Although it has some good advice, this treatment of the Bushido also has some very bad ideas. Portions are interesting in that they offer insight into the mind of a dedicated retainer in the Shogunate but there seems to be an arbitrary character to the philosophy as a whole. Serving the master (whether he's good or bad) under all circumstances and following orders even to the point of death might make sense in a feudal system but that level of loyalty resulted in a number of clear injustices in the stories told by Yamamoto. The emphasis on loyalty and death-seeking might make formidable warriors but they also create atrocities and needless slaughter. Many stories involved minor slights being met with extreme violence and I think that's indicative of the overemphasis on the life of the warrior in that society.