[Special Feature: Keio Year 4—150 Years Since the Naming of the Gijuku] "Rangaku Kotohajime" and Yukichi Fukuzawa—What Their Encounter Brought About

2018/05/01

Image: "The Fountain of Western Studies is Here" Monument

Reading "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa," one finds many descriptions, especially regarding his early life, that make one reflect on the mysteries of human fate and chance encounters. Yukichi Fukuzawa, who was studying Chinese classics in Nakatsu, was one day asked by his older brother, Sannosuke, if he would like to try reading original Dutch books in Nagasaki. Desiring to leave the restrictive environment of Nakatsu, he went to Nagasaki, which opened the path for his studies in Rangaku (Dutch studies). Later, when he left Nagasaki for Edo, he stopped in Osaka, where his brother argued that he should study Rangaku there. This led him to study at Ogata Koan's Tekijuku. Distinguishing himself through intense study at Tekijuku and having his eyes opened to Western natural sciences, he went to Edo in 1858 by order of the Nakatsu Domain to teach Rangaku at the domain residence. It was after moving to Edo that he turned to English studies, gained three experiences in the West, and became known for his writing and education.

One connection calls forth another, which in turn leads to the next—this is one of the fascinations of the "Autobiography." Of course, it is not merely interesting. If his brother had not recommended studying in Nagasaki, if he had not entered Tekijuku in Osaka, or if he had not been called to Edo at that time, the Yukichi Fukuzawa we know would likely not have existed. Along with his own decisions, it is certain that a accumulation of countless connections, appearing as both coincidence and necessity, shaped his life. Looking back on the past in his "Autobiography," he says:

...A young boy of a low-ranking samurai family in a small old domain, stuffed into a cramped little box, picking at the corners of a tiered food box with the toothpick of domain administration—that boy suddenly jumped out, not only abandoning his hometown but also casting aside the Chinese classical teachings he was raised with to enter the gate of Western learning. Reading books different from before, associating with people different from before, moving about freely, and traveling to foreign countries two or three times, his thoughts gradually broadened. Setting aside the old domain, Japan itself began to look small. What a lively and great change that was. (Annotated by Masafumi Tomita, Keio University Press edition, p. 317)

This passage seems to suggest that many mysterious coincidences contributed to that lively change.

By the way, among the connections people encounter, there are those that occasionally trigger intense emotional movements and make one realize their own mission.

...Truly, this book has captivated me for many years, and even as I write this today, I cannot help but be moved. I am writing this while wiping away tears. I hope the second edition will be printed in large numbers and distributed throughout the country. ("Collected Letters of Yukichi Fukuzawa," Vol. 6, No. 1466)

This is a passage from a letter dated April 1, 1890, addressed by Yukichi Fukuzawa to Sensai Nagayo, a close friend since their days at Tekijuku.

The "this book" that had strongly moved his heart for many years refers to "Rangaku Kotohajime" (The Beginnings of Dutch Studies; hereinafter also abbreviated as "Kotohajime"), a memoir left by Genpaku Sugita (Isai). The Japanese Society of Medical Sciences, established that year, decided to reprint "Kotohajime" and distribute it to members to commemorate the achievements of their predecessors on the occasion of their first general meeting. Yukichi Fukuzawa wrote the preface and sent it to Nagayo. The letter mentioned above was attached at that time, and the "this" in the text refers to his preface, "Preface to the Second Edition of Rangaku Kotohajime."

Even so, in this letter, he not only records his strong feelings for "Kotohajime" but even says that he was so overcome with emotion while writing the preface that he wrote it while wiping away tears. Why "Kotohajime" moved his heart to such an extent can actually be understood by reading this preface. Let us first take a look at it.

The first part of the preface describes how he encountered this book. According to this, the Sugita family's treasured copy of "Rangaku Kotohajime" was destroyed in the Great Ansei Earthquake in Edo, and it was thought that no manuscripts remained. However, in the "final years of the old Shogunate," his friend Takahira Kanda accidentally discovered a copy of "Kotohajime" at a street stall behind the Yushima Seido. Furthermore, since it was Genpaku's own handwriting presented to his disciple Bansui Otsuki (Gentaku), Kanda told his associates about it. As a result, "everyone vied to be the first to copy it, and suddenly obtaining several copies of Rangaku Kotohajime felt like meeting a friend who was thought to have already passed away." They felt as if they were reuniting with someone who should have been dead and copied it one after another, and soon several manuscripts were made. In reality, other manuscripts of "Kotohajime" did exist, but among his circle, it seems to have been understood as a phantom book. Therefore, the surprise and joy of suddenly holding the actual object must have been immense.

