Legendary Patriot Or Corrupt Egotist? an Analysis of Tōyama Mitsuru Through an Interpretation of Dai Saigō Ikun Peter T
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 2008 Legendary Patriot or Corrupt Egotist? An Analysis of Tōyama Mitsuru Through an Interpretation of Dai Saigō Ikun Peter T. Siuda University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Siuda, Peter T., "Legendary Patriot or Corrupt Egotist? An Analysis of Tōyama Mitsuru Through an Interpretation of Dai Saigō Ikun" (2008). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 115. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/115 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. University of Massachusetts - Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses Dissertations and Theses 2008 Legendary Patriot or Corrupt Egotist? An Analysis of Tōyama Mitsuru Through an Interpretation of Dai Saigō Ikun Peter T. Siuda University of Massachusetts Amherst, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Siuda, Peter T., "Legendary Patriot or Corrupt Egotist? An Analysis of Tōyama Mitsuru Through an Interpretation of Dai Saigō Ikun" (2008). Masters Theses. Paper 115. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/115 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LEGENDARY PATRIOT OR CORRUPT EGOTIST? AN ANALYSIS OF T ŌYAMA MITSURU THROUGH AN INTERPRETATION OF DAI SAIG Ō IKUN A Thesis Presented by PETER T. SIUDA Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2008 Asian Languages, Literatures and Culture LEGENDARY PATRIOT OR CORRUPT EGOTIST? AN ANALYSIS OF T ŌYAMA MITSURU THROUGH AN INTERPRETATION OF DAI SAIG Ō IKUN A Thesis Presented by PETER T. SIUDA Approved as to style and content by: ______________________________________ Amanda C. Seaman, Chair ______________________________________ Stephen M. Forrest, Member ______________________________________ Bruce P. Baird, Member ________________________________________________ Zhongwei Shen, Director Asian Languages and Literature Program Department of Languages, Literatures and Culture ________________________________________________ Julie Candler Hayes, Chair Department of Languages, Literatures and Culture ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank all of my committee members for their perseverance and for providing me with the encouragement and support to finally complete the thesis. Professors Seaman and Baird have proven invaluable with their critiques and corrections to my writing, and my translations would have suffered greatly were it not for the help of Professor Forrest. I would also like to thank Professor Sharon Domier for her help in providing me with the knowledge and skills necessary to properly research and collate all of the information that was relevant for my topic. I must also extend my gratitude to my close friends and loved ones, for lending me the strength and support I needed during those many times of duress. Special thanks must be given to my brother Edward and sister Vivian for helping support my decision to pursue Japanese, to my mother Teresa for always believing in me, and to my father Richard whom I know would have been proud to have seen me receive my Masters degree. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1 2. AN ANALYSIS OF SAIG Ō TAKAMORI: LEGEND VS. REALITY.........................7 The Philosophies of Saig ō .......................................................................................9 The Creation of the Ikun ........................................................................................14 Saig ō’s Political Views and the End of the Samurai .............................................17 The Contradictive Image Behind Dai Saig ō..........................................................23 3. T ŌYAMA MITSURU AND MILITANT IMPERIALISM IN TAISH Ō JAPAN.......27 Tōyama’s Upbringing and Introduction to Political Influence..............................28 Tōyama’s Legacy: the Geny ōsha and Kokury ūkai ................................................32 The Rise of Anti-Western Sentiment in the Taish ō Period....................................40 The Enigmatic Saiga Hiroyoshi.............................................................................44 Death of T ōyama....................................................................................................46 4. AN ANALYSIS OF THE KEY POINTS OF DAI SAIG Ō IKUN ................................48 Saig ō Takamori Point #1 .......................................................................................49 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #1..................................................................................50 Point/Critique #1 Commentary..............................................................................52 Saig ō Takamori Point #8 .......................................................................................53 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #8..................................................................................54 Point/Critique #8 Commentary..............................................................................55 Saig ō Takamori Point #9 .......................................................................................55 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #9..................................................................................56 Point/Critique #9 Commentary..............................................................................57 Saig ō Takamori Point #10 .....................................................................................57 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #10................................................................................58 Point/Critique #10 Commentary............................................................................60 Saig ō Takamori Point #11 .....................................................................................62 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #11................................................................................62 Point/Critique #11 Commentary............................................................................63 Saig ō Takamori Point #12 .....................................................................................65 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #12................................................................................65 Point/Critique #12 Commentary............................................................................66 Saig ō Takamori Point #16 .....................................................................................68 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #16................................................................................69 iv Point/Critique #16 Commentary............................................................................70 Saig ō Takamori Point #17 .....................................................................................72 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #17................................................................................72 Point/Critique #17 Commentary............................................................................73 Saig ō Takamori Point #18 .....................................................................................74 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #18................................................................................75 Point/Critique #18 Commentary............................................................................77 Saigō Takamori Point #46 .....................................................................................77 Tōyama Mitsuru Critique #46................................................................................78 Point/Critique #46 Commentary............................................................................80 5. CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................83 APPENDIX: WORKS CONTAINING SAIG Ō TAKAMORI’S IKUN AND A LIST OF SAIGA HIROYOSHI’S PUBLISHED BOOKS ..................................86 BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................87 v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION During the latter half of the Taish ō period (1912-1926) a great number of books were published in Japan whose purpose was to remind the people of the ideals that were originally set forth with the onset of the Meiji Restoration and continued in the subsequent Meiji period (1868-1912). 1 These ideas centered on the concept of kokutai (“national essence/polity”), which was a form of nationalism affirming that since the Emperor was of divine descent, it was the duty of every Japanese to worship and serve him; additionally, the people were called upon to serve the nation with utmost devotion in order to promote a sense