Were Fukuzawa Yukichi's Opinions Justifiable? a Commentary on the Meiji Documents in the Late 19th Century of Japan

Were Fukuzawa Yukichi’s opinions justifiable?

A Commentary on the Meiji Documents in the late 19th Century of Japan

The Meiji period was marked by a huge wave of “Westernization”, but it came with a price. It was a turbulent time for Japan where huge debates and controversies were aroused surrounding the modernization of Japan. As a result, a collection of documents from various scholars was written during those times to express the different opinions about the westernization process. One man in particular, Yukichi Fukuzawa felt very strongly for the modernization of Japan and was not afraid to express his thoughts via paper or by public speech. This paper will try to help the readers better understand how Fukuzawa came to his conclusions and whether or not his proposals were justifiable given the political climate of Japan at the time.

Japan entered the Meiji period in a state of considerable uncertainty. The drastic change that occurred between the collapse of the Shogunate era and the pre-Meiji Restoration era shows that the Japanese civilization was at a very volatile and fickle state. This can be shown by the fact that a few decades ago, people like Takano Choei was “imprisoned and later forced to commit suicide” for simply suggesting foreign contact. Now with the new imperial government, the Japanese people were looking forward to building a stronger nation, which indirectly meant Westernization. The new government was able to achieve this relatively quickly by relocating its capital in an attempt to centralize the new set of power, and dismissing all the traditionalists from the seats of power. The sudden changes in the government certainly did not pass by unchallenged and led to the formation of rebellions, such as the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877. It was in this tumultuous time that Yukichi Fukuzawa grew up and became to be known as one of the founders of modern Japan.

In the article, “Pioneer of Westernization,” from the In Sources of Japanese Tradition compiled by Ryusaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore de Bary, and Donald Keene in 1958; Fukuzawa is described as a visionary with the highest level of “native dignity.” He was born into an impoverished feudal aristocracy and was persistent in obtaining a good source of education. He studied Dutch very early in his life and soon became the “pioneer student of English.” This came to his great advantage, as he was able to go on shogunate missions to the United States and other European countries between 1860 and 1867. It was during this period of travel that he was able to see the true benefits of Westernization. Having experienced “first hand knowledge of the West” he was ready to share his views to the rest of Japan. Throughout the article he is praised with specific vocabulary such as “handsome,” “sanguine nature” and “radiated a lively enthusiasm” to show how