Civilizations and value １６ ( Tokyo era - social order in opened system )

the Meiji Restoration to the present can be called the Tokyo era*1, and it can be said that it was an era in which even greater external forces were exerted than the Black Ships. In all cases, the United States and the United Kingdom*2 were at the center of this. Conversely, it may have been China and Korea*3 that were subject to external forces from Japan. Regarding the Tokyo era, it may be necessary to consider the changes in mentality in the social order, but the influence of external forces (America, England, Korea, China, Russia) has made it extremely complex, making it difficult to see its true nature. 4, I will conclude my discussion of values and the introvert model here, having captured the characteristics of the Japanese psyche in a simple form using the closed model.

 

 

*1 Tokyo era

The Tokyo period refers to the era from the Meiji era to the present day. This era is still ongoing. In terms of social order, the Tokyo era may be divided into two. This is because the era is divided into the Meiji Constitution era and the Japanese Constitution era. Looking at social order, it would be problematic to mechanically divide it into four categories within the Meiji system and four categories during the era of the Japanese Constitution. This is because, in Japan's case, the social order was partially forced to change after its defeat in World War II . One thing that can be said consistently from the Meiji era to the Reiwa era is that bureaucrats have ruled. Before the war, the military bureaucracy was also powerful. The difference was that the economic bureaucracy was powerful after the war. In terms of social order, the social order centered on the economic bureaucracy began to grow from about half way through the social order centered on the military, and the social order based on the economic bureaucracy has now passed its maturity stage and is now heading toward decline. It may be the image of Japan. If so, a new social force should have emerged around the time when the economic bureaucracy was at its peak, and in the future it may well be called the ``information bureaucracy.'' The intelligence bureaucracy may not yet have established its organizational base.

 

 

*2 America, UK

The most influential external forces were probably the United States and the United Kingdom. With Perry's arrival, Japan was opened to the United States. However, after that, Japan came to rely on Britain's world strategy rather than America's. During the Meiji period, Japan borrowed the best from other Western countries, so it can be said that it was influenced by a plurality of external forces. After World War I, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance ended (continued for 20 years). After that, Japan pursued its own path for a while. After World War II, the United States rested on America's global strategy under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. And it continues to this day (continuing for 77 years). The difference between after World War II and after the Meiji Restoration is that after World War II, Japan was overwhelmingly under the influence of the United States. However, that may have happened after the security struggle. The era when Japan followed its own path could be said to be a time when Japan itself had a global strategy, but the values that Japan sought to define were not universal. For this reason, in a sense, the unique era may have been connected to the Edo period in the sense of Japanese people. The way Japan is perceived will change greatly depending on whether one views the Meiji Constitution era and the Japanese Constitution era as two eras of different social orders, or as one continuous social order. In modern times, it may be often seen as two different social orders. However, unconsciously it seems to be a continuous social order. My impression is that this order is reaching its old age, and that the Tokyo era is coming to an end.

 

※３China, North Korea

Modern Japan is trying to stand between the United States and China, but it can be said that it has been receiving external forces from China and Korea for a long time. However, Japan may have been applying external force to China and Korea for a longer period of time. This was due to the fact that Japan had long been superior to these two regions both militarily and economically, and continued to have influence. That has been changing since the 1990s. China, Taiwan, South Korea, and North Korea have each developed (although North Korea is limited to nuclear forces) and have gradually shifted to influence Japan. In contrast, Japan's social order, as mentioned earlier, is in the old age of the Tokyo era. Among these external forces, Japan is located between the United States and China. From the old age of the Tokyo era, how to build a new social order will become important as an internal value. In terms of external value, it will be important for Japan to link Taiwan and South Korea to its side in line with America's global strategy. I think that propaganda, culture, and religion will also be squeezed out in the same way.

 

* 4 There is a fear that the true nature of the matter may become invisible.

