Studia Culturae Islamicae 41 THE JAPANESE AND EGYPTIAN ENLIGHTENMENT A Comparative Study of Fukuzawa Yukichi and Rif'ā’ah al-Ṭahṭāwī Raouf Abbas Hamed INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF LANGUAGES AND CULTURES OF ASIA AND AFRICA The Japanese and Egyptian Enlightenment Raouf Abbas Hamed THE JAPANESE AND EGYPTIAN ENLIGHTENMENT A Comparative Study of Fukuzawa Yukichi and Rif'ā’ah al-Ṭahṭāwī Raouf Abbas Hamed TOKYO 1990 www.RaoufAbbas.org Page 2 of 79 The Japanese and Egyptian Enlightenment Raouf Abbas Hamed Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA) Tokyo University of Foreign Studies 4-51 Nishigahara Kita-ku, Tokyo 114 Japan © Copyright 1990 by the Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa Printed by Kotobuki Photographic Ltd. Tokyo The electronic version of this book was typed and prepared for publishing in 2011 by the grand daughters of the Author: Noor Hatem Raouf Abbas Hamed (age 12) and Amira Hatem Raouf Abbas Hamed (age 10). www.RaoufAbbas.org Page 3 of 79 The Japanese and Egyptian Enlightenment Raouf Abbas Hamed To The Memory of MAEJIMA Shinji (1902-1984) and Ahmad 'Izzat 'Abdul-Karīm (1909-1981) distinguished scholars, great teachers, and dear friends. www.RaoufAbbas.org Page 4 of 79 The Japanese and Egyptian Enlightenment Raouf Abbas Hamed Table of Contents Preface ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1 - The Historical Arena .............................................................................................. 7 Japan ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Egypt ................................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2 - Two Pioneers of Enlightenment ........................................................................... 17 Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835-1901 ) ......................................................................................... 17 Rifā'ah al-Ṭahṭāwī (1801-1873) .......................................................................................... 24 Chapter 3 - The New Political Order ....................................................................................... 30 Fukuzawa Yukichi ............................................................................................................... 31 Rifā’ah al-Ṭahṭāwī ............................................................................................................... 36 Chapter 4 - Toward New Social Order .................................................................................... 44 New Economy ..................................................................................................................... 44 New Family Relationship .................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 5 - Modern Education and Learning .......................................................................... 59 Fukuzawa Yukichi ............................................................................................................... 59 Rifā‘ah aI-Ṭahṭāwī .............................................................................................................. 64 Chapter 6 - The Pursuit of Civilization ................................................................................... 69 Fukuzawa Yukichi ............................................................................................................... 69 Rifā’ah al- Ṭahṭāwī .............................................................................................................. 72 Chapter 7 - Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 75 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 76 www.RaoufAbbas.org Page 5 of 79 The Japanese and Egyptian Enlightenment Raouf Abbas Hamed Preface Despite the major differences in historical and cultural background, the modernization of Japan and Egypt in the nineteenth century offers rich possibilities for comparative research. Modernization is a high-level generalization that points to a change in type of a given society through a variety of more discrete processes and sub-processes. This study mainly concentrates on the compound process of modernization, taking the enlightenment ideas as the core of this process. Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835-1901) and Rif'ā’ah al-Ṭahṭāwī (1801-1873) are chosen as subject of this case study for all what they represent, being pioneers of enlightenment in their respective countries. The writings of the two intellectuals are the main sources of this study, but only the English translations of Fukuzawa's writings and speeches were consulted, while reference has been made to Ṭahṭāwī’s Arabic works. However, this work could not bear any fruit without the invaluable help of many Japanese friends who gave up so much of their time to answering my questions, and never hesitate to offer illuminating and instructive ideas, I wish to pay tribute to their kindness. I am very much indebted to Professor MIKI Wataru and Professor NISHIKAWA Shunsaku of Keiō University. My grateful thanks are also due to Professor YAJIMA Hikoichi of A A ken, Tokyo Gaikokugo Daigaku. Finally, I express my thanks to the Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (A A ken), Tokyo Gaikokugo Daigaku for the generous hospitality bestowed on me during my stay as visiting research professor (October 1989 September 1990): and the Fukuzawa Yukichi Kyokai of Keiō University for offering me research facilities. Raouf Abbas Hamed www.RaoufAbbas.org Page 6 of 79 The Japanese and Egyptian Enlightenment Raouf Abbas Hamed Chapter 1 - The Historical Arena The emergence of modern state with related problems of development and subsequent social change has been always the main preoccupation of enlightenment pioneers. Being a stimulant of their thought, it has inspired them the progressive ideas about society and its future developments. Both Fukuzawa Yukichi and Rif'ā’ah al-Ṭahṭāwī belonged to two different societies which were passing a formative phase in their modern history. Certainly, both thinkers were influenced by the special historical experience of each country with different phenomenal changes, though they shared the same terms of reference. The purpose of this chapter is rather to draw the main lines of economic, social and political developments in the formative phase in the life of modern Japan and Egypt, in order to establish the general objective challenge of modern conditions to the traditional view of life, and particularly its concept of the socio-political order with which the two thinkers had to react. We shall endeavour mainly to draw the outline of the emerging new structure which provided a frame for subsequent historical and ideological development. Japan The last decades of Tokugawa Shogunate, Edo period, and the first three decades of Meiji Era were the formative years in the life of modern Japan. It witnessed the crucial events which have led to force open the doors of Japan for international trade and Western intercourse, Meiji Restoration and the emergence of modern state. It witnessed, as well, the most fruitful years in the life of Fukuzawa Yukichi and most of his thoughtful ideas and his useful activities were performed on this historical arena. Despite the isolation under Edo, Japanese society developed beyond the bounds of a strictly feudal system. With the national unity established, many of the economic restrictions and limitations of the past were vanished. Trade was on a greater scale than ever before. The long- time peace of Edo period brought to Japan an epoch of unprecedented prosperity and industrial production and trade grew rapidly on the expense of the feudal system which gradually decayed. An expanding merchant class was creating a commercial economy, paper credits of all sorts were developed and commonly used in normal transactions with a great rice exchanges. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, a genuine capitalist class of wealthy merchant families was an important factor in Japan's economic life, and deeply influenced social and cultural life in the cities.1 By 1720, Edo removed a long-standing ban on the study of the West and the importation of European books except those related to Christianity. Soon small but intellectually vigorous group of student of Western sciences arose, working through the medium of the Dutch language, which they learned from the Dutch at Nagasaki. By the nineteenth century Japanese scholars were well-versed in such Western sciences as gunnery, smelting, ship-building, cartography and medicine.2 1 see: Hirschmeier, Johannes, The Origins of Entrepreneurship in Meiji Japan, Harvard Univ. Press 1964: Dore, Roland P., City Life in Japan, University of California Press 1976. 2 Beasley, W.G., The Modern History of Japan, London 1975, pp. 10-15: Dower, W. (ed.), Origins of the Modern Japanese State, Selected Writings of E.H. Norman, New York 1975, pp. 110-117. www.RaoufAbbas.org Page 7 of 79 The Japanese and Egyptian Enlightenment Raouf Abbas Hamed During Edo period, national consciousness was developed as a result of political unity and complete isolation and the role played by Shinto