Mitogaku

The Mitogaku (in Japanese水 戸 学, to German as " Mito School ") was a Confucian or neo-Confucian and shintōisch oriented school of scholars and intellectuals, which was organized in Mito - han, a fief by one of the three highest branches ( go- sanke ) of the Tokugawa dynasty ruled. The Mitogaku took in feudal Japan of the Edo period to the Meiji Restoration of active influence on politics and ideology throughout the country and brought alongside the Kokugaku some of the most important thinkers and ideas for the ideological development in the emerging Japanese nationalism and Tennōismus towards the end of the Shogunate out. In this context, she was active mainly in the ethnocentric - nativist sonno - Joi movement.

History

The activities of the Mitogaku were essentially determined by that of their representatives often propagated view that scholarship (学问, gakumon ) and politics (政, matsurigoto ) form an inseparable unit. In the history of Mitogaku can accordingly be two phases of the work of make up, in which dominated one of the two aspects:

Some authors, however, prefer a historical division of the Mitogaku based on the feudal lords ( daimyo ) of the Mito - han, whose terms of office can be put into correspondence with certain stages of Mitogaku.

Early Mitogaku

The early Mitogaku was determined by the 1657 project initiated Dainihonshi (大 日本史). Under this name started on the instructions of former daimyo of the Mito - han, Tokugawa Mitsukuni (徳 川 光 圀; 1628-1701 ), the creation of a comprehensive representation of Japanese history in written form. These should be formally also influenced by Chinese history, especially at the Shiji of Sima Qian, orient and so annals ( general chronology ), essays (special institutional issues ), biographies (of particular personalities ) and tables ( schematic diagrams ) include. In 1672 was used for this purpose a special institution ( later called ) Shōkōkan (彰 考 馆) established and scholars from different schools and parts of the country hired to work on the project; these formed the first generation of Mitogaku. These included, inter alia, the exiled Chinese Confucian scholar Chu Shun -shui (Chinese朱 之 瑜, Pinyin Zhū Zhiyu; jap Shu Shunsui; 1600-1682 ), his student Asaka Tanpaku (安 积 澹泊; 1656-1737 ), the Daoist scholar Bokuyūken Hitomi (人 见 卜 幽 轩; 1598-1670 ), the Buddhist monk Sassa Sassa Munekiyo or Jitchiku (佐 々 宗 淳; 1640-1698 ), the Kimongaku scholar Kuriyama Senpō (栗 山 潜 锋; 1671-1706 ) and Kanran Miyake (三 宅 観 澜; 1673-1718 ). The Shōkōkan was initially located in the neighborhoods of the Mito daimyo in Edo ( cf. sankin Kótai ) until Tokugawa Nariaki ( 1800-1860 ) was daimyo of the Mito -han in 1829, and the seat of his government and the Institute in the castle town of Mito was embarrassed.

The historiographical work of the early Mitogaku was strongly influenced by the time during the Bakufu become influential Kimongaku (崎 门 学) by Yamazaki Ansai (山崎 暗 斎; 1618-1682 ) coined the teachings from a synthesis of Shinto and Neo-Confucianism in the tradition of on Zhu Xi declining shushigaku (朱子学) existed. Within the Kimongaku the reports of strong Japanese mythological histories (especially Nihon Shoki and Kojiki ) were kept literally true. In addition, are in the texts and deeper levels of meaning contained, the eternal truths contained and moral and ethical action (especially through knowledge right forms of worship, filial piety and loyalty ) could unfold. These teachings were unified under the hypothesis and systematized that Japan is the land of gods ( kami ) and thus in principle superior to all other countries. More important were the masterminds of the Mitogaku restaurationistisch ( neo-) Confucian reformer Kumazawa Banzan (熊 沢 蕃 山; 1619-1691 ) and Ogyū Sorai (荻 生 徂 徕; 1666-1724 ).

The historiography of Mitogaku praised its (allegedly never interrupted ) dynastic line of Tennō forth, for the Tennō was in the Mitogaku as mystical and symbolic embodiment of the unity of Japan, and thus the continuity of Japanese history. However, this representation has meant that actual power relations (which were often characterized by military and economic factors that were only extremely rarely dominated by Tennō ) have been left in the annals of Dainihonshi, or requiring creative and innovative approaches for the representation of the Shoguns.

