today he lives in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches graduate entrepreneurship courses while pursuing doctoral business studies through Hitotsubashi University.