DOCSLIB.ORG

'¬'É …‡…M…O41 02Intro

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
'¬'É …‡…M…O41 02Intro Introduction I would like to focus primarily on Japan, which holds a unique position in Asia, and provides important insights for understanding various methodological, attitudinal, and ide- ological issues about the uses and users of English. In East Asian region Japan has been one of the first countries to articulate positions about the acceptance of English and an identity with it, and about the rejection of the language and proposing a distance with it. The case study of Japan and its ongoing love–hate relationship with the language has a lesson for us all. A large body of such writing is in Jap- anese and therefore is not as well-known as it ought to be in Asia and elsewhere.1 (Kachuru 1997: 68) For in isolating beginnings as a subject of study my whole attempt was precisely to set a beginning off as rational and enabling, and far from being principally interested in logical failures and, by extension, ahistorical absurdities, I was try- ing to describe the immense effort that goes into historical retrospections as it set out to describe things from the beginning, in history. (Said 1975: xi–xii) 1. Purpose The aim in this paper is to reexamine Mori Arinori’s 1872–73 lan- guage reform discourse within a new theoretical framework, and to elucidate his Weltanschauung shaped by his early language experiences at home and abroad. Thus I want to offer an alterna- ― 1 ― tive interpretation of what Mori was really aiming at in his plan for national language reform. The main reason that I will deal with Mori Arinori’s philosophy of life in connection with his language use is that, as Braj B. Kachuru (1997) points out in the above quote, if we look at the history of modern (Meiji) Japan, we will find that quite a few samurai intellectuals “articulated positions about the acceptance of English and an identity with it, and about the rejection of the language and proposing a distance with it.” Kachuru is doubly right when he says that Japan is one of the first countries that tackled head on the question of the “local politics” of “English as a global language” (Crystal 1997; see also Sonntag 2003); and he also aptly takes up as a starting point for discussion Mori Arinori’s discourse on English and Japanese. Mori’s idea for the introduction of a “simplified” English into Japan is worthy of remark precisely because it can be seen as an unprecedented attempt at English orthographic reform by a non-English speaking nation in world history. Given the distinct geo-cultural/political position of modern (Meiji) Japan in East Asia, it is well worth examining how Meiji samurai intellectuals such as Mori Arinori looked uopn the hegemony of English in the new world order as the crucial part of the “national language” issue in terms of nation- state building (Kobayashi 2001). While, in Japan, there are some distinguished Japanese schol- ars (Tsuda 1990; Oishi 1990, etc.) who are interested in figuring out synchronically how the hegemony (or the dominant use) of English has contributed to “language inequality and distorted com- munication” in international and domestic settings, it would appear that they do not treat Mori Arinori as the first samurai ― 2 ― intellectual who explicitly problematized the politics of the English language for the benefit of non-native English speakers. It is obvi- ous that the historical and diachronic study of the problem of national language in Japan in relation to English linguistic hege- mony will help us gain more insight into the essence of the ques- tion of a “global” language facing the Japanese today. In order to understand in much greater depth the contemporary relevance of the question of the “big language” for the Japanese in the past, we need to develop our understanding of how the English language came to be historically, geopolitically, and culturally situated in the early development of a new branch of Western Learning in mid- nineteenth century Japan; this is where, as I shall argue in this paper, the modern language recognition of the Japanese had begun in earnest. In the field of English studies abroad, most of the papers deal- ing in English with the problems associated with the hegemony of English in the world have more to do with the former colonies of Britain and America; very few focus on the case of Japan.2 Recently, however, some serious attempts have been made by for- eign scholars (naturally, in English) to reexamine socio-linguistic issues surrounding the question of English in Japan (Stanlaw 2004; Kachuru 1997; Unger 1996). Regrettably, while they bring up for discussion Mori’s proposal for language reform in the early Meiji period trying to understand its historical significance in terms of modern Japan’s political and cultural development, they nonethe- less seem to fail to go beyond the socio-linguistic interpretative framework and get at the reason why the samurai-diplomat intel- lectual had to hammer out new Japan’s linguistic strategy in 1872– ― 3 ― 