This is going to be a review of Part II of the Shogun series by James Clavell. Part II of the series is a continuation of where Shogun left off from Part I. Similar to Part I, there are many lessons learned that I thought were particularly insightful going forward.
I love that reading these series gives me a refresher on the New Age exploration era between empires such as the Portuguese Empire and English Empires. The English and Portuguese Empires were quite the adversaries throughout history, and those tensions were reflected in the book.
July 5, 2024 by Kazu Fujimoto
The book also details many Japanese principles and customs, which were refreshing to see, as I myself am Japanese. I wonder why it is that I do what I do and why I am how I am, but reading the book gives me a refresher.
That which his ancestors most liked to do and most constantly did cannot be erased from a man’s soul
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
Without going too in-depth into the story and without spoiling it for you, these are some of the main takeaways that I have upon reading Shogun Part II.
Palanquins or horses wouldn’t be right for peasants and commoners
When struck upon this, it gave me the reminder of class structure and hierarchy.
Although we are given chance and opportunity, we are born into a certain socioeconomic class.
Lower, middle, upper, rich, wealthy, etc.
Although I believe that there is opportunity for anyone to climb out of their socioeconomic position, there will be limits given the circumstances we are born under. Some are born with connections, some are more talented than others. It’s just how it is
He tipped it back and pretended to swallow
This occurred when someone was in the presence of an enemy, and the enemy was offering something. Naturally, we should all exercise caution when presented upon a situation like this. It is difficult to trust people, especially your enemies, adversaries, or those who have different interests than yours
Because hatamoto I’m not angry
Even when one lashes out or does something wrong, due to one’s rank or status, they can simply just be forgiven. A hatamoto is a high ranking samurai regarding the Tokugawa Shogunate of Feudal Japan.
Those that are high ranking, can get away with a lot of things.
What a true pill to swallow.
Foul times require foul tests
To test for loyalty, sometimes one must have their subordinates go through something difficult. Don’t take it personally if this happens, loyalty is extremely hard to come by.
Men need to whisper secrets, women only release them to gain an advantage
It’s natural that we want to whisper secrets to have our thoughts and experiences validated in the world.
Validation is extremely powerful, it allows us to keep going and to operate with conviction in our beliefs.
I am not a Queen
A gift was presented upon a woman, in which she could not accept due to the interpretation of the gift being provided for a Queen. She then goes on to interpret that she can accept the gift as a lady, and is able to accept the gift.
It’s interesting how we use our rank, status, and position to determine whether or not we can accept things.
Along with that, it’s interesting the kind of “mental gymnastics” that we go through so that we can accept or justify a certain action.
So sorry, but I am a simple person, I have orders and if I cannot obey them, I must know why
This occurred when someone was challenging a figure of authority. It’s not easy challenging a figure of authority, but one can do so if they are tactical and cunning enough.
Was that your thought, or did someone put it in your head
Modern day calls it gaslighting, but this is something that occurs in everyday life.
To forgive your enemy is stupid
Not everyone will get along in this world. Allies are allies and enemies will be enemies. To go from enemy to ally will require extraordinary circumstances. The most powerful circumstance being – “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”
Outlawing can lead to greater evils
There’s the saying that forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest. When something gets banned, the thrill of chasing that thing becomes exciting. We want what we can’t have.
There are seven emotions – Joy, anger, anxiety, adoration, grief, fear, and hate
If a man doesn’t give way to these, he’s a patient guy. These are all emotions that we are subject to as humans and when it comes down to it, humans are emotional creatures. We’re not logical, we decide and act based on emotion and rationalize with logic.
The answer is because you make me laugh and I need a friend
I completely wowed at this. The power of having friendship is valuable. I especially realize this as I spend long hours working and to be able to have friendships that go for longer than 10,20 years is truly a blessing. Very grateful and fortunate that I have strong friendships as they really help me get through difficult times. Friendships provide a strong foundation and grounding for support (we all need it whether we care to admit it or not).
Closing Thoughts
The Shogun Book series gets extremely in-depth regarding conflict between several feudal lords, and to understand and reciprocate that would require in-depth reading over and over. The true value of reading this book comes from being immersed in the story and actually “feeling” some of these lessons that I’ve described. I love that books allow one to get immersed into a different location and time period. Books are really like a portal into another dimension.
If you want to learn these insights and experience them firsthand, I highly recommend you to read the Shogun Book series.
About the author of this book review
Kazuyoshi Fujimoto, PE
Founder | Engineering Career Coach | Principal Mechanical Engineer
Kazu oversees all of ultmeche’s engineering services. He provides consulting such as resume reviews, rewrites, mock interviews, and all services career related. Additionally, Kazu performs consulting work regarding Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense. Kazu is licensed as a professional engineer in the state of California and has 9+ years of experience in Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense.
In his spare time, he also enjoys reading books ranging from Fiction, Non-Fiction, History, Business, Economics, Biographies or anything that remotely interests him and likes to write about it.
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