19th Century Japanese Philosophy, Misc

In Search of the Way deals with intellectual and religious developments in early-modern Japan. It touches on the fate of Christianity but mainly covers Buddhism, Shinto, and Neo-Confucianism, particularly the latter. Of central concern is the constant debate over how society should be organized and how the individual can achieve self-fulfilment as just one element of a larger whole. It touches on such matters as ritual, pilgrimage, and religion in practice, but the emphasis is on ideological debate, disagreement, and consensus.

That the export of Scottish engineers and engineering teachers to Japan in the 1870s aided that country's astonishingly rapid process of modernization from a feudal to a capitalist, industrialized society will not occasion surprise or dissent. As the Japan weekly mail editorialized in 1878: In no direction has Japan symbolised her advance towards assimilation of the civilisation of the Western world more emphatically than in that of applied science.

The importation of Spencerism and Social Darwinism into Japan in the early Meiji era occurred against a background of rapid economic and industrial change which provoked widespread political unrest. This accelerated modernization was forced by Western demands for trade liberalization and the threat of Western imperialism. In this context, selected elements of Western scientific naturalism and liberalism could provide a prestigious ratification of élite agendas for the management of change, provided they could be made culturally recognizable. It is suggested that (...) traditional and Western knowledge claims were combined by key Meiji intellectuals in such a way that the product, Meiji Social Darwinism, supplied both the prestige of Western scientific positivism and the familiarity conferred by traditional resources. The clear differentiation between the constituents which made up Meiji Social Darwinism enables us to identify the distinct cultural functions performed by each of these sets of resources. In this study, these cultural functions emerge as elements in an élite class strategy. (shrink)

Originally published as 「明治の哲学界：有機体の哲学とその系譜」in 井上克人編『豊饒なる明治』, Kansai Daigaku Shuppannbu, 2012, 3–22. Translated by Morisato Takeshi. German Idealism was introduced to Japanese intellectuals in the middle of Meiji era and was mainly received from a mystical or religious perspective, as we see in Inoue Tetsujirō’s “harmonious existence,” Inoue Enryō’s “unity of mind and body,” and Kiyozawa Manshi’s “existentialism.” Since these theories envisioned true reality as a unified and living whole, I group them under the label “philosophy of organism” and from there argue (...) that their conviction that “all is truth and truth is all” was shaped in large part by the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana. The understanding of Buddhist concepts by Meiji philosophers was philosophical in its content, and those who devoted themselves to the study of Western philosophy were encouraged to describe Eastern thought in Western philosophical terms. As a result, the philosophical world of the Meiji era developed an original standpoint that unified Eastern and Western perspectives by means of a logic of “phenomena-in-reality.”. (shrink)

Contemporary Japanese Philosophy is an anthology of post-war Japanese philosophy showcasing a range of philosophers and philosophical trends from 1945 to the present. This important volume introduces the reader to a variety schools of thought. Ideal for classroom use, this is the ultimate resource for students and teachers of Japanese philosophy.

In this essay I describe the development of Japanese criminal law theories with a focus on criminal attempt theories. ;As the certain instability exists in modern theories on criminal attempts, I will explain the cause of this instability. ;By this explanation I will told you about the reason why I have chosen this theme as that of my doctorate dissertation. ;In attempted crime there is no objective infringement on the interests, which are protected by criminal laws. It is the reason (...) why punishment on attempted crime is unclearly justified in general than in consummated crime. For this reason there are many unsolved problems in theories and practices concerning criminal attempts. This has led to instability in scholarly theories and judicial precedents, However, if a theory to clarify a reason for punishing criminal attempt can be established, it will contribute to setting up a coherent thinking process throughout the general theory on entire criminal law. Therefore, the subject of my essay is of importance. ;Secondly, I will explain the reason why I chose the theories at the Meiji era as theme of my research. The Meiji era was a crucial period in the history of Japanese criminal law. During this era, when the modernization of Japan began, West European models of criminal codes and theories were first introduced to the nation. Therefore, in order to understand the complicated nature of the criminal attempt theories in modern Japan correctly, it is important to trace the originals at Meiji era, when West European criminal law, particularly the highly modernized and civilized post-revolutionary French criminal law was introduced into Japan. In this essay I have made clear that theories about the criminal law took root in Japan after adjustment for a long time. ;In my research on the history of criminal attempt theory I illustrate how the western theories were transformed, and took root in Japan. This work refers to theories by several famous Japanese judicial practitioners and legislators such as Mr. Kozoh MIYAGUI, Dr. Shouichi INOUYE, Dr. Chu EGUI and Mr. Renzoh KOGA. Especially, it refers to theory by Dr. G. Boissonade, the French legal scholar, who contributed greatly to introducing French criminal law and theory into Japan. ;To conclude, the French l'Ecole neo-classique theory which sought to check the abuse of power by despotic government in order to protect civil rights against it, were first introduced in Japan, followed by German-influenced theory. (shrink)

This essay explores the sudden emergence of Neo-Confucianism as an independent intellectual and professional calling, and its adoption by both scholars and political leaders as the dominant intellectual and epistemological discourse in early modern Japan (1600-1868). I shall do this by examining two of the mostimportant early Neo-Confucian converts from Zen Buddhism, Fujiwara Seika and Hayashi Razan during the late 16th and the early 17th centuries. Their conversions were initially separate events, each prompted by personal circumstances and choices. But these (...) converts later sparked the appearance of other exclusive Neo-Confucianists, and eventually to the new intellectual mainstream of a Neo-Confucianism independent of Buddhism, during the Tokugawa period. Previous scholars have approached the issue of these converts from Zen to Neo-Confucianism through the lens of a philosophical shift. However, this is a hasty conclusion which ignores socio-intellectual factors surrounding these converts’ life and situation. My preliminary research reveals that Neo-Confucianconversion was not the result of philosophical change; rather, it was propelled by practical and utilitarian motivation. They abandoned Buddhism to locate themselves as ‘professional’ Neo-Confucianists, and this strategy successfully served their purpose. (shrink)