The Quest for Civilization <UN> Simon Vissering (1818–1888). Collection of Universiteit Leiden. The Quest for Civilization Encounters with Dutch Jurisprudence, Political Economy, and Statistics at the Dawn of Modern Japan By Ōkubo Takeharu Translated by David Noble LEIDEN | BOSTON <UN> Cover illustration: Leyden (Breestraat), ca. 1850, by Bruining, T.C., Bos, G.J. and Trap, P.W.M. Collection of Regionaal Archief Leiden. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Takeharu, Okubo. [Kindai Nihon no seiji koso to Oranda. English] The quest for civilization : encounters with Dutch jurisprudence, political economy, and statistics at the dawn of modern Japan / by Okubo Takeharu ; translated by David Noble. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-24536-5 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Political science--Japan--History--19th century. 2. Japan--Civilization--Dutch influences. I. Title. JA84.J3O38713 2014 320.0952’09034--dc23 2014020024 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. isbn 978-90-04-24536-5 (hardback) isbn 978-90-04-24537-2 (e-book) Copyright 2014 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Global Oriental and Hotei Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. 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Contents Acknowledgments vii Preface to the English Edition ix Introduction 1 1 Seeking the Bridge between Edo and Meiji Japan 1 2 The Study Mission to the Netherlands of Nishi Amane and Tsuda Mamichi 19 1 The Dutch Constitution of 1848 and the Meiji Restoration 36 1 Dutch Jurisprudence and the Development of Constitutional Thought 36 2 Vissering’s Legal World: Natural Law, Historical Jurisprudence, and Liberal Reform 40 3 The Dutch Constitution of 1848 and Taisei kokuhō ron 50 4 The Sorai School and the Reexamination of Confucianism 57 5 Nishi Amane’s “Gidai sōan”: A New Concept of Government 64 6 The Founding of the Meirokusha and the Birth of a New Knowledge 74 2 The Rise of Statistical Thinking in Meiji Japan 80 1 The Beginning of Statistical Studies in Japan 80 2 Fukuzawa Yukichi’s Outline of a Theory of Civilization 86 3 The Intellectual World of Tsuda Mamichi’s Hyōki teikō: Dutch Statistical Administration and the Leiden University Lecture Notes 97 4 Sugi Kōji’s Proposal for a Central Statistical Bureau and the Political Crisis of 1881 113 3 Dutch Political Economy and Nishi Amane’s Philosophical Encounter with Utilitarianism 127 1 Political Economy as the Twin Sister of Statistics 127 2 The Lectures on Political Economy and Aiseiyō no michi 132 3 Mill’s Utilitarianism and the Deepening of Nishi Amane’s Political Philosophy 155 <UN> vi Contents 4 International Law and the Quest for Civilization 178 1 International Law and the Opening of Japan 178 2 The Place of International Law in Vissering’s Curriculum: Law, Civilization, Practice 183 3 Transcripts of the Leiden University Lectures in Diplomatic History and the Study of International Law in the Netherlands 187 4 The Intellectual World of Vissering’s Lectures on International Law 193 5 Two Views of International Law: Vissering and Wheaton 211 6 Debates in the Meiroku zasshi 223 7 Regarding Asia: Tsuda Mamichi and the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Amity 247 Conclusion 254 1 Philosophy and Utilitarianism 257 2 International Law and the Vicissitudes of Foreign Policy 259 3 The Establishment of Constitutional Government 263 4 Legacy for a New Generation 267 Bibliography 273 Index 289 <UN> Acknowledgments My research work has been concerned, from the broader perspective of world history, with cultural contact between East Asia and Europe, focusing more specifically on the relations between Japan and the Netherlands. In the prepa- ration of this English edition I have received support and encouragement from many scholars and friends in both Japan and the Netherlands, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to them all. The original Japanese edition, Kindai Nihon no seiji kōsō to Oranda, pub- lished by University of Tokyo Press in October 2010, was based on my doctoral dissertation in political science, submitted in 2004 to the Graduate School of Social Sciences at Tokyo Metropolitan University. I would like to give heartfelt thanks to my advisor, Professor Miyamura Haruo. Professor Wim Boot of Leiden University has provided unstinting support for the publication of this translation. Since 1999, I have traveled every sum- mer and winter to the Netherlands to pursue my archival research. From April 2011 to March 2013, I was granted a sabbatical leave from Meiji University, where I was teaching at the time, in order to spend two years doing