Even more than that, what moved them was the content written within. The preface states:

...Every word in the records of this book is a hardship. In particular, regarding the passage about March 5, the 8th year of Meiwa, when they first faced the book 'Tafel Anatomia' at the house of Master Ranke, feeling as if they had set out into the vast ocean in a boat without a rudder or oar, having nothing to rely on and being utterly amazed... every time we read this, we perceive the hardships of our predecessors, are surprised by their bravery, feel their sincerity and devotion, and cannot help but weep with emotion. I was most close with the late Mr. Shuhei Mitsukuri, and at that time, having obtained that manuscript, the two of us would sit together and read it repeatedly; whenever we reached that passage, we would both choke with tears of emotion and end in silence. ("Complete Works of Yukichi Fukuzawa," Vol. 19, p. 769)

"Rangaku Kotohajime" is a record of the history of Rangaku centered on Genpaku's own experiences. Among these, the part that moved them most—the description of how Genpaku and Ryotaku Maeno (Ranke), having witnessed a human dissection at the Kozukappara execution grounds in Senju in 1771, took that opportunity to begin the translation of "Tafel Anatomia" and proceeded with that difficult task—still leaves a deep impression today. Furthermore, the Western scholars of that time had also struggled to learn Rangaku and knew the importance of this field of study. It was natural for them to project themselves onto the hardships of their predecessors and feel deeply moved by the debt of gratitude for their learning.

Shortly thereafter, Japan reached a major turning point in its history. Only half a year passed from the Restoration of Imperial Rule on October 14, 1867, to the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle. In September 1868 (Keio 4), it was announced that the era name would be changed to Meiji, retroactive to the beginning of the year. The Battle of Hakodate Goryokaku ended in May 1869 (Meiji 2).

According to the preface, in the midst of this turmoil, one day in the first year of Meiji, Yukichi Fukuzawa visited Renkei, who had succeeded the Sugita family as the son-in-law of the daughter of Genpaku's great-grandson Seikei, and proposed the publication of "Rangaku Kotohajime" as follows:

...The world is in an uproar and there are none who speak of literature. However, your family's Rangaku Kotohajime is a treasure of our scholarly society. If we lose this now, future generations will have no way to know the history of our Western studies, and the great achievements and immense gratitude for what our predecessors did for us juniors through a thousand hardships will be in vain. Although there may be no one to look at it if we publish this book during the current disturbances, once it is carved into wood blocks, there is no safer way to preserve it. Since these are truly uncertain times, we should publish it with the resolve that we may not be able to sell it widely. As for the expenses, I shall assist for the sake of this path and to repay my debt to our predecessors... (Ibid., p. 770)

Renkei joyfully accepted this offer. With the efforts of Yukichi Fukuzawa, "Rangaku Kotohajime" was published for the first time in January 1869, with the Sugita family as the copyright holder. The version that the Japanese Society of Medical Sciences reprinted in 1890 was this printed edition, and the reason he came to write the "Preface to the Second Edition of Rangaku Kotohajime" was that he himself was deeply involved in its publication. An article in the "Yomiuri Shimbun" on April 16 of that year briefly introduces these circumstances.

○ Rangaku Kotohajime: This book is the posthumous manuscript of Master Genpaku Sugita (Isai). It was published in January 1869 through the efforts of Mr. Yukichi Fukuzawa and others, but as it was not widely distributed at the time, there were not many copies. Since then, as years have passed, it remained only in the possession of a few interested parties and was not widely known to the world. On the occasion of the first general meeting of the Japanese Society of Medical Sciences on the 1st of this month, out of admiration for his original intent and a desire to commemorate it forever, they planned to reprint several thousand copies to distribute among comrades. This record of hardships aims to announce the merits of our predecessors and to show that today's civilization is not an accidental progress but was already conceived over a hundred years ago. (Notation slightly modified for readability)

I would like to add one point regarding the title "Rangaku Kotohajime." The photo below shows the copy of "Kotohajime" that is believed to be the basis for the printed edition. It can be seen that Yukichi Fukuzawa edited the original title "Oranda Kotohajime" and changed it himself to "Rangaku Kotohajime." The reason for the title change is unknown. However, it is certain that this work, which had previously been called by three names—"Rangaku Kotohajime," "Ranto Kotohajime," and "Oranda Kotohajime"—came to be known to the world exclusively by the name "Rangaku Kotohajime" after the Meiji era, exactly as he had corrected it.

Now, there are further reasons why "Kotohajime" became a book that "captivated him for many years."

The first is that Ryotaku Maeno (Ranke) was a physician of the Nakatsu Domain, and the place where they opened "Tafel Anatomia" and were "utterly amazed" was coincidentally the Nakatsu Domain middle residence in Tsukiji Teppozu—the very place where he began teaching Dutch books and where he had established his Juku and residence when he encountered "Kotohajime."

It is unknown when he learned of this strange connection, but in a speech at the Keio University Alumni Association in April 1889, he touched upon this coincidence, saying, "It is mysterious that I shared the same place and the same work as my predecessors" (Complete Works, Vol. 12, p. 130), so there is no doubt that he himself felt a mysterious connection.

Additionally, I would like to mention that in 1894, he had a vision to establish a memorial hall called "Rankedo" at this location ("Prospectus for the Establishment of Rankedo," Complete Works, Vol. 20, p. 387). The document contains specific plans to "clarify the facts of why the foundation for opening the country existed even before the opening of our country, thereby deepening the feelings of nostalgia and planning for future progress." This included creating a park on the site of the old domain residence, building a hall, displaying a painting depicting the story of the "Tafel Anatomia" translation, and collecting or borrowing many Rangaku materials from before the Restoration for display and preservation.

