Fukuzawa Yukichi (福澤 諭吉 1835 - 1901) was an author, motivational speaker, and political theorist whose enlightened ideas about government and social institutions made a lasting impression on a rapidly changing Japan during the period known as the Meiji Era
Possibly Fukuzawa's writings were his greatest contribution to the Meiji period. Between 1872 and 1876, he published 17 volumes of "Gakumon no Susume" ("An Encouragement of Learning"). In these texts, Fukuzawa outlines the importance of understanding the principle of equality of opportunity and that study was the key to greatness. He was an avid supporter of education and founded one of Japan's most prestigious universities, Keio-gijuku, now known as the Keio University.
In the volumes of "Gakumon no Susume", Fukuzawa advocated his most lasting principle, "national independence through personal independence." Through personal independence, an individual does not have to depend on the strength of another. With such a self-determining social morality, Fukuzawa hoped to instill a sense of personal strength among the people of Japan, and through that personal strength, build a nation to rival all others.
Fukuzawa also published many influential essays and critical works, one of most lasting of which is "Bunmeiron no Gairyaku" ("An Outline of a Theory of Civilization") published in 1875, in which he details his own theory of civilization. According to Fukuzawa, civilization is relative to time and circumstance, as well as comparison. For example, China was relatively civilized in comparison to some of the Africa colonies, and European nations were the most civilized of all, at the time.
Fukuzawa was later criticized as a supporter of imperialism because of an essay "Datsu-A Ron" ("Leaving Asia") published in 1885, as well as for his support of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). Yet, "Datsu-A Ron" was actually a response to a failed attempt by Koreans to organized an effective reform faction, an attempt he'd supported. The essay was published as a withdrawal of his support (Shin-ichi 5).
His support of the Sino-Japanese War had much to do with his opinions about modernization. He believed that China suffered from archaic and unchanging principles. At the time of the war, foot binding was still the practice in China, and political institutions were failing to fend of foreign incursions. In his hopes for a strong Japan, Fukuzawa saw the Asian countries around Japan as potential deterrents in need of guidance.
"In my view, these two countries [China and Korea] cannot survive as independent nations with the onslaught of Western civilization to the East. . . It is not different from the case of the righteous man living in a neighborhood of a town known for foolishness, lawlessness, atrocity, and heartlessness. His action is so rare that it is always buries under the ugliness of his neighbors' activities," Fukuzawa wrote in "Datsu-A Ron" (Lu 352).
Fukuzawa's most important contribution to the reformation effort, though, came in the form of a newpaper called "Jiji-Shimpo", which he started in 1882, after being prompted by Inoue Kaoru, Okuma Shigenobu, and Ito Hirobumi to establish a strong influence among the people. All agreed the government should take the form of a national assembly, and as reforms began, Fukuzawa, whose fame was already unquestionable, began production of "Jiji-Shimp", which received wide circulation, encouraging the people to enlighten themselves and to adopt a moderate political attitude towards the change that was being engineered within the social and political structures of Japan.
Fukuzawa's ideas about individual strength and his knowledge of western political theory, as presented in his writings, were instrumental in motivating the Japanese people to embrace change. He may well have been one of the most influential personalities in the modernization of Japan.
The following is a list of sources from which the above information was pulled and assimilated.
Lu, David. ed. Japan: A Documentary History. M..E. Sharpe. Armonk,
New York: 1997. pp. 351-353. Reprinted:
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Shin-ichi, Kitaoka. "Pride and Independence: Fukuzawa Yukichi and the Spirit
of the Meiji Restoration (part 2)." Journal of Japanese Trade and
Industry. Japanese Economic Foundation, 2000.
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Related links:
This link is to an eleven-page, in-depth biography on Fukuzawa.
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/Publications/Thinkers/ThinkersPdf/fukuzawe.pdf