Masamichi Komuro: A Shocking Sentence

Image: Provided by the Keio University Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies

Precisely because I was at Keio University, I somehow avoided Fukuzawa Yukichi. I felt like I wanted to keep the "founder" at a respectful distance. For that reason, it wasn't until the late 1980s, when I was nearly 40 years old, that I sat down and began reading Fukuzawa Yukichi's works.

Around that time, Masao Maruyama's "Reading 'An Outline of a Theory of Civilization'" (hereafter "Reading") was published and was highly acclaimed by those around me. Once, during a casual conversation about this book, my senior Tatsuo Sakai (who later became the Director of the Fukuzawa Memorial Center) remarked, "That's a good book, but it's Maruyama's interpretation, you know? If you read that first..."

Actually, at that time, I had read neither "Reading" nor "An Outline of a Theory of Civilization" (hereafter "Outline"), but I inwardly thought, "I see, that's how it is," and a short while later, I began reading the old Iwanami Bunko edition of "Outline."

Since I had been reading Edo-period materials until then, the writing was far easier to understand by comparison. Moreover, the argument was clear from the very beginning, and I was quickly drawn in. Then, as I read toward the end of the first chapter, I came across this sentence: "Take a look; throughout history, there has never been a case where the progress of civilization did not begin with what were called heretical and delusional views." I was struck with a shock that made my head spin. It was the shock of realizing that a thinker born in the Tenpo era could express such a radical idea in such a memorable, condensed sentence.

Since then, I have reread "Outline" many times whenever the opportunity arose. I even read it with my seminar students during a summer retreat. However, no matter how many times I read it, my feeling remains unchanged: the sentence beginning with "Take a look; throughout history, the progress of civilization..." is the sentence that symbolizes "Outline."

For "heretical and delusional views" to arise, there must be a society of "vibrant debate" (taji soron) where various theories are born and actively discussed. It is also important that such discussions are backed by scientific intelligence. "Outline" is a work intended to realize such a society in Japan. One could even go so far as to say that the goal of the entire work is to generate "heretical and delusional views."

How should this "Outline" be positioned within the evolution of Fukuzawa's thought? Many researchers analyze how Fukuzawa's ideas changed after "Outline." However, I believe that Fukuzawa's view of civilization and his radicalism remained unchanged throughout his life.

Fukuzawa was a thinker who contemplated the essence of things, but at the same time, he was a journalist who wrote articles for the prosperity of the people before him and the independence of his country. Consequently, many of his works point toward a realistic path regarding the current events of the time. However, beneath the robes colored by that realism, the armor of radicalism present since "Outline" can be glimpsed throughout his life.

Thinking this way, the sentence "Take a look; throughout history, the progress of civilization..." seems to symbolize Fukuzawa's lifelong philosophy.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Keio University in 2008, an exhibition regarding Fukuzawa Yukichi was to be held the following year. As preparations began, I discussed words that would symbolize the exhibition's concept with Yoichi Sumi and Fujio Maeda. Without hesitation, I brought up the sentence "Take a look; throughout history, the progress of civilization..." This was because of the feelings I mentioned earlier. From there, the conversation developed with the two men of great taste, and the concept was condensed into the concise words "Heresy and Leadership." Furthermore, at the beginning of the exhibition catalog, the President at the time, Yūichirō Anzai, wrote the foreword using "Take a look; throughout history, the progress of civilization..." as the lead-in, clearly demonstrating the concept of the exhibition.

By the way, shortly after reading "Outline" for the first time, I also read Maruyama's "Reading" thoroughly. I was overwhelmed by the brilliance with which he analyzed Fukuzawa's way of thinking, using his formidable erudition spanning East and West as a weapon—not to mention having read the original texts by Guizot and Buckle that Fukuzawa referenced.

Since then, "Reading" has been one of my favorite books. However, when I think about it, that is an infatuation with Maruyama's intellectual history; surprisingly, not much of an impression of "Outline" itself remains after reading it. In this regard, I was fortunate to have read "Outline" itself first, even if it was in an unrefined way. Otherwise, I don't think I would have felt that shock when I first saw that sentence.

Later, due to various circumstances, I began reading not only Fukuzawa's books but also his letters and editorials from the "Jiji Shinpo" that are not included in the "Complete Works of Fukuzawa Yukichi." While I sometimes find parts of his writing disagreeable, the more I read, the more strongly I am drawn to Fukuzawa. There are even times when I worry I might become a believer in the "Cult of Fukuzawa." At such times, the argument in "Outline" that repeatedly criticizes "blind devotion" (wakudoku) comes to mind. It means that one must not blindly indulge in any custom, ideology, or theory. I feel that "Outline" was my gateway to being charmed by Fukuzawa, but at the same time, it is the one book that prevents me from drowning in the "Cult of Fukuzawa."