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Okakura Kakuzo's Nostalgic Journey to India and the Invention of Asia

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Okakura Kakuzo's Nostalgic Journey to India and the Invention of Asia “Okakura Kakuzô’s Nostalgic Journey to India and the Invention of Asia, in Susan Fisher (ed.), Nostalgic Journeys: Literary Pilgrimages between Japan and the West, CJR Japan Research Series, 2001, pp.119-132” Okakura KakuKakuzo'z o's s Nostalgic JourneJourneyy to India versy--Including and ththee InInventionve ntion of AAsias ia lyS. Bern: Peter the Progress of IInnaga aga Shigemi Shigemi ~rly Bulletin of e University of Many works :in in English by TenshinTenshin,， Okakura Kakuzo (1862-1913) (1862-1913),， deal deal with female figures. One such work could have been his graduagraduatingti.n g 血thesises 白 for Tokyo Imperial University University,， if it it had not been n - Sadakichi no burned by his 仕frustratedus 仕ated young wife wife,， Motoko (1867-1924). In 倣0Okakura1ska 誌kura ife of Sadakichi). 白伽final叫1al 戸yyears,ea 訂rs 島， hhisお inti intimate出宜 1旧at 旬:e letters . with an In Indian dian poepoet,叫t， PrPriyambada苛苛也ri 匂勿iyambad 伽a DeviDevi,， became well knOknown,Wll， and Fred Notehelfer rightly detec detects旬並 in1 them a kind ~ Glover Family). of amaeamae,， or emotional dependence on a maternal figure (31η.(317). In a recent biography biography of Isabella Stuart GardGardner,悶・， ThThee Art 01 of Scandal Scandal,， Okakura 白is 仕frequentlyequently mentionedmentioned, ， if not without some confusion (Shand- (Shand-Tucci Tucci 254- fransgressing the 25η.257). The auauthor,血or ， Douglas Shand-TucciShand-Tucci,， concludes 血thatat "Okakura kyo: Shinyosha, Kakuzo's 白finestnest English poems were addressed to Isabella Gardner" (257) (257),， but does not refer to Okakura'sOkakura1s WhiteWh ite Fox (1913) (1913),， a verse drama Idelphia: David which he dedicated to Gardner shortly before his death. It is not unreasonable unreasonable to presume 血thatat 加in the case of 刀Theze Book 01 of Tea (1906) (1906),， iits包 白firstrst supposed reader was none other than Isabella GardnerGardner,， even though it 白is formally dedicated to 血thee painter John LaFarge. SeSeveral veral months before 血thee publication of the bookbook,， she had written to Bernard BerensonBerenson:: “"I1 am still full of 曲目白出the sentimentlent and flower of the great Tea CeremonyCeremony,，出 thee Chano-yu,Chano-yu ， which was performed here yesterday at 5 PM (candlelight) by Okakura" Ganuary(January 22 ,-.，-. 1905). In the guise of 佃an address address to KoKo-chan,・chan ， the cat which Isabella Gardner had given to himhim,， Okakura wrote: "You and 1I know 血thatat wonder is the secret of bliss and 出thatat with reason comes the death of the beaubeautiful"ぽul" (Oc(October句 ber 44,， 1911). "You" here implies implies,， of course course, ， Isabella GardnerGardner,， no less than the cat itself.i包elf. In白白In this paperpaper,， my 白firstrst proposition 白is to examine Okakura'Okakura's s "s "structure仕ucture of dependence" on the maternal 白figuregure in 刀Theze Ideals 01 of the Orient Orient (1903) and in the manuscript written in 1902 during his stay in Calcutta Calcutta and only posthumously published as ThThee Awakening 01 of the East (1939). (1939). To what extent was Okakura's invention of" Asia" as "one" and a "united living organism" related to his journey to InIndia? dia? Is Okakura's (r (re-・e- )invention of the "Orient" better understood in connection with his discovery discovery of InIndian dian motherhood? How was his nostalgia for the lost glory glory of IndiaIn dia responsible for his his political stance? WhWhat at was the role played played by foreign papatrons甘ons and mediators in his Indian experience? To 120 N ostalgic Joumeys 120 Nostalgic Joumeys Okakura Kaku answer ' these questions we must focus on two particular women answer these questions,， we must focus on two particular women,， in Japan it is Josephine Josephine MacLeod and Margaret E. Noble (known as Sister Nivedita). our national suppose that 1. 1. I. Josephine MacLeod what Viveka Okakura's 白firstrst book in English English,， TheTh e ldeals Ideals 01 of the East ωwith ith Special Vivekananda) later, on July RφReference rence to the Arts 01 of JIα Japan pan (wri (written仕:en in 1901,1901 ， published in 1903),1903) ， was based on 血thee lectures he had given to English and American women in血 scholars hay! Tokyo. Among them was Josephine MacLeod (1858-1949) (1858-1949),， who was Vivekananda responsible responsible for OkakuIOkakura'sぜs 仕tripip to In India dia in 1901-02. She was also c1 closely 0sely the Chicago V linked linked with Nivedita of Ramakrishna VivekanandaVivekananda,， who wrote an 210) may haVE American pul important important in introduction仕oduction toηto The ze ldeals Ideals 01 of the East. JJosephine osephine MacLeod was the daughter of a wealthy American 1904, entitlec family family and became devoted to Vivekananda (1863-1902) 仕fromom the 伽timee Standpoint," ( of of her first acquaintance with him in New York .around 1894. Her the strongest financial financial,， material material, ， and spiritual support played an important part 白in comparison w 血the e first