73. Our concern, therefore, is to take a critical look at the estab- lished theory on Mori’s language reform discourse from a broader perspective, and thereby shed new light on his hitherto ill-famed enterprise. It goes without saying that his ideas for national language building and education in Meiji Japan have posed many difficult problems (aporias) from the present standpoint of multicultural- ism, multilingualism, and postmodernism, and that the down side of his attitude and approach to the issues of modern language and society also needs to be retrospectively examined. However, ques- tions of such a controversial nature regarding the other side of the equation demand a separate study and go far beyond the scope of this paper; here I limit the discussion to reevaluation of the histori- cal and theoretical misinterpretations of his language reform dis- course and his Weltanschauung. 2. Methodology Theoretical framework for textual criticism3 of Mori Arinori’s English discourses on language Mori Arinori’s 1872–73 discourse on language reform in Japan has long been seen as resulting from his nihongo pesimizumu (pessimism over the future of the Japanese language) or kokugo shouaku setsu (belief in the inherent inferiority of the Japanese language to the larger languages such as Chinese and English) (see Watanabe 1993; Tanaka 1989). Consequently, it has been generally held to be a controversial proposal for “the abolition of the Japanese and the introduction of the English language into Japan.” Such vague and unreasoned conjectures helped perpetuate the accepted theory ― 4 ― rather than encouraging thorough textual criticism of the discourse by way of re-examination. Such being the case, it is necessary to problematize the old assumption behind the unmerited denuncia- tion of Mori’s serious proposal and seek to figure out new ways of getting at the truth of the matter. The conventional study of Mori Arinori, however, only seems to provide an insufficiently limited framework for understanding his linguistic tactics and strategy in the political, economic, cultural, and historical contexts. Whether we can succeed in challenging the long-established theory on Mori’s language reform discourse and thereby further extend the knowledge in the study of Mori Arinori in a small yet significant way, largely depends upon the methodology of this new study. To this end, we definitely need to formulate a new theoretical and interpretative framework for making possible an alternative inter- pretation of Mori’s “stigmatized” discourse on language reform in early post-Restoration Japan. Historical-sociological approach to a case study This is a historical-sociological re-examination of Mori’s Weltan- schauung and language experiences within a new theoretical/inter- pretative framework in which we will attempt to establish our hypothesis. Since historical-sociological approach can and should be hermeneutical in its own right, this methodology, first of all, as Tsutsui Kiyotada (1997: 3) explains, is intended “not to construct a general theory of modernization or social change (such as the theo- ry of evolution) in dealing with the establishment and develop- ment of modern society, but rather to interpret the historical significance or to elucidate the cause and effect of individual ― 5 ― cases.” Also, this approach involves using what C. W. Mills (1956) called the “sociological imagination.” Indeed, as Mills cogently argues, “neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.” After all, it is this sociological imagination that only “enables its possessor to under- stand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals…. The history that now affects every man is world history” (Mills 1956: 3–6). For this very reason, the present writer, born and raised and still living in this country, uses the “sociological and his- torical imagination” to carry out a case study of a samurai individ- ual in late-Edo and early Meiji Japan so as to understand his lan- guage-thought and behavior in the context of world history (Yuasa 1996). Another feature of this historical-sociological approach is that, as Tsutsui (ibid: 6) comments, “it borders on many other academic traditions or disciplines,” and therefore, “is open to a wider range of approaches.” To conduct textual criticism of Mori’s language experiences in the late-Edo and early-Meiji periods necessitates incorporating geo-political and cultural perspectives; for Mori was a globetrotting diplomat who put forth his “notoriously radical” proposal for language reform in Japan in light of the international balance of power and a colonial reconfiguration of East Asia by Western nations in the new world system.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Meiji Restoration