In order to examine the transformation of introverted values, we have looked at the Edo period as a closed model. In line with this, I have adopted a simple open model that regards the period after the Meiji era as the Tokyo era, and here I have adopted the idea of viewing the Meiji constitutional order and the Japanese constitutional order as one social order. On the other hand,  the world strategies of the United Kingdom and the United States have exerted influence on Japan as external forces, and in recent years, as the social order of the Tokyo era has entered the aging process, the external power of China and Korea has increased. I have seen Japan as being caught in the middle. I have briefly described the framework of the open model, but when considering the vitality of Japan's quasi-civilization, I believe that what is more essential is introverted value transformation. For this reason, I would like to put aside the issue of external forces for the time being and think about the future of Japan's quasi-civilization.

 

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Civilizations and value １５ ( an example as introvert-type value transformation )

Looking at the period in which thinkers were born, we can see that in the first period, Neo-Confucianism became official and the Sengoku samurai ethos was absorbed by Yomeigaku, which was seen in Toju Nakae, and the infancy of the new social order and the maturation of the old social order. It can be seen from Banzan Kumazawa that the periods overlapped . A phenomenon that indicates maturity is shown in the situation of accepting diverse values. However, Yomeigaku lost its power in the second period. The fact that Soko Yamaga  and others rejected both Neo-Confucianism and Yomeigaku, and left a great influence on future generations as the founders of ancient studies (Confucianism) and systemists of Bushido, can be said to be the ideological fruit of the values of the old social order .  Also, during this period, under exceptional circumstances, Keichyu was engaged in activities that would become the founder of Kokugaku.

 

In contrast, the second period saw the maturation of Neo-Confucianism and a reaction against it. The maturation of Neo-Confucianism can be seen in Ekiken Kaibara and Hakuseki Arai's pursuit of the knowledge of Kakubutu , but the mainstream phenomenon is maturation, and it was probably a humanistic reaction to the formalization of Neo-Confucianism. The classical studies of Jinsai Ito and Sorai Ogyu are characteristic of the second period , which can be called the period of youth. At the same time, there was a strong reaction from Neo-Confucianism, and that was Ansai Yamazaki. The controversy between government and academia pushed Ogyu Sorai to the side of social order, and Edo period thought reached its peak. Kokugaku, which began to grow for the same reasons as ancient studies, grew little by little, as seen in Mabuchi Kamono . As an exceptional situation, the ideas of Shoeki Ando  were born. It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that the main thinkers were not the samurai of the ruling class, as evidenced by the economic growth during this period due to social stability .  Jinsai Ito, Ansai Yamazaki ,  Mabuchi Kamono, and Shoeki Ando  were not samurai warriors, and Baigan Ishida 's philosophy of mind can be said to have the aspect of reaching the masses .

 

The third period began with Sorai Ogyu. Although the interpretation of nature as an objective world was abandoned, economics was born regarding human society and was inherited by Shundai Dazai and Toshiaki Honda. A critical spirit that shows maturity appeared in Nakamoto Tominaga  and Banto Yamagata . The interpretation of nature, which was outside the scope of Sorai , began with Baien Miura , and the development of Dutch studies as the infancy of a new social order began with translation . The activities of Genpaku Sugita and Ryotaku Maeno can be cited , but during this period , Dutch studies remained of academic and economic interest. The third period was also the period when merchant ideas spread to the samurai class, and this phenomenon can be seen in Seiryo Kaiho's interpretation of human relationships .

Furthermore, while classical studies reached great maturity with Sorai Ogyu, Kokugaku reached its peak with Norinaga Motoori. This phenomenon is probably an exceptional phenomenon. Shoeki Ando in the second period and Baien Miura in this period were also exceptional phenomena, but because they were located in remote areas, there were no successors and the business was not passed on. In the fourth period, masters of practical studies and military tactics emerged from among those who had studied Dutch studies . At the same time, emotional leaders such as Atsutane Hirata and Shoin Yoshida emerged as political ideologues.

 

As a closed model, I have been thinking about the qualitative psychological changes in the social order during Japan's ``Edo period,'' particularly as an example of the `` four periods . ' ' We have looked at the Edo period as an example of Spengler's introvert-type value transformation , but behind these superficial movements, we can observe the values of the Japanese people in this era , their lives, or their destiny. It might be possible. With the addition of external forces such as the Black Ships , the Japanese fought back with the Meiji Restoration .

Civilizations and value 14 ( Fourth period in Edo era )

In the fourth period, the leaders of Dutch studies that arose in the third period changed from doctors and agriculturalists to military strategists.

