Watanabe Ikarimaro

Image: From "Osuen Shoso"

On February 3, 1901, upon the death of Yukichi Fukuzawa, Watanabe Ikarimaro—one of the leading scholars of National Learning (Kokugaku) of the Meiji era—composed a set of poems titled "Long and Short Poems Composed with Much Thought on February 3, 1901." Since February 3 coincided with Setsubun (the traditional bean-throwing festival to drive away evil spirits), he likened Fukuzawa to a demon possessing evil energy and composed verses celebrating the "exorcism of the demon."

The envoy poems (hanka) reveal his loathing for Fukuzawa even more clearly.

  To Ikarimaro, Fukuzawa must have been an evil demon who allowed the wicked habit of Western thought to proliferate throughout Japan. Ikarimaro and Fukuzawa had not been in contact for over 20 years since the early Meiji period, and the resentment appears to have been deep-seated and strong. Ikarimaro was a scholar of National Learning from Nakatsu, just like Fukuzawa, and was the teacher and cousin of Sotaro Masuda. In other words, he was related to Fukuzawa and lived nearby, yet their ideologies were worlds apart.  

Ikarimaro was born on November 15, 1836, as the second son of Watanabe Shigeage, the chief priest of Yahata Kobyo Shrine. He was commonly known as Tetsujiro and used the pen name Osuen. Ikarimaro's grandfather, Watanabe Shigena, was a senior disciple of Motoori Norinaga and an active scholar of National Learning. Shigena taught waka poetry to the domain lord and became a teacher at the domain school, Shinshukan, laying the foundation for National Learning in the Nakatsu Domain.

Although Shigena had passed away by the time Ikarimaro was born, Ikarimaro grew up surrounded by his grandfather's library and writings, influenced by the scholars who had associated with Shigena. From a young age, he received instruction in waka from his father, Shigeage, and his older brother, Shigeharu, making him a youth blessed with an environment and aptitude for National Learning. On the other hand, he was physically very strong, well-built, and had a short temper, which sometimes frightened his mother. Ikarimaro remained physically robust until his later years; as his grandfather Shigena was also long-lived and vigorous, he may have inherited his physique from him.

At the age of eight, Ikarimaro attended Teshima Busai's private school, Seikyudo, to study Chinese classics and learned calligraphy from a scribe. From 1852, he entered the private school of Nomoto Mashiro (Hakugan), who was also a professor at the Nakatsu Domain's Shinshukan. In his later reminiscence, "Osuen Iko," Ikarimaro mentions that Tokujirō Obata, as well as high-ranking samurai Kuwana Hozan and Imaizumi Gunji (father of Hidetaro Imaizumi)—who were close to Fukuzawa—were his classmates at the Nomoto Juku. According to Ikarimaro, Nomoto was a "man of spirit and integrity," and at the Nomoto Juku, they debated world affairs and even studied theories of Western science. Ikarimaro left many memories of the Nomoto Juku in "Osuen Iko," suggesting that Nomoto had a significant influence on him. Ikarimaro cited reading two books given to him by Nomoto—Fujita Toko's "Hitachi-obi" and "Hankyo-roku" (likely "Ihi Hankyo-roku")—as the turning point in his thinking. The choice of "Ihi Hankyo-roku" in particular seems to reflect the strong influence of Nomoto's own ideology, as Nomoto had attempted to submit a memorial on coastal defense to Tokugawa Nariaki.

Inspired by these books and the pro-imperial, anti-foreign (sonno joi) sentiment of the time, Ikarimaro sought to join the movement. In 1856, he became a disciple of Tominaga Osuoke, the Nakatsu Domain's swordsmanship instructor, intending to follow the path of the sword. However, he was encouraged by his associate Motoda Nao to pursue the path of education and culture rather than military affairs, leading him back to the life of a scholar.

From 1857, he began gathering and educating local youths. Sotaro Masuda entered his school around this time. In 1864, he named his private school Doseikan and accepted even more students. Notable disciples included Eiji Asabuki and Shigeho Iwata. The founding principles and precepts of Doseikan stated that the primary focus should be on revering the gods and the Emperor; that those aspiring to learn must maintain proper etiquette and ceremony, be prudent in speech, and observe the order of seniority; and that they should investigate jitsugaku (science) to defend against foreign threats.

Perhaps since reading "Hitachi-obi" at the Nomoto Juku, Ikarimaro became devoted to Fujita Toko and lectured on Fujita's works to his students. When Fukuzawa mentioned in "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa" that "Sotaro had a cousin who was a scholar of the Mito school style," he was likely referring to Ikarimaro. Later, many of the students of Doseikan, including Sotaro Masuda, became pro-imperial activists and formed the Nakatsu Corps to join Saigo Takamori in the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877.

Ikarimaro was also deeply devoted to Hirata Atsutane. He was moved by reading Atsutane's works, such as "Tama no Mihashira," and lectured on them at Doseikan, leading to Atsutane's scholarly style being widely accepted by his disciples. In 1867, he sent a letter to Hirata Kanetane, Atsutane's adopted son, and fulfilled his long-held wish to become a posthumous disciple of Atsutane. With the support of his older brother Shigeharu, he was then able to travel to Kyoto.

