The Three Generations of Otsuki (Part 1: Gentaku)

2022/01/28

Image: Statue of the Three Sages of Otsuki (Ichinoseki City). Front: Otsuki Gentaku; Left: Bankei; Right: Fumihiko

On September 28, 1876, a memorial service (Tsuien-kai) was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Otsuki Gentaku (Bansui), a pioneer of Rangaku (Dutch Studies). The service was organized by his son (second son) Bankei and his grandsons Shuji (Nyoden) and Fumihiko. The three decided to hold the gathering on Gentaku's birthday rather than the actual anniversary of his death on March 30. At the Gakusetsuro, the newly built Otsuki residence in Kinsuke-cho, Hongo, Tokyo, a portrait of Gentaku and the "Shingen-kai Zu" (Illustration of the New Year's Party) were displayed. In the garden, 28 members of the Army Military Band lined up to play Western music. Fukuzawa Yukichi was also invited and attended this gathering.

Many Western scholars and literati were invited to the memorial service, including Katsuragawa Hoshu (Kunioki), Sugita Gentan, and Udagawa Kosai, who represented families of Rangaku scholars from the Edo period. Four days prior, Katsu Kaishu heard from Bankei, who visited him, that he "wished to hold the 50th anniversary for Master Bansui." On the day of the event, Katsu visited the Otsuki residence and noted in his diary ("Kaishu Nikki") that he "gave five yen as an offering for incense and flowers." The ceremony began with a congratulatory speech by the missionary Nicolai, who later built the Nikolai-do. Fukuzawa also prepared a memorial address, which he likely read himself: "Those who perform deeds with external objects as their goal are not performing acts of independence... Not for fame, not for profit, but for those who study and work hard precisely to develop the spirit of a single individual—only they should be called men of unfettered independence."

Fukuzawa continued, "Reflecting on the situation about a hundred years ago when pioneers of Japanese Western studies such as Maeno, Sugita, and Otsuki first engaged in Rangaku, the difficulty of their undertaking goes without saying," acknowledging the hardships of his predecessors. He stated, "Our pioneers of Western studies, living a hundred years ago, already nurtured the elements of this change in the human mind, passed them down to the present day, and removed the thorns from the path to civilization," praising their achievements in modernization as greater than those of commanders leading tens of thousands of soldiers. He concluded his greeting with words of caution and encouragement to the attendees, including himself, who inherited that history: "It can be said that today's scholars also have much to do. Scholars must strive. Do not fear the strangeness of your theories, do not hesitate at the oddity of your undertakings, and develop a spirit of individual independence."

Otsuki Gentaku was born in 1757. His name was Shigetaka, but he went by Mototoki, and changed it to Gentaku at the age of 24. He also took the pen name Bansui from the Iwai River, known for the scenery of Genbikei in his hometown of Ichinoseki. When his father, Otsuki Genryo, who practiced Dutch-style surgery, was employed as a physician for the Ichinoseki Domain (a branch of the Sendai Domain), Gentaku studied under his father's colleague, Takebe Seian (the second). Takebe was a figure celebrated by the saying, "Two things are too good for Ichinoseki: the hourly drum and Takebe Seian." He is known for sending a list of questions about Dutch medicine to Sugita Genpaku in Edo, leading to an exchange of letters in which Sugita replied. Although the two never met face-to-face, they recognized each other as kindred spirits despite the distance. Later, Takebe's son Yuho became Sugita's adopted heir, taking the name Hakugen and succeeding as the head of the Sugita family.

