Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic

Chapter 1

Chapter 12,780 wordsPublic domain

EVOLUTION OF THE JAPANESE

EVOLUTION OF THE JAPANESE

_SOCIAL AND PSYCHIC_

SIDNEY L. GULICK, M.A.

_Missionary of the American Board in Japan_

NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO

Fleming H. Revell Company

LONDON AND EDINBURGH

New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago: 63 Washington Street Toronto: 27 Richmond Street, W. London: 21 Paternoster Square Edinburgh: 30 St. Mary Street

PREFACE

The present work is an attempt to interpret the characteristics of modern Japan in the light of social science. It also seeks to throw some light on the vexed question as to the real character of so-called race-nature, and the processes by which that nature is transformed. If the principles of social science here set forth are correct, they apply as well to China and India as to Japan, and thus will bear directly on the entire problem of Occidental and Oriental social intercourse and mutual influence.

The core of this work consists of addresses to American and English audiences delivered by the writer during his recent furlough. Since returning to Japan, he has been able to give but fragments of time to the completion of the outlines then sketched, and though he would gladly reserve the manuscript for further elaboration, he yields to the urgency of friends who deem it wise that he delay no longer in laying his thought before the wider public.

To Japanese readers the writer wishes to say that although he has not hesitated to make statements painful to a lover of Japan, he has not done it to condemn or needlessly to criticise, but simply to make plain what seem to him to be the facts. If he has erred in his facts or if his interpretations reflect unjustly on the history or spirit of Japan, no one will be more glad than he for corrections. Let the Japanese be assured that his ruling motive, both in writing about Japan and in spending his life in this land, is profound love for the Japanese people. The term "native" has been freely used because it is the only natural correlative for "foreign." It may be well to say that neither the one nor the other has any derogatory implication, although anti-foreign natives, and anti-native foreigners, sometimes so use them.

The indebtedness of the writer is too great to be acknowledged in detail. But whenever he has been conscious of drawing directly from any author for ideas or suggestions, effort has been made to indicate the source.

Since the preparation of the larger part of this work several important contributions to the literature on Japan have appeared which would have been of help to the writer, could he have referred to them during the progress of his undertaking. Rev. J.C.C. Newton's "Japan: Country, Court, and People"; Rev. Otis Cary's "Japan and Its Regeneration"; and Prof. J. Nitobe's "Bushido: The Soul of Japan," call for special mention. All are excellent works, interesting, condensed, informative, and well-balanced. Had the last named come to hand much earlier it would have received frequent reference and quotation in the body of this volume, despite the fact that it sets forth an ideal rather than the actual state of Old Japan.

Special acknowledgment should be made of the help rendered by my brothers, Galen M. Fisher and Edward L. Gulick, and by my sister, Mrs. F.F. Jewett, in reading and revising the manuscript. Acknowledgment should also be made of the invaluable criticisms and suggestions in regard to the general theory of social evolution advocated in these pages made by my uncle, Rev. John T. Gulick, well known to the scientific world for his contributions to the theory as well as to the facts of biological evolution.

S.L.G.

MATSUYAMA, JAPAN.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 13

I. PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS

Occidental conceptions of the recent history of Japan--Japan seems to be contradicting our theory of national evolution--Similarities of ancient and modern Japan--Japanese evolution is "natural"--The study of Japanese social evolution is of unusual interest, because it has experienced such marked changes--Because it is now in a stage of rapid growth--And is taking place before our eyes--Also because here is taking place a unique union of Occidental and Oriental civilizations--Comparison between India and Japan, 23

II. HISTORICAL SKETCH

Mythology and tradition--Authentic history--Old Japan--The transition from Old to New Japan--New Japan--Compelled by foreign nations to centralize--Ideals and material instruments supplied from abroad--Exuberant Patriotism--"Ai-koku-shin," 35

III. THE PROBLEM OF PROGRESS

Is Japan making progress?--Happiness as a criterion--The oppressive rule of militarism--The emptiness of the ordinary life--The condition of woman--"The Greater Learning for Woman"--Divorce--Progress defined--Deficiency of the hedonistic criterion of progress, 52

