China and Japan in the Late Meiji Period
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China and Japan in the Late Meiji Period The first war between China and Japan in 1894 95 was one of the most fateful events, not only in modern Japanese and Chinese history, but in interna- tional history as well. The war and subsequent events catapulted Japan on its trajectory toward temporary hegemony in East Asia, whereas China entered a long period of domestic unrest and foreign intervention. Repercussions of these developments can be still felt, especially in the mutual perceptions of Chinese and Japanese people today. However, despite considerable scholarship on Sino Japanese relations, the perplexing question remains as to how the Japanese attitude exactly changed after the triumphant victory in 1895 over its former role model and competitor. This book examines the transformation of Japan’s attitude toward China up to the time of the Russo Japanese War (1904 05), when the psychological framework within which future Chinese Japanese relations worked reached its completion. It shows the transformation process through a close reading of sources, a large number of which are introduced to the scholarly discus- sion for the first time. Zachmann demonstrates how modern Sino Japanese attitudes were shaped by a multitude of factors, domestic and international, and, in turn, informed Japan’s course in international politics. Providing a nuanced interpretation of the shifting power dynamics between China and Japan in late Meiji times, this book is essential reading for stu- dents and scholars interested in getting to grips with the complexities of this key East Asian bilateral relationship. Urs Matthias Zachmann is Assistant Professor at the Japan Centre of the University of Munich (LMU). Routledge/Leiden Series in Modern East Asian Politics and History Series editors: Rikki Kersten, Christopher Goto-Jones and Axel Schneider. Through addressing ideas about history and politics in the modern period, and by encouraging comparative and inter-disciplinary work amongst East Asian specialists, the Leiden Series on Modern East Asian History and Politics seeks to combine Area Studies’ focus on primary sources in the vernacular, with a distinct disciplinary edge. The Leiden Series focuses on philosophy, politics, political thought, his- tory, the history of ideas, and foreign policy as they relate to modern East Asia, and will emphasise theoretical approaches in all of these fields. As well as single-authored volumes, edited or multi-authored submissions that bring together a range of country specialisations and disciplines are welcome. 1. Political Philosophy in Japan Nishida, the Kyoto school and co-prosperity Christopher Goto-Jones 2. The Left in the Shaping of Japanese Democracy Essays in honour of J. A. A. Stockwin Edited by Rikki Kersten and David Williams 3. Re-Politicising the Kyoto School as Philosophy Christopher Goto-Jones 4. Ideology and Christianity in Japan Kiri Paramore 5. China and Japan in the Late Meiji Period China policy and the Japanese discourse on national identity, 1895 1904 Urs Matthias Zachmann China and Japan in the Late Meiji Period China policy and the Japanese discourse on national identity, 1895–1904 Urs Matthias Zachmann First published 2009 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009. To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk. © 2009 Urs Matthias Zachmann All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Zachmann, Urs Matthias. China and Japan in the late Meiji period : China policy and the Japanese discourse on national identity, 1895 1904 / Urs Matthias Zachmann. p. cm. (Routledge/Leiden series in modern East Asian history and politics) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Japan Relations China. 2. China Relations Japan. 3. Sino Japanese War, 1894 1895. I. Title. DS849.C6Z25 2009 327.51052090 034 dc22 2008036870 ISBN 0-203-88158-3 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 978 0 415 48191 5 (hbk) ISBN 978 0 203 88158 3 (ebk) To my parents Contents Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 1 China in the Tokugawa and early Meiji period 8 China’s political and cultural role in Tokugawa Japan 8 The foreign politics of the early Meiji period 11 The cohabitation of Chinese and western knowledge in the Meiji period 18 The ‘real China’ in Early Meiji popular experience 22 Japan’s double inferiority complex: cultural condescension East and West 29 2 The Sino Japanese War, the Tripartite Intervention, and Japan’s ‘postwar management’ 31 The popular interpretation of the war and its aftermath 32 The influence of the war on Japanese views of the world 39 Japan’s ‘postwar management,’ 1895 1904 46 3 The Far Eastern Crisis of 1897 98 55 The Far Eastern Crisis 56 The response of the Japanese government 57 The reactions of the Japanese public to the Far Eastern Crisis 60 China policy: the positions of Konoe Atsumaro, Takayama Chogyu-, Fukuzawa Yukichi and Kuga Katsunan 66 4 The Hundred Days Reform, 1898 89 The Hundred Days 90 Japanese perspectives of reform in China 92 The relative speed of progress: Chinese time and Japanese time 101 viii Contents Domestic parallels: a Second Meiji Restoration or a second Spain? 