publication of Vivekananda'Vivekananda's s hagiographyhagiography,， and she was active obvious simi in in propagating Vivekananda's ideas in the WesWest. t. ThThee Greek writer American put Nikos Kazantzakis was later supported by her : In his diary of life in same. OkakUJ (whom we she England (wri (written仕en illin MacLeod's house in Stratford-on-Avon,S凶ぜOrd-on-Avon ， said to have once belonged to Shakespeare'sShakespeare' s daughter) daughter),， Kazantzakis expresses his his amazement at MacLeod' s insatiable curiosity ，even in her eighties ， Western his amazement at MacLeod's insatiable curiosity, even in her eighties, should ill about the world around her. She used to say with a laugh,laugh ， "Learning is true hom my religion" (A(Atmaprana也 laprana 109-110; KazanKazantzakis包 ak お 250). accumula MacLeod was mainly responsible for Okakura'Okakura's s 白firstrst 仕tripip to In India dia means til and his meeting with Vivekananda. Okakura leftJapan left Japan on December 55,， machine (Collected 19011901,， disembarked at Colombo on December 2929,， and after a brief stay in in MadrasMadras,， arrived in Calcutta on January 66,， 1902. He encountered If we replace Vivekananda 出thee very same day (Horioka(Horioka,， Okakura Tenshin ko ki5102-103). 102-103). "Hinduism" (a Of their encounterencounter,， Josephine Jo ·sephine MacLeod leaves the following parallels with , memory: Okubo Ta has already an One One of the happy moments of my life was when after a few ye 訂 s at One of the happy moments of my life was when after a few years at of Advaitism (J Belue Belue [where Vivekananda resided] resided],， Mr. Okakura 、' said to me rather hfiercely,悶 ly ， "Vivekananda is ours. He おis an Oriental. He おis notyuurs."τ not yours." 百ThenT五'h 児e a holistic parad 1I knew 血thata叫t 血theree悦r詑e was a real understanding between 血themem [Okakura[0似ka 誌kura a every religion I 釦andd Vi Vivekananda].討.v 怯ekana 釦nd 白a]. A day or two after,after ， Swami [Vivekananda][V ivekananda] said to Were, in an OF me ， "1t seems 出 if a long lost brother has come" ... An d when Swami me, "It seems as if a long lost brother has come" ... And when Swami Advaitism whi( said said to himhim,， "Will you join jOin us?" Mr. Okakura ssaid,泊d， "No,"No ， 1I haven't 白山finishedhedwi with血血 thisis world ye yet." t." (qtd. in AAtmaprana凶 aprana 104). explain the pri there is a funda AnAnothe! other biographer comments about 仕由this meeting: "Okakura'S his idea of the " work for Asian uniunity句T and 血thee preservation of Japan's 廿traditionaladitional 紅白arts from a hymn: had just begun" (Prabuddhaprana 123). different place~ Here ~is a senses~nse of divisiondiv~ion of l;bour labour,， so to speaspeak. k. Okakura said different paths 出thatat if the InIndian dian eχcelsexcels in spirituality spirituality,， and China is proud of iits包 ethicS ethics,， though they ... Okakura Okakura Kakuzo' Kakuzo's s Nostalgic Journey to In India dia and 血the.e In Invention vention of AsAsia ia 121 ular women, in Japan it おis UArt"Art [出 [that]at] 白血is theeeχpression expression of the highest and noblest of ter Nivedita). our national cculture"叫ture" (Collected English WriWritingstJ ゆ 22:16).刈.Itお It is easy to suppose 血thatat Okakura was planning to realize realize 白血in the e artistic world what Vivekananda was realizing 白血in thee spiritual world. HoweverHowever,， VivekanandaVivekananda,， who had been ill for some time time,， passed away siχmonthssix months st with Special later later,， on July 44,， 19021902, ， while Okakura was still in In India. dia. Some Japanese in 1903), was scholars scholars have already suggested 出thatat the legendary success 血thatat can women in Vivekananda had . enjoyed at the In International temational Religious Parliament at 49), who was the the Chicago World's Fair in September 1893 (Vivekananda(Vivekananda,， Swami 19194-ι as also closely 210) 210) may have inspired Okakura in his promotion of Japanese art to 血thee ho wrote an American public. Okakura's own lecture at 血theeS St.t. Louis World's Fair in 19041904,， entitled uModern"Modern Problems in Painting-from a Japanese thy American Standpoint Standpoint," ，" can be interpreted as an U"imitation"imitation" of Vivekananda (担 (in from the time 保ぬthe strongestongest sense of following the same 抑制path) and 白is worthy of md 1894. Her comparison with the Chicago lectures by Vivekananda. Apart 台fromom 出thee >ortarit part in obvious obvious similarity of two Oriental intellectuals addressing the she was active American public public,，出 thee principal docdoctrine仕ine of boboth出 lectures was much the Greek writer same. same. Okakura told Americans 血thatat for "conservatives"Uconservatives" 首in1 Japan liary of life in (whom we should not directly identi identifyちr with Okakura himsehimself):的: A von, said to :akis expresses Westem Westem Western ssociety促 iety 白is not necessarily the paragon which all mankind n her eighties, should imitate. ThThey ey believe in 出theehomogenei homogeneity句 7 of civilization civilization,， but 血thatat ll, "Learning is 凶trueehomogenei homogeneity句7 must be the result of a re realizationa1iz ation from within,wi 血in ， not an accumulation accumulation of outside matter.
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