    Stanford Model United Nations Conference 2014 ! The Meiji Restoration ! ! ! Chair: Justin Hsuan, [email protected] CoChair: Jiabo Feng Crisis Director: Brooke Mandujano ! ! Dear Delegates, Welcome to this special committee! I hope you are as excited as I am. As you will witness first-hand, the Meiji Restoration was a dramatic turning point in Japan’s history. For that reason, many believe it to be more accurately a revolution. Please first consider the tumultuous environment of the 19th century. This was the age of rapid industrialization. Across the world populations were shifting due to urbanization, factories were displacing farms, and new markets were being created. Hungry for new consumers and the natural resources necessary, newly-industrialized nations sent emissaries overseas to search for new opportunities in foreign lands. Asia became a prime target for Western governments as Europe and the United States made inroads on countries such as India, China, and Japan. Now please consider the state of Japan at this time. Imagine a government being threatened for the first time by a Western power. Imagine an ultimatum signed by the U.S. President threatening military action to enforce open trade between Japan and the West. Imagine the numerous young and patriotic samurai witnessing their beloved nation threatened and helpless to resist. Imagine the rice farmers moving from the villages to the capital city of Edo for the first time to open up shops. Imagine wealthy merchants who still cannot gain the respect of poor peasants and impoverished samurai. I hope that is helpful to attempt to gain the mindset of the people of Japan during this fascinating and chaotic time.
    [Show full text]
  • MORI ARINORI, 1847-89 from Diplomat to Statesman [London, 1880-84]
    5 MORI ARINORI, 1847-89 From Diplomat to Statesman [London, 1880-84] ANDREW COBBING Mori Arinori n January 1880, Mori Arinori arrived in London as the third resident minister I from Japan to be appointed to the Court of St James's. Still only thirty-two years of age, he brought with him a reputation as an outspoken champion of radical social reform. Enlisted by the new government after the Meiji Restoration, he had quickly gained notoriety in 1869 for his infamous proposal to remove the samurai's traditional right to bear his swords.Then, in his time as japan's first minister to the United States from 1870 to 1873, he had advocated religious freedom and even suggested adopting English as the official language. On his return from Washington he had gone on to found the Meirokusha, japan's first modern intellectual society, which spread progressive ideas through the distribution of its Meiroku Journal. This was the man whom the indefatigable Victorian traveller Isabella Bird described as an 'advanced liberal' when she met him on a visit to Tokyo in 1878. 1 Once likened to a 'lone pine atop a winter mountain', the young Mori frequently cut an isolated figure in the world of Meiji politics." Four years of diplomatic service in London, however, were to effect a profound change in his outlook and bring him closer to the mainstream of government affairs. He returned in 1884 as a statesman in the making, and went on to impose such a centralized and elitist structure on Japan's education system that he was even suspected of forsaking his radical past.
    [Show full text]
  • The Smithsonian Meteorological Project and Hokkaido, Japan Kae
    The Smithsonian Meteorological Project and Hokkaido, Japan Kae Takarabe Introduction The history of meteorology in Japan, especially after the Meiji Restoration, has tended to be described in terms of knowledge diffusion from central Tokyo outwards to local areas, despite the fact that meteorological observations were carried out at places such as Nagasaki and Yokohama (Fig. 1).1 The aim of this paper is to explore an alternative meteorological channel in Japan, operating in Hokkaido. The Japanese government considered Hokkaido a critical area for development and therefore set out to colonise and develop the region’s agriculture by making use of American science and scientific advisors. Meteorology was crucial to this process. This paper contends that the development of meteorological capabilities in Hokkaido counters the centre-periphery model (Fig. 2) which has come to dominate the literature of history of science.2 1 Kishocho, Kisho hyakunenshi [100 Years’ History of Meteorology] (Tokyo: Kishocho, 1975); Sapporo Regional Headquarters, Kishocho, Sapporo kisho hyakunenshi [100 Years’ History of Meteorology in Sapporo] (Sapporo: Sapporo Regional Headquarters, Kishocho, 1976). Exceptional works are as follows: Shigeru Kobayashi, “The Extension of Japanese Weather Survey in Relation to the China Coast Meteorological Service”, Abstracts from the General Meeting of the Association of Japanese Geographers 2017, the Association of Japanese Geographers [in Japanese]; Togo Tsukahara, “Rangaku, Global Warming, Science and Empires: History and Climate, Based on Dutch Historical Archive,” Bulletin of Historiographical Institute of Tokyo University 16 (2006): 79–108 [in Japanese]. 2 George Basalla, “The Spread of Western Science,” Science 156, no. 3775 (1967): 611–22; Lewis Pyenson, Civilizing Mission: Exact Sciences and French Overseas Expansion, 1830–1940 (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993).