At age 22, Otsuki received permission from the domain for two years of study and went to Edo (a two-year extension was later granted). In Edo, through Takebe's connection, he entered Sugita's Tenshinro school to primarily study medical sciences, and also had the opportunity to learn the Dutch language from Maeno Ryotaku, a Rangaku scholar of the Nakatsu Domain. After finishing his studies and returning home, Otsuki was ordered to serve in Edo again. He requested to study in Nagasaki to learn Dutch, which was granted. In Nagasaki, he stayed with the Dutch translators (interpreters) Motoki Yoshinaga and Masae to study Rangaku. He also deepened his friendship with Yoshio Kogyu, a famous surgeon who had written the preface to Sugita and Maeno's "Kaitai Shinsho" (New Text on Anatomy). Yoshio's residence, filled with furniture imported from the Netherlands, was called the "Oranda-zashiki" (Dutch Room). A Dutch New Year celebration was held at that residence on January 1, 1786 (the 2nd day of the 12th month of Tenmei 5), and Otsuki was invited. The Dutch New Year was a banquet held by people from the Dutch trading post on the first day of the Western calendar, to which Japanese people were also invited; it was a lively event where Western food was served and bands played music. The people of Nagasaki called this the Dutch New Year, and it began to be held among interpreters like Yoshio as well. Otsuki eventually gained access to Dejima, but it was decided that he would be transferred from the Ichinoseki Domain to the main Sendai Domain, and he received instructions to return to Edo immediately. Thus, Otsuki ended his Nagasaki studies, which had been fruitful both personally and professionally, in just over four months. This was 68 years before Fukuzawa set foot in Nagasaki with the ambition of studying Rangaku.

Upon returning to Edo, Otsuki was granted a lifelong permanent residence in Edo by the Sendai Domain and allowed to live outside the official compound. He established a private school in Kyobashi and named it Shirando. With over a hundred students, Shirando produced many excellent successors in Rangaku and became a major hub for Dutch studies in Edo. Students such as Udagawa Genshin, Inamura Sanpaku, and Hashimoto Sokichi were active as Dutch-style physicians and Rangaku scholars. The school also produced Naka Tenyu (the teacher of Ogata Koan) and Tsuboi Shindo, connecting Otsuki's lineage down to Fukuzawa.

On the 11th day of the intercalary 11th month of Kansei 6, which corresponded to January 1, 1795, in the Western calendar, Otsuki invited many Rangaku scholars to Shirando and held a banquet called Shingen-kai. Otsuki had noted the details of the Dutch New Year in Nagasaki in his diary and hosted it himself in Edo. The "Shingen-kai Zu" displayed at the memorial service venue was painted by his student Ichikawa Gakuzan, who participated that day. The Shingen-kai became an annual event, and even after Otsuki's death, his eldest son Bansato (Genkan) took it over; it is said to have been held a total of 44 times until 1837 (Tenpo 8).

In 1811 (Bunka 8), the Bansho Wakai Goyo (Office for the Translation of Barbarian Books) was established as the Shogunate's agency for translating Dutch books. The translation of Dutch books—which Sugita had feared in "Rangaku Kotohajime" (The Beginnings of Rangaku), saying "one never knew if they might be punished for violating prohibitions; this alone was a point of great terror"—became an officially sanctioned project of the Shogunate. The 55-year-old Otsuki entered service by shogunal order and worked on the translation of the Frenchman Chomel's "Dictionnaire Oeconomique," considered the Shogunate's largest translation project. The translation work continued after Otsuki's death, and the translated volumes were titled "Kosei Shinpen."

Otsuki passed away from illness in 1827 (Bunsei 10), eight years before Fukuzawa was born, but he left behind numerous books and translations throughout his life. Among them, the most famous is "Jutei Kaitai Shinsho" (Revised New Text on Anatomy). Inheriting the great work of his two teachers, he revised the "Kaitai Shinsho," but Otsuki finished it as something that went beyond the scope of a mere revision. While the "Kaitai Shinsho" was a landmark translation that introduced Western medicine to the world, Sugita had prioritized publishing it as quickly as possible, so the translation was insufficient, and he felt the need for a revision himself. However, Sugita lacked the time and physical strength to devote to the revision work, so he entrusted the task to his disciple Otsuki. Sugita evaluated Otsuki as follows: "Looking at this man's nature, in learning anything, he does nothing without treading on solid ground, and he does not put to pen or tongue what he has not thoroughly mastered in his heart. Although he lacks boldness, he dislikes all things superficial. He is a man with a natural talent for Dutch physics (Kyurigaku)." ("Rangaku Kotohajime")

Otsuki was naturally of a character that could not be satisfied without thorough historical research and verification of things. For the translation of the original book "Taeffel Anatomia," he consulted literature from all times and places and gained empirical evidence by observing dissections, spending over ten years on the draft. He was able to show this to Sugita, but it took another twenty-some years until publication. It was only in the year before Otsuki passed away that "Jutei Kaitai Shinsho" finally reached the world.