IV. THE METHOD OF PROGRESS

Progress a modern conception and ideal--How was the "cake of custom" broken?--"Government by discussion" an insufficient principle of progress--Two lines of progress, Ideal and Material--The significance of Perry's coming to Japan--Effect on Japan of Occidental ideas--The material element of progress--Mistaken praise of the simplicity of Old Japan, L. Hearn--The significance of the material element of civilization--Mastery of nature--The defect of Occidental civilization, 61

V. JAPANESE SENSITIVENESS TO ENVIRONMENT

Our main question--Illustrations--Japanese students abroad--Sensitiveness to ridicule--Advantages and disadvantages of this characteristic--National sensitiveness to foreign criticism--Nudity--Formosa--Mental and physical flexibility--Adjustability--Some apparent exceptions--Chinese ideographs--How account for these characteristics, 72

VI. WAVES OF FEELING--ABDICATION

The Japanese are emotional--An illustration from politics--The tendency to run to extremes--Danger of overemphasizing this tendency--Japanese silent dissent--Men of balance in public life--Abdication--Gubbins quoted--Is abdication an inherent trait? 82

VII. HEROES AND HERO-WORSHIP

Popular national heroes--The craving for modern heroes--Townsend Harris's insight into Oriental character--Hero-worship an obstacle to missionary work--Capt. Jaynes--An experience in Kumamoto--"The sage of Omi"--"The true hero"--Moral heroes in Japan--The advantage and disadvantage of hero-worship--Modern moral heroes--Hero-worship depends on personality and idealism--The new social order is producing new ideals and new heroes, 89

VIII. LOVE FOR CHILDREN

Japanese love for children--Children's festivals--Toys and toy-stores--Do Japanese love children more than Americans do?--Importance in Japan of maintaining the family line--The looseness of the Japanese family tie--Early cessation of demonstrative affection--Infanticide, 96

IX. MARITAL LOVE

Affection between husband and wife--Occidental and Oriental estimate of woman contrasted--This a subject easily-misunderstood--Kissing a social habit unknown in Japan--Demonstrative affection a social, not a racial characteristic--Some specific illustrations, Dr. Neesima--A personal experience--Illegitimate children--Fraudulent registration--Adult adoption--Divorce--Monogamy, polygamy, and prostitution--Race character, social order, and affection--Position of women--The social order and affection--The social order and the valuation of man and woman--The new social order and the valuation of man--The spread of Christian ideals and the re-organization of the family, 102

X. CHEERFULNESS--INDUSTRY--TRUTHFULNESS--SUSPICIOUSNESS

Japanese cheerfulness--Festivals--Pessimism existent, but easily overlooked--The ubiquity of children gives an appearance of cheerfulness--Industry--Illustrations--Easy-going--Sociological interpretation--Mutual confidence and trustfulness--Relation to communalistic feudalism--Changes in the social order and in character--The American Board's experience in trusting Japanese honor--The Doshisha and its difficulties--Suspiciousness--Necessary under the old social order--The need of constant care in conversation, 115

XI. JEALOUSY--REVENGE--HUMANE FEELINGS

Jealousy particularly ascribed to women--How related to the social order--Is jealousy limited to women?--Revenge--Taught as a moral duty--Revenge and the new social order--Are the Japanese cruel?--First impressions--Treatment of the insane--Of lepers--The cruelty and hardness of heart of Old Japan--Buddhistic teaching and practice--Buddhist and Christian Orphan Asylums--Treatment of horses--Torture in Old Japan--Crucifixion and transfixion by spears--Hard-heartedness cultivated under feudalism--Cruelty and the humane feelings in the Occident--Abolition of cruel customs in ancient and in Old Japan--Cruelty a sociological, not a biological characteristic--The rise of humane feelings--Doctors and hospitals--Philanthropy, 127