research at the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden. I have learned much from my conversations with Professor Boot and his broad mastery of subjects ranging from the Western classical tradition to Asian intellectual history. David Noble undertook the difficult task of translating a scholarly work from Japanese into English—a matter not only of finding equivalent vocabu- lary and concepts but also of dealing with considerable differences in style and logical presentation. Mr Noble has been patient in listening to my requests and has produced a fine translation, for which I am very grateful. Professor Watanabe Hiroshi, who first introduced me to Mr Noble, has been energetically supportive of this publication. Professor Watanabe, who has pub- lished the results of his research in the history of Japanese political thought not only in Japan but also in other Asian countries, in the United States, and in Europe, taught me the importance of addressing a global audience. Professor Kate Nakai has given me much valuable advice and encouragement as I tack- led the daunting task of preparing my first translated publication. During my stays in the Netherlands, I was much indebted to the faculty of Leiden University. The journey toward this book began with the enthusiastic encouragement I received from Professor Willem Otterspeer, leading author- ity on Dutch intellectual history, to publish this work in English. The recom- mendation I received from a scholar I hold in such high regard was a great <UN> viii Acknowledgments psychological support to me. I am also grateful to Professor Harm Beukers, Professor Ivo Smits, and Dr Kiri Paramore for the support and encouragement they gave at various times. Dr Erik Herber was kind enough to check and revise my English translations from Dutch historical sources, consulting the original materials. He has my deepest thanks. Professor Hans Martin Krämer and Dr David Mervart of Heidelberg University in Germany provided me with valu- able opportunities to report on the progress of my research and to publish papers. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to faculty of the School of Political Science and Economics at Meiji University for providing me with the valuable opportunity to pursue my research overseas in the Netherlands. Professors Matsuzawa Hiroaki, Hiraishi Naoaki, and Fujita Jun’ichirō were kind enough to read the original Japanese edition, providing me with detailed comments and much scholarly advice. In writing this book, I have made use of original source materials from a number of institutions, including the Leiden University Library, the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (National Library of the Netherlands), and the National Diet Library of Japan. In particular I would like to thank Mr James ter Beek of the Leiden University Library for doing everything possible to assist my research and to provide convenient access to sources. Mr Frank la Rivière gave me valuable instruction in reading original nineteenth-century Dutch historical materials. It is immensely gratifying that a book whose subject is the intellectual exchanges that took place between Japan and the Netherlands in Leiden 150 years ago should now be published by Brill. I would like to thank the editorial team of Mr Paul Norbury, Mr Thomas Begley, and Ms Nozomi Goto for all their efforts in bringing the book to press. Mr Yamada Hideki, editor of the original Japanese edition for the University of Tokyo Press, was delighted by the news of an English edition and generous in his support of it. This work was supported by the Overseas Outreach Program of Meiji University and by a publication grant from the Stichting Isaac Alfred Ailion Foundation of Leiden University. I am sincerely grateful for this assistance, without which this book would not have seen the light of day. In closing, I would also like to thank my family: my father Taketoshi and my mother Mitsue; and my wife Ayumi and our two daughters Amane and Misora. Ōkubo Takeharu Tokyo, March 2014 <UN> Preface to the English Edition From the perspective of world history, Japan is regarded as unique among the East Asian nations for the speed with which it met the challenge of moderniza- tion and Westernization. A major impetus behind Japan’s embarkation upon the modernization process in the nineteenth century was of course the arrival of the “black ships”: a squadron of four United States Navy warships under Commodore Mathew C. Perry that appeared in the waters of Uraga Bay (near present-day Yokosuka) in 1853 bearing an official letter from President Fillmore demanding commercial intercourse with the Japanese.