    [Show full text]
  • Japan: Three Epochs of Modern Education
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 045 543 SO 000 485 AUTHOF Anderson, Fonald S. TITLE Japan: Three Epochs cf Modern Education. INSTITUTICN Office of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C. REPORT NO Eu11-1959-11; 0E-14076 PUB DATE 62 NOTE 233p. EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF-$1.00 HC-$11.75 DESCRIPTORS *Comparative Education, *Educational Administration, Educational Development, *Educational History, Educational Methods, Educational Opportunities, *Educational Philosophy, Educational Policy, *Educational Practice, Elementary Education, Government Role, Higher Education, Secondary Education, Social Studies IDENTIFIERS *Japan ABSTRACT Cver the years, Japan has revamped her education system a number cf times. With the coming of the U. S. Education Mission in 19.46, she turned her schools toward democratization. The major aims of this reform program in education were: 1)the elimination of militarism and ultranationalism; 2) democratizaticn; 3) modernization; and, 4) decentralization of education control. Specific reforms included: 1) the provision of greater equality of educational cEEottunity through the conversion of the multiple-track into a single-track system; 2)an additional three years of compulsory education; 3) coeducation at all levels; and, 4) general education at the secondary and higher levels. To train intelligent participation in a democracy, a new content was introduced --notatly social studies at the elementary and secondary levels. During the present period, some of these goals and reforms have been modified, however, the essential goals remain: suiting education to life, helping the individual to develop his ability, and the goal of freedom of speech and action. (SEE) OE-14076 IL Three Epochs of Modern Education U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE Office of Education MID Alm A.'"' 6 6 Highlights Chapter IEducational Philosophy and Poli- cyindicates 3 epochs of Japanese education, and presents an overview From time of the 1872 Education Code to present.
    [Show full text]
  • Kanae Nagasawa Carte De Visite Photograph Albums, Approximately 1865-1890
    Kanae Nagasawa Carte de Visite Photograph Albums, approximately 1865-1890 Collection Number: BANC PIC 2018.053 Collection guide by Paula B. Freedman, independent researcher THE BANCROFT LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY 2018 84 photographs in 2 albums : chiefly albumen prints on card mounts ; mounts 9 x 6 cm (carte de visite format) Collected and compiled by Kanae Nagasawa, with his annotations on many photographs and some album mats. Preferred Citation: Kanae Nagasawa carte de visite photograph albums, BANC PIC 2018.053, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. ORIGINAL ALBUMS: RESTRICTED. Requests for use of original must be approved by the appropriate curator. The following catalog was authored by Paula B. Freedman, independent researcher, for a bookseller. It serves as a guide to the contents of the two cartes de visite albums, acquired by The Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley, in 2018. BANC PIC 2018.053 Bancroft Library, U.C. Berkeley [email protected] PROSPECTUS: June 4, 2017 THE PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPH ALBUMS OF KANAYE NAGASAWA (b. Isonaga Hikonosuke in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan 1852–d. Santa Rosa, California, 1934) A historically significant assemblage of portraits depicting members of the secret 1865 Japanese Satsuma students mission to Great Britain and their related Japanese and European associates as well as personalities, including Nagasawa, connected to Thomas Lake Harris and his Brotherhood of the New Life communities in Amenia and Brocton, New York and at Fountain Grove in Santa Rosa, California. A rare and important two album set of 84 vintage photographs, 1865–ca. 1890, compiled by Kanaye Nagasawa chronicling important friends and associates of this, the youngest Japanese student to travel to Great Britain in 1865 as a member of the secret Satsuma students project, the first Japanese national to reside permanently in the United States, the first Japanese winemaker in America and, ultimately, a highly respected businessman with an international clientele.