For the annals and biographies, which were completed in 1720, the Mitogaku also made ​​three, then innovative new interpretations on the question of legitimate succession:

Was decisive for the historiographical interpretations of the Confucian concept Mitogaku meibun (名分), so that the right match between the name and amount or title and status of members of a society was meant, so an ideal of in terms systematisierbarer, legitimate government, as the transcendent idea of describing historical processes was preceded logical. This concept was dominant in Japan in the 18th -century in the late Mitogaku under the Fujita Group, as these mainly accounted for as a cause of the multiple political and social crises that time, a decline of morality, is to be found in the misunderstandings about meibun.

Late Mitogaku

The work had been largely flat at Shōkōkan about 70 years to under the new Director Tachihara Suiken (立 原 翠 轩; 1774-1823 ), who took office in 1786, was revived. Tachiharas thrust, not to begin work on the essays and tables still outstanding, but to continue to perform the annals and biographies with comments, however, came within the Mitogaku strong opposition, so he was forced to resign in 1803. His pupil and rival Fujita Yūkoku (藤田 幽谷; 1774-1826 ) took over his position. Fujita was a low-ranking samurai and non- noble origin, as well as next Fūken Komiyama (小 宫 山 枫 轩; 1763-1840 ) one of the leaders of the anti - Tachihara Group. While Fujita's tenure, the orientation of the Mitogaku became increasingly political and Tennō still subordinate. In addition, the Mitogaku employed, especially after the relocation of the Shōkōkans from Edo to Mito in 1829, increased to contemporary, domestic and social policy issues.

Important later Mitogaku representative in the tradition of Fujita had his son Toko (藤田 东湖; 1806-1855 ) and his student Aizawa Seishisai (会 沢 正 志 斎; 1782-1863 ), who in 1825 with his work Shinron (新 论" New Theses" ) laid the theoretical foundation for the Japanese nationalism. Aizawa argued therein for a return to the presented by him as a mythological, archaic Kokutai -ideal (which should be for the late Mitogaku to the basic conception) and inveighed in strong xenophobic thrust against Buddhism as a genuinely Indian, and thus Japan much foreign religion, the Western powers serving Christianity, the Sino -centric forms of Confucianism, as well as the subversive moment of Holland studies.

For more Representatives of the late Mitogaku were Aoyama Nobuyuki (青山 延 于; 1776-1843 ) and his son Nobumitsu (青山 延光; 1808-1871 ), as well as Tenko Toyoda (豊 田 天 功; 1805-1864 ) and Hiroshi Kurita (栗 田 寛, 1835 -1899 ).

The late Mitogaku engaged in particular in relation to two hotspots of politics in Tokugawa Japan of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Domestically, of the utmost urgency was the collapse of the Shinōkōshō system in the form of increasing urbanization of the population. This meant that on one hand the peasants under the rule less and less, rich landowner came and massive famines and peasant revolts broke out and on the other hand, the Bushi often indebted in the cities with the increasingly powerful retailers high. This crisis was closely related to the foreign policy position of Japan, which had been since the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate dominated through extensive isolation of Japan from the outside world, but now - as well as the China of the Qing Dynasty and the Indian Mughal Empire - under increasing pressure the imperialist trading companies and colonial powers arrived, such as showed the edict for the expulsion of foreign ships of the Bakufu from 1825 clearly.

The responses of Mitogaku to these problems existed in conservative and restorationist reform proposals which appealed to his own view of history Mitogaku and partly in the pace of reforms (天保の改革, tempo no kaikaku ) could be implemented in Mito -han. 1837 presented Tokugawa Nariaki a list of reforms with the highest priority on:

In particular, for the first three points of the reform Mitogaku could implement key ideas. So Aizawa had already called in Shinron the return of the samurai to the country, so that, inter alia, the defense of the coasts could be ensured. Fujita Toko participated in a leading position actively in the cadastral revaluation. This had, inter alia, by far-reaching consequences that the land reform cooperating elites in the country with the country samurai status that was still on sale until the term of office of Nariaki, were rewarded.