 

Japanese studies have also become politicized. Examples include Atsutane Hirata*1 and Yukoku Fujita*2's  Mito studies. What is remarkable is the politicization of Confucianism, including Shozan Sakuma *3, Shonan Yokoi *4, and Shoin Yoshida *5. In terms of economics, there are Nobuhiro Sato, who envisioned an absolutist state, and Sontoku Ninomiya, an agricultural politician. The leaders of Dutch studies became those who accepted not only Western natural sciences but also social sciences , producing figures who would lead the Meiji period . Examples include Yukichi Fukuzawa*8, Amane Nishi*9, and Hiroyuki Kato*10. It can also be said that the politicization of Confucianism had an influence on the Imperial Rescript on Education and the Civil Code, and Kokugaku had an influence on the Constitution of Japan.

 

 *1　Atsutane Hirata turned Kokugaku into a religion with a theory that was different from that of his master who valued positivism. The Hirata school spread among wealthy local farmers and priests, and had a great influence on the Sonno-movement at the end of the Edo period.

 

*2　Yukoku Fujita was the founder of the late Mito studies. He devoted himself to compiling the History of Great Japan, but in response to the external crisis, he advocated the Sonno-joi theory.

 

*3 Shozan Sakuma  was an advocate of Eastern morality and Western artistic concepts.

 

*4 Shonan Yokoi had idea of equality of all human beings. He evaluated Western democracy from the perspective of Confucian royalism.

 

*5 Shoin Yoshida  trained many people who contributed to the Meiji Restoration at Shokason School .

 

*6 Nobuhiro Sato  anticipated the Meiji state by presenting a vision of a nation based on overseas invasion, state control of industry, and strong popular control.

 

*7 Sontoku Ninomiya was an agricultural politician and leader of rural reconstruction.

 

*8 Yukichi Fukuzawa was a Western scholar and enlightener during the Meiji period. He tried to understand capitalist civilization from the spirit that created it, rather than a Japanese-style, Western-style understanding. He advocated the need for practical studies to replace Confucianism.

 

*9　Amane Nishi  was a philosopher during the Meiji Enlightenment. Introduced Western philosophy to Japan.

 

*10　Hiroyuki Kato was a scholar of national law at the end of the Edo period and in the Meiji period. Studied military tactics and Western studies under Sakuma Shozan. In the Meiji period, he advocated the theory of innate human rights, but took a stand against the rise of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. .

 

As an example, I have considered the Edo period in terms of four periods based on the theory of social order, and although the period in which a character appears is roughly speaking, it is considered to be the year half of the character's life *1. 

 

 *1 Measured in years that are half of the person's life.

The era to which a person belongs may be related to that person's accomplishments, and may have nothing to do with age. Some people's achievements appear in the second half of their lives, while others appear in the first half of their lives. However, what would happen if we consider that there is a social background to the appearance of that person in history? Setting the principle of capturing characteristics at half the age of a historical figure is more convenient for capturing the appearance of other figures. Spengler believed that politics, economics, society, and culture, especially art and mathematics, have mental images that characterize an era. In other words, this is probably the least arbitrary and natural way to grasp the background or deep common mental images of all genres.

Civilizations and value 13 ( Second and Third period in Edo era )

In the second period, ancient studies arose as a reaction to the teaching of Neo-Confucianism. It may be said that this was the birth of humanism in Japan . Examples include Jinsai Ito *1, Ekiken Kaibara *2, and Sorai Ogyu *3, but there were also reactions from the Neo-Confucian system, such as Anzai Yamazaki *4 and Hakuseki Arai . Furthermore, the influence of humanism was not limited to Confucianism, but also led to the development of Japanese studies, such as the activities of Mabuchi Kamono *5. Furthermore, the influence of Neo-Confucianism on the masses can be seen in the emergence of Baigan Ishida *6's shingaku. As a reaction to Neo-Confucianism , there were also ideas such as Shoeki Ando 's revolutionary democracy .

 

*1　 Jinsai Ito did not serve as a government official throughout his life, but instead lived as an ordinary Confucian. They dismissed the commentaries of Zhu Zi and others as going against the ancient meaning of Confucius Meng, and directly advocated seeking the path of saints in the original s Confucius and Mencius. He is the founder of the Kogi school.