106 The government’s stance: Ito- Hirobumi’s journey to Beijing 110 After the Hundred Days: the consolidation of public opinion 117 5 The Boxer Incident and beyond 128 The Boxer Uprising and Japan’s participation in the expedition 128 The reactions of the Japanese public 132 The Anglo Japanese Alliance and the Russo Japanese War 146 Conclusion 153 Notes 163 Bibliography 211 Index 232 Acknowledgements Writing this book would have been impossible without the help of many people and institutions. It is my great pleasure to acknowledge this fact and to extend my heartfelt thanks, first and foremost to my advisor for the original PhD thesis, Professor Wolfgang Schamoni (Heidelberg), who has encouraged me on my way with unstinting support, good advice, and never-flagging enthu- siasm. I am also greatly indebted to Professor Akira Iriye (Harvard University) for a wonderful half-year of research in Harvard, his willingness to act as the second reader for my thesis and his generous advice and support throughout. Research for this book has been conducted in various places, and during my progress, I have encountered much help and advice, for which I am greatly indebted to: Professor Rudolf Wagner (Heidelberg) for his help in the initial phase of my PhD; Professor Irmela Hijiya-Kirschnereit (Freie Universität Berlin) for being my host at the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ), Tokyo, and providing me with ideal working conditions and kind support; Professor Yasumaru Yoshio (Hitotsubashi University) for his wise advice in comments and conversations during and after his seminar at Waseda; Professor Andrew Gordon (Harvard) for accepting me into an inspiring seminar during my stay in Harvard; Professor Obinata Sumio (Waseda University) for repeatedly acting as my advisor at Waseda and generously sharing his profound knowledge with me; to Professor Wolfgang Seifert and Professor Gotelind Müller-Saini (Heidelberg) for their kind co- operation in the last phase of my PhD and their help and encouragement; and, finally, to Professor Klaus Vollmer and my colleagues in Munich for their great patience and goodwill while I was still busying myself with this book. To all I extend my heartfelt gratitude. I am also greatly indebted to Professor Paul A. Cohen (Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University) and Professor Watanabe Hiroshi (Tokyo University), who have kindly read the manuscript and given me their very helpful comments and criticism. I also thank the two anonymous readers for Routledge for their comments. Needless to say that, for all the remaining errors, I take sole responsibility. The following institutions have made this book possible through grants and fellowships: Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, Deutsches Institut für x Acknowledgements Japanstudien (Tokyo), Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. I thank these institutions for their generosity as well. Most important of all has been the constant support of my parents, Dieter and Brigitte Zachmann, to whom I dedicate this book with immense gratitude. A short note on conventions: Japanese and Chinese names are rendered in their usual order, with the family name preceding the given name. Chinese names and words are transcribed according to the Pinyin system. Translations are my own, if not otherwise indicated. Munich, December 2008 Abbreviations FYZ Fukuzawa Yukichi zenshu- (The collected works of Fukuzawa Yukichi), Keio- gijuku (ed.), 22 volumes, Tokyo: Iwanami shoten, 1969 71. GSN Kokusai nyu-su jiten shuppan iinkai, Mainichi komyunikêshonzu (eds), Gaikoku shinbun ni miru Nihon (Japan as seen through foreign newspapers), 10 volumes, Tokyo: Mainichi komyuni- kêshonzu, 1989 93. (Note: numbers refer to the volumes with the original texts.) KKZ Kuga Katsunan zenshu- (The collected works of Kuga Katsunan), Nishida Taketoshi et al. (eds), 10 volumes, Tokyo: Misuzu shobo-, 1968 85. Numbers after the abbreviations refer to volume and page numbers, respectively; e.g. ‘KKZ 6:223’ means ‘Kuga Katsunan zenshu-, Vol. 6, p. 223.’ Introduction Sino Japanese relations throughout history, although culturally enriching, have seldom been without their tensions.