But most important for Mitogaku was probably the education reform that their ideals and views of a previously unattainable high number were mediated by the Japanese. At the opening ceremony of the Han school called Kodokan (弘道 馆) in 1841, should be formed on the samurai in the art of war and in liberal arts teachers from the Mitogaku, about three thousand persons of the highest rank in the various walks of life were present. However, the construction works were still ongoing at more years, so that the final opening ceremonies could take place only in 1857. For the formation of elites in the country ( initially mainly in medicine, and later in ( neo-) Confucian moral philosophy ) several so-called Kyoko (郷 校) have been established: the Keigyōkan in Minato- mura (1835 ), the Ekishūkan in Ōta -mura (1837 ), the Kogeikan (later Kashūkan ) in the Okubo -mura (1839 ) and the Jiyōkan ( 1850).

Stopped in 1844 and partially undone; Although the pace of reforms were carried intervention of the Bakufu in the form of roju Abe Masahiro ( 1819-1857阿 部 正弘). The reasons for this were made, inter alia, claims that too much of anyway scarce financial resources of the Mito -han for construction projects such as the Kodokan used in the reforms, accumulated firearms and Ronin had been hired from outside the Hans. In addition, measures have been blamed for which the Shrine Shinto had been upgraded at the expense Buddhist temple ( cf. Shinbutsu - Bunri ) and Buddhist idols and bells were melted down from it to build cannons.

Nariaki was placed under house arrest, the power in the Mito -han passed three other daimyo and relieved involved in the reforms Mitogaku scholars of their offices. This caused a protest movement whose members were mostly sentenced to prison until 1845. However, the attitude of the Bakufu changed radically after Matthew Perry with his black ships arrived in the bay of Edo on July 8, 1853. Nariaki was pardoned and appointed military advisor to the Bakufu. He stayed while this is only a short time, but had his ideas considerable influence on the foreign policy of the Bakufu.

Through reconciliation with the Bakufu Nariaki could by his son Yoshiatsu (徳 川 庆 笃; 1832-1868 ) record his reform policy again, so that during the Ansel - time ( 1854-60 ) nine other schools were built on the land that time under the name bunbukan (文武 馆) firmierten. These rural schools no longer accessible only to the elite wore in the face of the Convention of Kanagawa and the other from the Bakufu obviously not to be overcome difficulties significantly to the propagation of sonno - Joi movement and the political radicalization of the rural population at national level. At the schools in Mito -han especially the martial arts were taught what the basis for the first time established in September 1855 Mito -han peasant militias (农 兵, nōhei ) was formed.

After Tokugawa Nariaki meanwhile advanced on various issues against the Taïro the Bakufu, conservative daimyo Ii had put Naosuke, Nariaki in 1858 again placed under house arrest. Ii suppressed any opposition to his policies in the so-called Ansel cleanup from 1858 to 1859. If this had finally meant that he on March 3, 1860 by Mito radical reformers (15 samurai and three Shinto priest) at the Sakurada Gate before Edo Castle was murdered.

These developments in the Mito -han finally culminated on March 27, 1864, when approximately 150 Samurai, priests and (mostly) farmers from the Radical Reformation grouping ( including Fujita Tokoš son Koshiro (藤田 小 四郎; 1842-1865 ) ) on the mountain Tsukuba gathered and declared their intention, sonno Joi to propagate. On their way through several fiefs in the following months, during which time their number increased to 1,500 to 2,000 men, they spread political writings, which were based fully on the ideology of Mitogaku and delivered several battles with the troops of the Bakufu, until in December of the same year were put down. These uprisings as Tengu (天狗党の乱, Tengutō no ran) have become known riots were the first early forerunner of the Meiji Restoration (1868 ), which was particularly brutal in Mito -han.

With the dissolution of the Han in 1871, the material basis for the Mitogaku disappeared. The Dainihonshi was finally completed under the guidance of the Tokugawa family in 1906 with about four hundred volumes (巻, kan) and the Meiji tennō presented.