 

*2　Kaibara Ekiken  was a member of the Neo-Confucian school of thought, but his writings range from medicine to natural history. In his later years, he criticized Neo-Confucianism and developed a theory of rational monism in response to rational theory. This can be said to be a case in which the concept of knowledge in Neo-Confucianism was directed outward.

 

*3　Sorai Ogyu was the founder of the classical school of dictionary studies. He aimed to establish a new Confucian system through an accurate understanding of the Six Classics . He was the greatest thinker of the Old School, preached the separation of public and private life, and paved the way for economics.

 

*4 Anzai Yamazaki  created Suika Shinto, which was a combination of Yoshida Shinto and Neo-Confucianism.

 

*5  Hakuseki Arai was a Neo-Confucian scholar, but this is a case where the concept of knowledge in Neo-Confucianism turned to historical research. His book, Western Journal, was the beginning of the rise of Western studies.

 

*6 Mabuchi Kamono tried to revive the ancient path through research on the Manyoshu. He laid the foundation for Japanese studies.

 

*7 Baigan Ishida  adopted Shinto, Buddhism, and RoushiSoushi based on Neo-Confucianism, and advocated the establishment of commercial morality, preaching that merchants were no inferior to samurai in fulfilling their social duties.

 

*8 Shoeki Ando (physician) came from an upper-class peasant family, but he was a revolutionary thinker who completely rejected class-based society and Confucian-Buddhist ideology and advocated an ideal society in which all people worked and lived on their own.

 

　The third period saw the development of classicism, scientific thought, the separation of public and private life, and the development of economics that had occurred in the second period. However, classicism in Confucianism became less common , and Kokugaku reached its maturity under Norinaga Motoori  *1. Regarding scientific thought, Baien Miura  *2 and the appearance of many Dutch scholars are also a feature of the third period, including Genpaku Sugita  *3, Gennai Hiraga  *4, Ryotaku Maeno  *5 and Kokan Shiba *6. During this period, Dutch studies were in their infancy and began to spread as an academic discipline.*6 This period also saw the development of economics due to the influence of Sorai Ogyu 's separation of public and private life . Shundai Dazai *7, Seiryo Kaiho *8, and Toshiaki Honda *9 are some examples. Comparative cultural anthropological thinkers with a sharp critical spirit included Chuki Tominaga *10 and Banto Yamagata *11.

 

*1　Norinaga Motoori  investigated the true meaning of Japanese classics using linguistic and philological methods, harshly criticized the worldview of Confucianism and Buddhism, and affirmed humanity by emphasizing the compassion of things. Although it reflected a new civic consciousness, its idea of the divine kingdom and the idea of reverence for the king would be inherited by Restored Shintoism.

 

*2 In addition to Confucianism,Baien Miura  studied astronomy and Western studies, and advocated the study of reason as a kind of natural philosophy, and anti-viewing unity. It was a pioneering methodological awareness of empirical science.

 

*3 Genpaku Sugita was a medical scientist and Dutch scholar who translated Kaitai Shinsho and laid the foundations of Dutch studies.

 

*4 Gennai Hiraga was an inventor, naturalist, playwright, and joruri writer. Despite his versatility, he was not accepted by the world.

 

*5 Ryotaku Maeno was a medical scientist and Dutch scholar who was at the center of the KaitaiShinsho translation business.

 

*6 Kokan Shiba  was a Western-style painter and a Dutch scholar.

 

*7 Shundai Dazai  inherited the secular aspect of Sorai Ogyu .

 

*8 Seiryo Kaiho  was a  scholar on China and economic thinker. He looked at samurai's human relationships in terms of economic relationships.

 

*9 Toshiaki Honda  learned geography with Dutch books. He preached the necessity of trade and the importance of commerce.

 

*10 Chuki Nakamoto  was familiar with the scriptures of Shinto,Confucianism and Buddhism, and criticized the deterioration of religion and ethics. Known as a comparative cultural anthropological thinker.

 

*11 Banto Yamagata was successful as a merchant. He was a relentless critic of Buddhist beliefs and Shinto mythology. 

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