    [Show full text]
  • Imperial Imaginations: Constructing Japanese History and Memory in the Age of Empire Andrew Steven Mills, MAT Charlottesville, V
    Imperial Imaginations: Constructing Japanese History and Memory in the Age of Empire Andrew Steven Mills, MAT Charlottesville, Virginia Master of Arts Teaching, James Madison University, May 2017 Bachelor of Arts in history with distinction, James Madison University, May 2016 A Thesis presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of East Asian Studies University of Virginia May 2020 Committee Members Chad Diehl, Ph.D. (chair) Diane Hoffman, Ph.D. i Abstract In the wake of the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan dramatically changed from a feudal society into a modern nation-state. Japan, however, did not complete the nation- building process until well after the end of the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Instead, Japanese officials in the Taisho and Showa Eras (1912-1916 and 1917-1945, respectively) continued to Build on and repurpose Japanese and Western systems, practices, and ideologies, in an attempt to construct a Japanese collective identity and memory. Building on previous studies in national identity construction, the present thesis focuses on the evolution and transformation of competing national narratives during Japan’s imperial period (1868-1945) and emphasizes the role of educational practices including and beyond formal schooling. ⽇本語で 1868 年の明治維新を機に、⽇本は封建社会から近代国家へと劇的な変化を遂げ た。しかしながら、⽇本は明治（1868-1912）の終わりから数⼗年後まで、その 国家構築のプロセスを完了することはなっかった。代わりに、⼤正と昭和の⽇本 政府（それぞれ 1912-1916 と 1917-1945）は⽇本⼈としての記憶と集団的アイデ ンティティの確⽴を試みるために、⽇本と⻄洋のシステム、実践、イデオロギー を構築し、転⽤することを継続した。国家アイデンティティ確⽴に関するこれま での研究に基づいて、本論⽂は⽇本の帝国時代における競合する国家の物語の進 化と変容に焦点を当て、公共教育を含むあるいは、それを越えた教育実践の役割 を強調するものである。 ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………………………....…iii List of images…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………iv Introduction. Writing Identity With History……………………………………………………………………1 Chapter One.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Spencerism
    iii Global Spencerism The Communication and Appropriation of a British Evolutionist Edited by BernardLightman LEIDEN |BOSTON For use by the Author only | © 2016 Koninklijke Brill NV ContentsContents v Contents Acknowledgements vii List of Figures, Graphs and Tables viii List of Contributors xxiv Introduction 1 Bernard Lightman 1 “What a Go-a-Head People They Are!”: The Hostile Appropriation of Herbert Spencer in Imperial Russia 13 Michael D. Gordin 2 Spencer’s Arabic Readers 35 Marwa Elshakry 3 Spencerism in Japan: Boom and Bust of a Theory 56 G. Clinton Godart 4 Spencer and Science Education in China 78 Ke Zunke and Li Bin 5 The Reforming Spencerians: William James, Josiah Royce and John Dewey 103 Mark Francis 6 Spencer’s American Disciples: Fiske, Youmans, and the Appropriation of the System 123 Bernard Lightman 7 The Ideology of the “Survival of the Fittest” during the Porfiriato in Mexico 149 Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez, Ricardo Noguera Solano, and Juan Manuel Rodríguez Caso 8 The Rise and Fall of Spencer’s Evolutionary Ideas in Argentina, 1870–1910 173 Adriana Novoa For use by the Author only | © 2016 Koninklijke Brill NV vi Contents 9 Spencerism in Brazil: An Introduction 192 Heloisa Maria Bertol Domingues 10 The Importance of Being Quantified: Herbert Spencer in Liberal Italy, and Beyond 218 Paola Govoni 11 Education and Evolution: Appropriations of Herbert Spencer in Scandinavia, 1870–1920 241 Hans Henrik Hjermitslev 12 A ‘Spencerian Moment’ in French Cultural History? Spencer in France (1870–1890) 266 Nathalie Richard Afterword
    [Show full text]
  • The Iwakura Mission in Britain, 1872
    THE IWAKURA MISSION IN BRITAIN, 1872 Dr Andrew Cobbing, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London: Life in Victorian London through the Eyes of Kume Kunitake, Chronicler of the Iwakura Mission p. 4 Dr Akiko Ohta, Keio University, Tokyo, and Clare Hall, Cambridge: The Iwakura Mission in Britain: their observations on education and Victorian society p.13 Mrs Olive Checkland, formerly University of Glasgow: The Iwakura Mission, industries and exports p.25 Dr John Breen, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London: Public statements and private thoughts: the Iwakura p.35 Embassy in London and the religious question The Suntory Centre Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines London School of Economics and Political Science Discussion Paper Houghton Street No. IS/98/349 