His Protestant Christianity was unusual, not only because he embraced the more masculine form of that faith, but also because he integrated elements of the Japanese spiritual tradition of Bushido. As a samurai of the eight generation he was also unusual, because he was a pacifist. At the same time he was a nationalist, but his convictions kept him from joining the rise of militarism in Japanese identity. As Willcock (history, Griffith U.) unpacks this rich and full life and thought, she keeps readers keenly aware that Uchimura was not merely a creature of his age, and that his precepts are important to Japans' character building in this age as well. As she works through Uchimura's development she makes sure we understand the source of Uchimura's influence, which grows from a strain of individualism within Japanese academia and politics other historians have largely ignored. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)