XII. AMBITION--CONCEIT

Ambition, both individual and national--The "Kumamoto Band"--Self-confidence and conceit--Refined in nature--Illustrations in the use of English--Readiness of young men to assume grave responsibilities--A product of the social order--Assumptions of inferiority by the common people--Obsequiousness--Modern self-confidence and assumptions not without ground--Self-confidence and success--Self-confidence and physical size--Young men and the recent history of Japan--The self-confidence and conceit of Western nations--The open-mindedness of most Japanese, 137

XIII. PATRIOTISM--APOTHEOSIS--COURAGE

"Yamato-Damashii": "The Soul of Japan"--Patriotism and the recent war with China--Patriotism of Christian orphans--Mr. Ishii--Patriotism is for a person, not for country--National patriotism is modern--Passionate devotion to the Emperor--A gift of 20,000,000 yen to the Emperor--The constitution derives its authority from the Emperor--A quotation from Prof. Yamaguchi--Japanese Imperial succession is of Oriental type--Concubines and children of the reigning Emperor--Apotheosis, Oriental and Occidental--Apotheosis and national unity--The political conflict between Imperial and popular sovereignty--Japanese and Roman apotheosis--Prof. Nash quoted--Courage--Cultivated in ancient times--A peculiar feature of Japanese courage--"Harakiri"--E. Griffis quoted--A boy hero--Relation of courage to social order--Japanese courage not only physical--modern instance of moral courage, 144

XIV. FICKLENESS--STOLIDITY--STOICISM

Illustrations of fickleness--Prof. Chamberlain's explanation--Fickleness a modern trait--Continuity of purpose in spite of changes of method--The youth of those on whom responsibility rests--Fluctuation of interest in Christianity not a fair illustration--The period of fluctuation is passing away--Impassiveness--"Putty faces"--Distinguish between stupidity and stoicism--Stupid stolidity among the farmers--Easily removed--Social stolidity cultivated--Demanded by the old social order--The influence of Buddhism in suppressing expression of emotion--An illustration of suppressed curiosity--Lack of emotional manifestations when the Emperor appears in public--Stolidity a social, not a racial trait--A personal experience--The increased vivacity of Christian women--Relations of emotional to intellectual development and to the social order, 159

XV. AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS

The wide development of the æsthetic sense in Japan--Japanese æsthetic development is unbalanced--The sense of smell--Painting--Japanese art pays slight attention to the human form--Sociological interpretation--The nude in Japanese art--Relation to the social order--Art and immorality--Caricature--Fondness for the abnormal in nature--Abnormal stones--Tosa cocks--Æsthetics of speech--The æsthetic sense and the use of personal pronouns--Deficiency of the æsthetic development in regard to speech--Sociological explanations--Close relation of æsthetics and conduct--Sociological explanation for the wide development of the æsthetic sense--The classes lived in close proximity--The spirit of dependence and imitation--Universality of culture more apparent than real--Defects of æsthetic taste--Defective etiquette--How accounted for--Old and new conditions--"Western taste debasing Japanese art"--Illustration of aboriginal æsthetic defects--Colored photographs--Æsthetic defects of popular shrines--The æsthetics of music--Experience of the Hawaiian people--Literary æsthetic development--Aston quoted--Architectural æsthetic development--Æsthetic development is sociological rather than biological, 170

XVI. MEMORY--IMITATION

Psychological unity of the East and the West--Brain size and social evolution--The size of the Japanese brain--Memory--Learning Chinese characters--Social selection and mnemonic power--Japanese memory in daily life--Memory of uncivilized and semi-civilized peoples--Hindu memory--Max Müller quoted--Japanese acquisition of foreign languages--The argument from language for the social as against the biological distinction of races--The faculty of imitation; is not to be despised--Prof. Chamberlain's over-emphasis of Japanese imitation--Originality in adopting Confucianism and Buddhism--"Shinshu"--"Nichirenshu"--Adoption of Chinese philosophy--Dr. Knox's over-emphasis of servile adoption--Our ignorance of Japanese history of thought--A reason for Occidental misunderstanding--The incubus of governmental initiative--Relation of imitation to the social order, 189