London WC2A 2AE March 1998 Tel.: 020-7955 6698 1 Preface Ben Thorne, Chairman, Lectures & Publications Committee, Japan Society It is difficult to know just why, but the 125th anniversary of the Iwakura Mission’s lengthy visit to Britain, which fell in 1997, has stirred memories and led to a number of commemorative events, mainly of an academic nature. Perhaps the centenary came too soon, as it were, for us to appreciate the ongoing significance of the visit. Over the past 25 years the political and industrial relationships of Britain and Japan have burgeoned and now we need to remind ourselves that many of the effects of that long ago Embassy will have echoes in the current close relationship between the two countries. There had been earlier visitations. In 1862, at a time of political ferment in Japan and following a similar visit to the United States, the Bakufu sent a mission some forty strong to Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Ottmar Von Mohl, Jinmu-Tennō and the Proclamation of the Meiji Constitution on February 11Th 1889 Klaus Antoni and Yvonne Antoni
    Inventing a State Ceremony: Ottmar von Mohl, Jinmu-tennō and the Proclamation of the Meiji Constitution on February 11th 1889 Klaus Antoni and Yvonne Antoni 1. Introduction – Western and Japanese Thought in the Meiji Constitution ....... 1 2. Ottmar von Mohl and the promulgation of the constitution ............................. 4 2.1 Ottmar von Mohl’s duties at court ............................................................ 5 2.1.1 Dispute with Itō Hirobumi about tradition .......................................... 7 2.2 The celebrations ...................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 The planning ..................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 The “Shinto-ritual” ............................................................................. 9 2.2.3 The state ceremony ........................................................................ 10 2.2.4 The assassination of Mori Arinori .................................................... 12 2.3 Conclusion: The work of Ottmar von Mohl ............................................. 13 3. On the ideological context of the promulgation ceremonial .......................... 15 3.1 The year 1889 in Meiji Japan ................................................................. 15 3.2 The historical sources: Kigensetsu and the Jinmu-tennō myth ............. 16 3.3 The archaeological evidence ................................................................. 17 3.4 On the kigen calendar ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Compulsory Education”: Rethinking the Rhetoric of Debates in Current Reform1
    Educational Studies in Japan: International Yearbook No.3, December, 2008, pp.65-84 Historical Aspects of the Concept of “Compulsory Education”: Rethinking the Rhetoric of Debates in Current Reform1 SATO, Manabu* translated by DAWSON, Walter** Current Educational Reform in Japan is oddly captured with confused conceptions of “compulsory education.” The Ministry of Education blankets such connotations of it, as a national budget system, mandated school curricu- lum, responsible partnership of school with community and accountabilities of local school board, in defense of vested national budget against decentraliza- tion promoted by prefectural governors. However, the extended usage of “prob- lems of compulsory education” results in the confusion of educational policies. This is because the core issues of current reforms are not concerned about whether school education should be compulsory or not, but on the future de- sign of the public education system. This paper displays some historical aspects of the concept of “compulso- ry education,” in order to enlighten the reason why the issues of it are expand- ed and unclear. Indeed, most people have confused the concepts of “public education,” “public school system,” “general education,” “compulsory educa- tion” and “national education.” In pre-war days, the compulsory education system was not launched in the early stages of modernization, but in 1886, when the first educational minister, Arinori Mori, legally designed the public education (general education) system to be established in the nation state. His idea of the “compulsory education” was characteristic. Though it was legitimated by “national education” con- structed with “general education” or “public education,” its financial founda- tion was not based on a national budget but school fees were paid by parents.
