The Reformulation of the Idea of History and the Publication of Historical Texts in Late Nineteenth-Century Japan

Historiography and Japanese Consciousness of Values and Norms, カリフォルニア大学 サンタ・バーバラ校, カリフォルニア大学 ロサンゼルス校, 2001年1

文明批評家としての谷崎潤一郎

No doubt, TANIZAKI Jun\u27ichirō is one of the greatest modern Japanese writers. The critical appraisal of his works, however, is by no means uniform. Especially, the texts TANIZAKI published during the 1910s and the early -1920s are regarded as the so-called culture of the erotic, grotesque, nonsensical (ero guro nansensu) which were the main characteristics of Japanese mass culture in the late-1920s and early-1930s. In this essay, I discuss briefly the significance of eroticism, grotesquerie, nonsense in the Taishō period, and the works TANIZAKI published, as well as during the Shōwa period, which exhibit a critical stance, a spirit of resistance, toward the dominant culture of each period. Although of the most politically minded writers in modern Japan

The Reformulation of the Concept and Philosophy of History in Modern Japan

ハワイ州マウイ, 2000年11

Preface

Translation of Culture and Culture of Translation, ベルギー, ルーヴァン・カトリック大学, 1998年10月12日-15

西田幾多郎、生命主義の軌跡（その1） : 西田の行動思想と座談会「世界史的立場」

This essay is the first in a three-part series entitle "NISHIDA Kitarō as Vitalist". This series will demonstrate that vitalism or life-centerism constitutes the sustaining structure and conceptual horizon of NISHIDA\u27s thought, which is usually portrayed as a representative modern Japanese philosophy. I will show that the concept of vitalism enables us to put into clearer perspective the complexity, limitations and historical value of NISHIDA\u27s work. Conversely, the articles also undertake to prove the efficacy of this concept for the rewriting of Japanese intellectual history and the history of Japanese arts in the twentieth century, analyzing the trend of "overcoming modernity" thought. The overcoming modernity stream and vitalist thought developed as a result of the social, cultural and mental traumas and devastation caused by modern civilization from the beginning of the twentieth century.In this article, my discussion will focus on NISHIDA\u27s late work The Problem of Japanese Culture (1940), which I believe to be the best for examining the problem of his political thought of the Japanese Imperial Way based on his vitalist notion of "historical life". Through examining the Kyoto School\u27s well-known symposia on "The World-Historical Standpoint and Japan" \u271941-42), which were considerably influenced by NISHIIDA\u27s philosophy, I also hope to relativize the position of Japanese Imperial Way in the The Problem of Japanese Culture showed bravery and an antiwar attitude during the wartime. However, NISHIDA idealized the Imperial Way by forging its history, image of the Imperial Way was, indeed, produced by modern and contemporary Japanese history.Using NISHIDA\u27s philosophy, the scholars of the Kyoto School, in the symposia on "The World-Historical Standpoint and Japan", insisted that the Japanese mission was to overcome modern European civilization and system of thought. Moreover, they justified and glorified the Japanese "Imperial War", in spite of NISHIDA\u27s antiwar attitude. NISHIDA\u27s theory has many elements in its system of thought which were easily changed to justify the war against Western imperialism and death for the eternal life of the nation. In this essay I will explore the question of what kind of effect the overcoming modernity debate and vitalist thought had in Japan, and how this defective nature came about by an examination of NISHIDA\u27s late philosophy

3つのテーマと2、3の観点 : 日本近・現代文学史、文化史の書き換えのために

I proceed to elaborate on the main three themes which are closely related to each other and have relevance to today\u27s world situation. # 1. For internationalizing of cultural studies, a revaluation of the 20th century Japanese cultural history from the standpoint of international relations, coupled with proper reflection on the hitherto neglected cultural problems associated with the invasion of Asia. # 2. The great bounds made by science and technology while bringing about change in ways of life and inspiring future dreams, are evoking fear and doubt as well. I find today\u27s situations very similar to what it was in Japan in 1910\u27s. In this age, the trend of philosophy and art toward vitalism whirled vigorously, in the socalled ""Taishō-vitalism"", which was greatly influenced by the patterns of thought prevalent in Europe at the turn of the century. For historical relativization of today\u27s thought, it is necessary to examine ""Taisho-vitalism"" and its results. # 3. There is a need for the critical rewriting of literary history. Both terms ""literature"" and ""literary history"" have sprung up alongside with the development of state nationalism during the 19th century in Western Europe. The established Japan\u27s literary history has never considered the concept of ""bungaku"" and ""bungakushi"". And within it, the ambiguous terms of ""jun-bungaku (pure literature)"" exemplified by ""watakushi shōsetsu (autobiographical novel)"", and ""taishū-bungaku (mass literature)"" are conventionally used unrelated to artistic valuation. They are not analytical concepts; they should be relativized as historical concepts. We are approaching a time for the reestimation of modern literature according to aesthetic values; a time to construct a new literary history centering on literary works themselves, especially on their ways of expression