XVII. ORIGINALITY--INVENTIVENESS

Originality in art--Authoritative suppression of originality--Townsend Harris quoted--Suppression of Christianity and of heterodox Confucianism--Modern suppression of historical research--Yet Japan is not wholly lacking in originality--Recent discoveries and inventions--Originality in borrowing from the West--Quotations from a native paper, 203

XVIII. INDIRECTNESS--"NOMINALITY"

"Roundaboutness"--Some advantages of this characteristic--Illustrations--Study of English for direct and accurate habits of thought--Rapid modern growth of directness--"Nominality"--All Japanese history an illustration--The Imperial rule only nominal--The daimyo as a figure-head--"Nominality" in ordinary life--In family relations--Illustrations in Christian work--A "nominal" express train--"Nominality" and the social order, 210

XIX. INTELLECTUALITY

Do Japanese lack the higher mental faculties?--Evidence of inventions--Testimony of foreign teachers--Japanese students, at home and abroad--Readiness in public speech--Powers of generalization in primitive Japan--"Ri" and "Ki," "In" and "Yo"--Japanese use of Chinese generalized philosophical terms--Generalization and the social order--Defective explanation of puerile Oriental science--Relation to the mechanical memory method of education--High intellectuality dependent on social order, 218

XX. PHILOSOPHICAL ABILITY

Do Japanese lack philosophical ability?--Some opinions--Some distinctions--Japanese interest in metaphysical problems--Buddhist and Confucian metaphysics--Metaphysics and ethics--Japanese students of Occidental philosophy--A personal experience--"The little philosopher"--A Buddhist priest--Rarity of original philosophical ability and even interest--Philosophical ability and the social order in the West, 225

XXI. IMAGINATION

Some criticisms of Japanese mental traits--Wide range of imaginative activity--Some salient points--Unbalanced imaginative development--Prosaic matter-of-factness--Visionariness--Impractical idealism--Illustrations--An evangelist--A principal--Visionariness in Christian work--Visionariness in national ambition--Imagination and optimism--Mr. Lowell's opinion criticised--Fancy and imagination--Caricature--Imagination and imitation--Sociological interpretation of visionariness--And of prosaic matter-of-factness--Communalism and the higher mental powers--Suppression of the constructive imagination--Racial intellectual characteristics are social rather than inherent, 233

XXII. MORAL IDEALS

Loyalty and filial piety as moral ideals--Quotations from an ancient moralist, Muro Kyuso--On the heavenly origin of moral teaching--On self-control--Knowledge comes through obedience--On the impurity of ancient literature--On the ideal of the samurai in relation to trade--Old Japan combined statute and ethical law--"The testament of Iyeyasu"--Ohashi's condemnation of Western learning for its impiety--Japanese moral ideals were communal--Truthfulness undeveloped--Relations of samurai to tradesman--The business standards are changing with the social order--Ancient Occidental contempt for trade--Plato and Aristotle, 249

XXIII. MORAL IDEALS (_Continued_)

The social position of woman--Valuation of the individual--Confucian and Buddhistic teaching in regard to concubinage and polygamy--Sociological interpretation--Japan not exceptional--Actual morality of Old Japan--Modern growth of immorality--Note on the "Social Evil"--No ancient teaching in regard to masculine chastity--Mr. Hearn's mistaken contention--Filial obedience and prostitution--How could the social order produce two different moral ideals?--The new Civil Code on marriage--Divorce--Statistics--Modern advance of woman--Significance of the Imperial Silver Wedding--The Wedding of the Prince Imperial--Relation of Buddhism and Confucianism to moral ideals and practice--The new spirit of Buddhism--Christian influence on Shinto; Tenri Kyo--The ancient moralists confined their attention to the rulers--The Imperial Edict in regard to Moral Education, 258