A work that contributed to the spread of Rangaku was "Rangaku Kaitei" (Ladder to Rangaku), published two years after his study in Nagasaki (Tenmei 8). This book was an introductory guide to Rangaku and the Dutch language, consisting of two volumes. The first volume discussed the origins of Rangaku and the mindset required for beginners, while the second volume introduced basic knowledge of the Dutch language, such as letters and numbers, and learning methods. In the first volume, Otsuki conveyed the hardships and spirit of the people in the early days of Rangaku, such as Sugita: "In all paths, one should consider the hardships and toil of the pioneers. Because the task of 'Ware yori inishie o nasu' (I create my own tradition) is as difficult as described, it is only natural that no one has initiated this for two hundred years until now." "Ware yori inishie o nasu" (also read as "Saigo Sakko") is said to be a term that appears in the Chinese classic "History of Song."

In April 1868 (Keio 4), Fukuzawa named the Juku that had moved to Shinsenza, Shiba, as Keio University and widely published the "Keio Gijuku no Ki (Notes on Keio Gijuku)," which summarized the spirit and principles of the school, as if loudly declaring its independence. The "Keio Gijuku no Ki" describes the achievements of Maeno, Katsuragawa Hoshu (Kunimitsu), Sugita, and others as "solely devoting their hearts to the task of 'Ware yori inishie o nasu,' refining their essence day and night to the point of forgetting to sleep or eat." Fukuzawa used the phrase "Ware yori inishie o nasu" to express the strong spirit of the pioneers who were determined to be the trailblazers opening the path of Rangaku. Furthermore, Fukuzawa revealed the mission that Keio University would inherit the path of Western studies passed down by Otsuki, Ogata, and others.

The phrase "Ware yori inishie o nasu" also appears in "Rangaku Kotohajime," which Sugita wrote at the age of 83 and entrusted to Otsuki for additions and corrections: "Since it is a matter of 'creating tradition from myself,' I decided to set it with the goal of making it easy for people to understand in any case." This book is known for being discovered by chance at a roadside stall by Fukuzawa's close friend Kanda Takahira "in the final years of the old Shogunate," and Fukuzawa was moved to tears by the hardships and bravery of his predecessors upon reading it. It is thought that Fukuzawa used the phrase "Ware yori inishie o nasu" in the "Keio Gijuku no Ki" based on "Rangaku Kotohajime" and "Rangaku Kaitei." Additionally, Fukuzawa worked hard to publish the first edition of "Rangaku Kotohajime" in 1869, and for the 1890 reprint, he contributed a preface recalling the circumstances from its discovery to its publication.

Time passed, and in July 1939, an entrance ceremony for a newly established school was held. This was the Fujiwara Institute of Technology, established with private funds by Ginjiro Fujiwara, who had studied under Fukuzawa, led Oji Paper in his professional life, and was known as the "Paper King." At the same time, Fujiwara had offered to eventually donate this university to Keio University (it actually became the Faculty of Engineering of Keio University in 1944). Due to these circumstances, Shinzo Koizumi, who assumed the presidency of the school, gave an instruction to the 198 new students at the first entrance ceremony: "There is a saying, 'Ware yori inishie o nasu' (I create my own tradition). You are precisely those who create tradition from yourselves; your history will become the history of the Fujiwara Institute of Technology, and your results will become the results of the Fujiwara Institute of Technology."

It was the moment when the phrase "Ware yori inishie o nasu" used by Otsuki stepped back into the spotlight after 70 years and became the words representing the creed of Keio University.