In fact, four years earlier, the Japanese Society of Medical Sciences had resolved at its general meeting to petition for the grace of granting a court rank to honor Ryotaku. This was on the very day he wrote the preface for the second edition of "Kotohajime." He immediately published an article titled "Granting Court Ranks to Predecessors of Western Studies," explaining the disadvantages of honoring people by granting court ranks and stating clearly, "I am opposed to this one matter to the end." However, the petition was carried out by 13 representatives of the medical society, and Maeno was granted the Senior Fourth Rank in 1893. Considering this background, his plan to establish Rankedo was likely a search for a way to honor him based on his own convictions.

Unfortunately, this plan remained only on paper. However, today, in the rotary in front of St. Luke's Hospital near the old site of Teppozu, the "The Fountain of Western Studies is Here" monument commemorating the story of the "Tafel Anatomia" translation and the "Birthplace of Keio University" monument, both designed by Yoshiro Taniguchi, stand side by side. If one visits, one can learn about the mysterious connection linking these two historical existences along with their respective facts.

The second point I wish to highlight is that the period from his encounter with "Kotohajime" to its publication coincided with an extremely important time for both himself and Keio University.

From late January to late June 1867 (Keio 3), he went on his second trip to the United States as an attendant to the Shogunate's warship reception committee. During the trip, he not only spoke out with harsh criticism of the Shogunate, saying things like "No matter what, this Shogunate must be destroyed," but also disobeyed the orders of his superiors. After returning home, he faced accusations from them involving financial matters and was sentenced to house arrest until the end of October.

He is said to have devoted this period of house arrest to his writing activities ("Autobiography"). However, on the other hand, investigating Western studies with Keio students must have been an extremely important task. At the Juku, excellent juniors who would lead the school in both management and academics, such as the brothers Tokujirō Obata and Jinzaburo, Toan Matsuyama, and Nobukichi Koizumi, were already being nurtured. Furthermore, a harmonious atmosphere had been cultivated, such as everyone going out to Shinagawa to meet him upon his return from America. For the sake of the Juku, he was seriously working on improving the educational environment by purchasing a large number of textbooks in America and establishing the rules of the Juku.

It was at such a time that the Restoration of Imperial Rule took place, and as mentioned earlier, the era rapidly headed toward chaos thereafter. Amidst the lack of foresight for the country's future, the path he chose was to unite with the people gathered at the Juku and devote himself solely to the study of Western learning.

Just then, as the day approached for Tsukiji to be requisitioned as a foreign settlement, he purchased land in Shiba Shinsenza for 355 ryo at the end of 1867. Then, while some were vacating as the flames of war approached, and regardless of friends who tried to stop him or the decrease in Keio students, he invested another large sum of 400 ryo to build his residence and the Juku building there. "The Centenary History of Keio University" describes this as "a decisive life gamble by the 35-year-old Fukuzawa."

In the spring of the following year, 1868 (Keio 4), the people of the Juku established rules and set daily routines, and at the completed Shiba Shinsenza Juku, they announced the "Keio Gijuku no Ki (Notes on Keio Gijuku)," a sort of declaration of independence, making its inauguration known to the world. The newspaper "Naigai Shinpo" on April 18 of that year stated the opening of the Juku was on the 3rd of that month. Edo Castle had already been surrendered bloodlessly.

This Juku was a school for the "Keio Gijuku Shachu," the group of people including himself who were determined to investigate Western studies, and it was a school widely open to people with similar aspirations. What is interesting is that while the "Keio Gijuku no Ki" written by him explains the purpose of such a Juku, it devotes half of its space to explaining the history of Rangaku and Western studies in our country, emphasizing that their current existence is a "gift from the ancients," strongly preaching the resolve to engage in Western studies even if it is difficult, and concluding the end of this text as follows:

...If future generations look upon us as we admire our predecessors, would that not be a great pleasure? Oh, men of our party, cooperate and strive to achieve those results. (Complete Works, Vol. 19, p. 368)

How pleasant it would be to imagine people of later eras looking at us in the same way we admire our predecessors—let us all work hard and achieve our own merits. What is visible in these words is a kind of historical consciousness that captures one's current self from both the past and the future. Amidst the social turmoil, while he entrusted his heart solely to the study of Western learning with his fellow learners as comrades, he was likely facing his studies using the existence of his predecessors and the history they opened up as his own strength. I would like to think that "Rangaku Kotohajime," which suddenly appeared before them at the end of the Edo period and delivered the voices of their predecessors, played a major role in helping them move forward through difficult times. Furthermore, I believe that this made his feelings toward "Kotohajime" even deeper.

I have recorded what can be understood and considered regarding Yukichi Fukuzawa's encounter with "Rangaku Kotohajime" and its lifelong influence. "Keio University" was established 150 years ago. However, if we imagine him weeping over "Kotohajime," it becomes possible for us to think of that era as something close to us, and furthermore, if we read the "Keio Gijuku no Ki," we realize that we are the "future generations" who were already within the vision of him and his associates. We, too, wish to seek our own connections, know them, and cherish them.