    [Show full text]
  • MEIROKU ZASSHI First Essay on Enlightenment'
    ISSUE THREE 31 MEIROKU ZASSHI Issue Three Undated industries and ten thousand arts burst forth one after another. By these means, the virtues of social intercourse will spread through the liberal expansion of commerce, products will reach perfection as machines are increasingly refined, and men will ultimately ap- preciate the true value of civilization. I would say that only then can countries defend their prestige and enter the glorious realm First Essay on Enlightenment’ [of enlightenment]. Mori Arinori Scholars are of the opinion that the course of world civiliza- tion since creation has never turned downward notwithstanding the rise and fall of nations. Judging from the evidence of the past, it is indeed true that there has generally been progress and change in man’s means ofsupport. Thus, in the beginning when men were savages, their means of support were hardly different from those of beasts. As they progressed, men learned hunting and fishing, impressed and most fearful when I observed changes in the seasons, understood techniques for sowing tries. When Greece first aro and harvesting, and then advanced sufficiently to appreciate how to conserve their labor by employing horses and oxen. These may be regarded as the means of support at the first stage of enlighten- rections. The cou ment. We may term half-enlightened those who have come to look upon the products of labor as private property, to see hard work finement of the at time, however, as a source of happiness, to recognize the assignment of occupa- the customs of the peopl : luxury, greed, frivolity, tions as a requirement for community living, and to regard the and.
    [Show full text]
  • CHRISTIANITY in EARLY MEIJI JAPAN Preface in Accordance With
    CHRISTIANITY IN EARLY MEIJI JAPAN THE BALANCE OF FAITH, STATE, AND CHURCH AS SEEN THROUGH MEIROKU ZASSHI Preface In accordance with the Five Article Oath (Gokajô no Goseimon) of 1868, Japan started a search throughout the world, to become a modern nation. The goals during the first years after the restoration were “a rich country and a strong army” (fukoku kyôhei), and “civilization and enlightenment” (bunmei kaika) to swiftly reach equality with the West. Much of this search was focused on the Western material and techno- logical lead. However, as Herbert Passin states, “even a material object or an industrial process, implies a whole supportive network of ideas, philosophy, social organization, etc. One cannot accept the one without, at least over a period of time, accepting the rest.”1 Adopting Western science would thus mean that Western ideology, philosophy, visions and conflicts would enter Japan as well. In this way, Christianity, forbidden in Japan since the seventeenth century, had a sec- ond opportunity to enter the country. Apart from the adoption of Western technology, the new leaders were also looking for an ideology that could turn Japan into a unified nation, and create equality with the Western powers. The feudal system had been abolished, and along with it, Confucianism had lost a great deal of its authority. Large scale orientation took place inside as well as outside Japan. Here again opportunities existed for Christianity. Here I would like to analyze with the vision of the modernizers and intellectuals of Japan on Christianity as an ideology. I would like to limit this analysis to a certain period.
    [Show full text]