Japan, Philosophy and Thomism

JAPAN, PHILOSOPHY AND THOMISM T HE history of mediaeval philosophy, largely in the sense of Thomism, did not begin in Japan with the introductoin of Christianty in the sixteenth century. At that time several seminaries were established by Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, but no active philosophical movements seem to have followed. A Japanese translation of the De lmitatione Christi appeared in 1596, only some forty years after the arrival of St. Francis Xavier, and was one of the outstanding literary productions of the period. There seems to be special significance in the fact that this book was chosen. Probably the Fathers thought it was a work most likely to find sympathetic readers among the Japanese, and it is noteworthy that since then there have been at least four more renderings. Unfortunately, religious persecutions, which began at the beginning of the seventeenth century and lasted until 1870, wiped out virtually everything in Japan related to Christianity. Japan's acquaintance with mediaeval philosophy actually begins with the re-introduction of Western thought in the latter part of the nineteenth century. But the history of scholasticism in Japan cannot be divorced, if it is to be understood, from the progress in that country of western philosophy in general. And so a synopsis of Japan's reaction to some important European thinkers may helpfully preface a study of Japan's attitude towards mediaeval philosophy in general and Thomism in particular. I Five periods may be distinguished in the career of European philosophy in Japan. Period I: 1878-1890-from the inception of the department of philosophy in the Imperial University of 250 JAPAN, PHILOSOPHY AND THOMISM 251 Tokyo 1 to the opening of the National Diet. This period was marked by what may be called a Japanese equivalent of the Enlightenment in political and philosophical thought. The new government of Emperor Meiji, which overthrew the old and entrenched feudal despotism in 1868, at least professed democratic principles and promised the people equal social, political and economic opportunities as well as a share in government. The spirit of the times was practicaL It aimed at destroying feudalism, establishing democratic processes and accelerating economic expansion. These objectives were manifest in the European philosophical systems which, because of what they might be expected to contribute to the new outlook, were seized upon by Japanese intellectuals. Emphasis was on political, economic, social and legal theories. Writers such as Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), J. J. Rousseau (1712-1778), and C. L. Montesquieu (1689-1755) were read, studied, absorbed and popularized. Translations appeared, and the doctrine of the divine origin of human rights proved especially captivating, spreading beyond academic walls into popular discussion. J. S. Mill (1806-1873), with his Utilitarianism, and Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) found ardent champions. Darwin (1809-1882), with his theory of evolution, and Ernest Haeckel (1834-1919), with his materialism, also won followers. Period II: 1890-1905-from the opening of the National Diet to the end of the Russo-Japanese War, is doubly ;ignificant . For one thing, philosophical and critical thinking becomes more and more isolated from contemporary social and political movements and more restricted to academic theorizing. The other development is the cultivation of German philosophers, such as Kant (1724-1804), Hegel (1770-1831), Schopenhauer (1788-1860), Eduard von Hartmann (1842-1906), Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920), Johannes Volkelt (1848-1930), Nietzsche (1844-1900), and R. H. I.otze (1817-1881) . It is noteworthy 1 From the beginning, the Imperial University of Tokyo was, and continues to be, preeminent in philosophical movements. Other Japanese universities tend to accept and follow its leadership. 252 B. R. INAGAKI AND J. B. MCALLISTER that the disassociation of philosophy from practical considerations parallels the introduction and cultivation of German writers. Period HI: 1905-1918-from the end of the Russo-Japanese War to the dose of World War I. Japan's victory over Russia touched off tremendous economic expansion. National industry soared while in philosophy German idealism predominated. Kant, Fichte, Schelling and Hegel proved most attractive. Their major works were translated; their doctrines were studied privately and presented in formal university courses. Raphael von Koeber (1848-1923) came to enjoy immense prestige among the young students at the...