A tad dry sometimes, but nonetheless a very interesting read. I had trouble understanding Japanese stories in books and movies, but I think I'll be able to understand them a bit better. ( )

Really good examination of Japanese values and character right after World War 2 ended. Makes it clear why they did not become vindictive.
I have read elsewhere that it has errors in terminology, etc., but it is still one of the best on Japan. It is a classic. ( )

This was a really interesting read, I learned a lot. But I wonder how accurate it is sixty years on? ( )

from cover

A recognized classic of cultural anthropology, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword paints an illuminating contrast between the civilization of Japan and that of the United States. Exploring the poitical, religious, and economic life of Japan from the seventh century through the mid-twentieth, it shows how the ideology of the Japanese has developed and how it is reflected in the daily manners and customs of their life. It traces the main outlines of Japanese society-their systems of practical ethics, their ideas of good and evil, and the structured discipines that enabale them to live according to their code. The eloquent new foreword by Ezra F. Vogel, written especially for this edition, reveals why The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is essential reading for anyone interested in Japan.

Ruth Benedict was professor of anthropology at Columbia University and one of the most eminent anthropologists of the twentieth century.

Contents

Foreword
1 Assignment: Japan
2 The Japanese in the War
3 Taking One's Proper Station
4 The Meiji Reform
5 Debtor to the Ages and the World
6 Repaying One-Ten-Thousandth
7 The Repayment 'Hardest to Bear'
8 Clearing One's Name
9 The Circle of Human Feelings
10 The Dilemma of Virtue
11 Self-Discipline
12 The Child Learn
13 The Japanese Since VJ-Day
Glossary
Index

Es un libro interesante, aunque me costó ponerle puntaje.
Lo mejor es sin duda alguna la descripción de las diversas obligaciones que tiene el japonés: para con el emperador, su familia, su «buen nombre», etc. También se destaca de manera especial el capítulo sobre la educación de los niños.
Lo peor es, bueno, cierto bias, algo de esperar en un ensayo realizado a) sin poner un pie en Japón; y b) comisionado por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos.
Hubo muchas partes que me resultaron algo densas y descoloridas; el capítulo sobre el Zen me resultó particularmente aburrido, y en general terminé este libro porque me lo puse como meta. No termina de ser una lectura entretenida, pero contiene información muy valiosa que, si bien puede intuirse, uno no alcanza a procesar con los pocos datos recogidos tras ver anime o leer a Murakami. ( )