At first sight, a book about Japan, Mexic, Spain and Italy, a book about religion in Japan and religion in medieval Europe. However, it is actually a book about people, but in its story religion plays an important role.
It is a book written by a (Christian) Japanese, in which Japan is not regarded as the end of them all, instead it contrasts - many times negatively - to other parts of the world. In these pages you can find people for which adopting a religion is just a means for better business, where earthly life is everything that matters. And yet, there are also people who found happiness, and act divine while still in a human body.
There is a Spanish priest who is very proud and acts selfish while pretending - even to himself - to be following the orders of God, and there is the samurai - the title character - who has nothing to do with Christianity, and yet has probably lived by it his whole life. They both come to a better understanding of life just when theirs ends.
After reading The Samurai I couldn't help to compare it with Clavell's Shogun: this one is written by a Japanese trying to see the good parts in other countries, Shogun is written by a Westerner who found in medieval Japan a much superior civilization. Read them both! They are masterpieces!
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The Samurai (New Directions Classics) Books In Print, Audio Books.