XXIV. MORAL PRACTICE

The publicity of Japanese life--Public bathing--Personal experience at a hot-spring--Mr. Hearn on privacy--Individualism and variation from the moral standard--Standards advancing--Revenge--Modern liberty of travel--Increase of wealth--Increasing luxury and vice--Increase of concubinage--Native discussions--Statistics--Business honesty--A native paper quoted--Some experiences with Christians--Testimony of a Japanese consul--Difference of gifts to Buddhist and to Christian institutions--Christian condemnation of Doshisha mismanagement--Misappropriation of trust funds in the West--Business honesty and the social order--Fitness of Christianity to the new social order--A summary--Communal virtues--Individual Vices--The authority of the moral ideal--Moral characteristics are not inherent, but social, in nature, 273

XXV. ARE THE JAPANESE RELIGIOUS?

Prof. Pfleiderer's view--Percival Lowell's definition of religion--Japanese appearance of irreligion due to many facts--Skeptical attitude of Confucius towards the gods--Ready acceptance of Western agnosticism--Prof. Chamberlain's assertion that the Japanese take their religion lightly--Statements concerning religion by Messrs. Fukuzawa, Kato, and Ito--Statements of Japanese irreligion are not to be lightly accepted--Incompetence of many critics--We must study all the religious phenomena--Pilgrimages--Statistics--Mr. Lowell's criticism of "peripatetic picnic parties"--Is religion necessarily gloomy?--God and Buddha shelves universal in Japan--Temples and shrines--Statistics, 286

XXVI. SOME RELIGIOUS PHENOMENA

Stoical training conceals religious emotions--The earnestness of many suppliants--Buddhistic and Shinto practice of religious ecstasy--The revolt from Buddhism a religious movement--Muro Kyu-so quoted--"Heaven's Way"--"God's omnipresence"--Pre-Christian teachers of Christian truth--Interpretation of modern irreligious phenomena--Japanese apparent lack of reverence--Not an inherent racial characteristic--Sketch of Japanese religious history--Shinto--Buddhism--Confucianism--Christianity--Roman Catholicism--Protestantism--Religious characteristics are social, not essential or racial, 296

XXVII. SOME RELIGIOUS CONCEPTIONS

Japanese conceptions as to deity--The number and relation of the gods to the universe--Did the Japanese have the monotheistic conception?--Attractiveness of Christian monotheism--Confucian and Buddhist monism--Religious conception of man--Conception of sin--Defective terminology--Relation of sin to salvation--"Holy water"--Holy towels and the spread of disease--The slight connection between physical and moral pollution--W.E. Griffis quoted--Exaggerated cleanliness of the Japanese--Public bathing houses--Consciousness of sin in the sixteenth century--A recent experience--Doctrine of the future life--Salvation from fate--"Ingwa"--These are important doctrines--"Mei" (Heaven's decree)--Japan not unique--Sociological interpretations of religious characteristics, 310

XXVIII. SOME RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

Loyalty and filial piety as religious phenomena--Gratitude as a religions trait--Hearn quoted--Unpleasant experiences of ingratitude--Modern suppression of phallicism--Brothels and prostitutes at popular shrines--The failure of higher ethnic faiths to antagonize the lower--Suppression of phallicism due to Western opinion--The significance of this suppression to sociological theory--Religious liberty--Some history--Inconsistent attitude of the Educational Department--Virtual establishment of compulsory state religion--Review and summary--The Japanese ready learners of foreign religions--The significance of this to sociology--Japanese future religion is to be Christianity, 322

XXIX. SOME PRINCIPLES OF NATIONAL EVOLUTION

Progress is from smaller to larger communities--Arrest of development--The necessity of individualism--The relation of communal to individual development--A possible misunderstanding--The problem of distribution--Personality, 332

XXX. ARE THE JAPANESE IMPERSONAL?

Assertion of Oriental impersonality--Quotations from Percival Lowell--Defective and contradictory definitions--Arguments for impersonality resting on mistaken interpretations--Children's festivals--Occidental and Oriental method of counting ages--Argument for impersonality from Japanese art--From the characteristics of the Japanese family--The bearing of divorce on this argument--Do Japanese "fall in love"?--Suicide and murder for love--Occidental approval and Oriental condemnation of "falling in love"--Sociological significance of divorce and of "falling in love," 344

XXXI. THE JAPANESE NOT IMPERSONAL