This article was published in Jogaku Zasshi on September 19, 1891.
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1. Tokutomi Sohō
At a time when the influence of English literature was permeating the minds of young people in Japan, poised to blossom into a new ‘style’, Tokutomi Sohō boldly stepped forward as its primary advocate. Around the time his essay, Youth of the Nineteenth Century and Their Education, suddenly appeared in the pages of the Maishū Shinpō (Weekly News), many contemporary writers found themselves frustrated; they remained mired in traditional literary styles, unable to fully articulate their new, modern ideas. They dreamed of emulating the fluid, descriptive prose of Macaulay, or the grand, sweeping, and brilliant intensity of Carlyle. Yet, they were constrained, either by the rigid, literalistic style derived from classical Chinese, or by what was then colloquially known as the ‘Fukuzawa style’. In short, they lacked the proper tools to fully express their thoughts.
It appears that Sohō’s objective was to forge a new literary style, one that avoided the vulgarity of the ‘Fukuzawa style’ while steering clear of the stiff, crude nature of the classical Chinese-influenced literalism, thereby creating a medium capable of giving voice to these new, modern ideas. (I recall having a similar conversation with Sohō last year, though the details now escape me.) In any case, Sohō has, to some extent, achieved this objective. Through a unique, original prose style, he managed to articulate ideas that the established literary and intellectual veterans of the time had left unexpressed. I am well aware of the immense, arduous effort this required; that he could navigate such a vast intellectual terrain with such apparent ease is surely the result of profound mastery.
He provided a spark for those who had been eagerly awaiting a new ‘style’, offering a glimmer of hope for liberation to those who had long been ‘literary slaves’, their thoughts stifled by the weight of conventional, traditional prose. It is only fitting that new ideas, long pent up and suppressed, should suddenly emerge, clothed in this fresh attire. Truly, Sohō’s contributions to literature deserve high acclaim. Yet, he did not appear in the world merely as the creator of a new literary style; he was born with a mission far greater than that. He is, in every sense, a child of nineteenth-century civilization, and his ideas are the very embodiment of the nineteenth century. Do not ask from where he acquired his knowledge, whether it was at the Kumamoto English School, Dōshisha, through his private study under Mr. Janes, or under the transformative influence of Nijima Jō; the fact remains that he truly breathed the civilization of the nineteenth century. He understood that the stage of the nineteenth century was the entire world, and thus he always kept his gaze fixed upon this grand perspective. He grasped the driving forces that moved the nineteenth century, and he understood Japan’s position within it. Just as it was a youth from Luoyang who best understood the merits and demerits of the Former Han dynasty, who else but a humble scholar, living in a thatched hut at the far edge of Kyushu, could serve as a compass for the people and offer sound public opinion in these times, as we seek to harmonize and integrate the great currents of the nineteenth century with the civilization of old Japan?
2. Taguchi Ukichi
Taguchi is a man who truly understands the nineteenth century. Indeed, there is a striking resemblance between Sohō and Taguchi. One might imagine that when Sohō was at his private academy in Ōe Village, he would often read Taguchi’s writings by a bright window and a clean desk, exclaiming, “Ah! This captures my own thoughts!”
Taguchi’s ideas were, in a sense, ahead of their time, perhaps even premature for the era. This is why, when Sohō rose to prominence by riding the wave of a movement for the renewal of the public mind, he was able to achieve such a spectacular impact.
When Sohō introduced his new literary style to the world, it was like a spirited, youthful commander donning unique, specialized armour and charging to the front lines. In contrast, Taguchi might be likened to a refined, elegant Confucian scholar, the sort who would take his place within the command tent, dressed in traditional, dignified attire.
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Notes:
This translation was prepared with the assistance of Google Translate and ChatGPT.