With the dawn of the Meiji era, Ikarimaro began to play an active role in public office. In 1868, he was appointed as an administrative official by Okudaira Masayuki and went to Kyoto again. The following year, he was appointed as a staff member and lecturer at the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Although his titles changed as institutions were closed or merged, his appointments—such as to the University—show that his expertise was highly valued. In 1870, he was ordered by the Nakatsu Domain's Kyoto-based elder to serve as a missionary official, but he declined. During these early Meiji years, alongside his official duties, Ikarimaro actively engaged in writing, marking the full-scale start of his career as a scholar of National Learning. In 1872, he was appointed to the Ministry of Religious Education and moved to Tokyo, where he primarily focused his activities thereafter.

Meanwhile, in Nakatsu during Ikarimaro's absence, his disciples were struggling after the closure of Doseikan left them without a place to learn. Letters sent to Ikarimaro reveal the resentment felt by Masuda and others from Doseikan as high-ranking officials of the former Nakatsu Domain pushed forward Western education based on Fukuzawa's advice from around 1869. They reported to Ikarimaro in detail about the conditions Fukuzawa was setting for the establishment of Western schools and how they were troubled by the lack of support for Imperial Studies (National Learning).

This friction continued between the Nakatsu City School (a Western school opened in 1871) and the Imperial School that succeeded Doseikan. In a letter dated April 15, 1873, addressed to Shimazu Fukusei, Fukuzawa showed concern for avoiding unnecessary conflict, writing: "I hear the school in Nakatsu remains as it was. I hope you will quietly maintain the original spirit of independence and take great care to ensure there is not even the slightest hint of interference with the government school."

Ultimately, Ikarimaro never returned to Nakatsu as an educator, but he maintained contact with his disciples. In 1877, upon hearing that his disciples had taken up arms in the Satsuma Rebellion, Ikarimaro attempted to go to the site but was dissuaded by his father. When Masuda died in battle in Kagoshima, Ikarimaro composed a poem of mourning, shed tears, and resigned from his post. Later, in 1882, he built a school building in Kojimachi that inherited the name Doseikan, and thereafter dedicated himself to writing and educational activities.

While there are few records of Fukuzawa mentioning Ikarimaro, Fukuzawa appears frequently in Ikarimaro's "Osuen Iko," which looks back on the period from the end of the Edo shogunate to the early Meiji era. For example, regarding how Fukuzawa's mother, O-jun, viewed Fukuzawa's study of Dutch Learning: "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa" famously recounts how, when relatives tried to stop Fukuzawa from going back to Osaka to study Dutch Learning after he had inherited the family headship following his brother's death, O-jun sent him off boldly, saying, "Your brother has died, but what is done is done. You too might go elsewhere and die, but I will say nothing of life or death. Go wherever you wish."

In contrast, "Osuen Iko" records that O-jun told a relative named Ohashi Nakataro, "Never let anyone study Dutch Learning; if you let them study Dutch Learning, they will become an unfilial person like Yukichi." It also introduces a story heard from Ohashi that when Fukuzawa gave O-jun a monthly allowance of five yen while she lived in Tokyo in her later years, she concluded that he only gave it because he had the money, not out of filial piety. As indicated by the opening poem, Ikarimaro could hardly be called sympathetic toward Fukuzawa. While these accounts must be examined carefully, they provide valuable descriptions of Fukuzawa's youth, for which few materials exist outside of his autobiography.

Furthermore, Ikarimaro was involved in Fukuzawa's study in Nagasaki, which was the catalyst for Fukuzawa leaving feudal Nakatsu to study Dutch Learning. "Osuen Iko" states: "The elder Okudaira Jugaku (referring to Okudaira Iki) aspired to Dutch Learning and studied in Nagasaki. Yukichi took this opportunity to live as a dependent of Jugaku to achieve his goals. He suddenly changed his mind and said he would go to Nagasaki. Thereupon, he took all the Chinese classics in the family collection (Fukuzawa's father Hyakusuke and brother Sannosuke were proficient in Chinese studies, and Sannosuke especially had a talent for poetry) and sold them." This reveals that when Yukichi went to study in Nagasaki, he sold the family's library to the Watanabe family to raise funds for his studies.

In fact, from the Watanabe family materials currently under investigation, volumes 1 through 6 of "Soshi-in" were discovered, all stamped with the "Fukuzawa Family Collection" seal. Although there is some insect damage and wear, they are high-quality Chinese books and are believed to be texts collected by Yukichi's father, Hyakusuke. The scholarly Hyakusuke possessed a library of both high quality and quantity, numbering around 1,500 volumes. While "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa" states that because no one in the Nakatsu Domain would buy them, they were purchased by Shiraishi Shozan (who was then serving in Usuki), it turns out that a portion had been sold to the Watanabe family prior to that. Previous research has explored how the Fukuzawa family raised funds for Yukichi's Nagasaki studies based on the relationship with the Nomoto Juku and his brother Sannosuke, who attended the school. It is fascinating that Ikarimaro and Fukuzawa, two men with completely different ideologies, had their beginnings at the same Juku.