The was an intellectual society in

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

that published social-criticism journal . Proposed by statesman Mori Arinori in 1873 (six years after the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

) and officially formed on 1 February 1874, the Meirokusha was intended to “promote civilization and enlightenment”, and to introduce western

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

and the elements of

western civilization Western culture, also known as Western civilization, European civilization, Occidental culture, Western society, or simply the West, refers to the internally diverse culture of the Western world. The term "Western" encompasses the social no ...

to Japan. It played a prominent role in introducing and popularizing Western ideas during the early Meiji period, through public lectures and through its journal, the ''Meiroku zasshi''. Mori had been impressed by the activities of American educational societies during his stint (1871-1873) as Japan's first envoy to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He was also influenced by

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig Party (United States), Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education, he is thus also known as ''The Father of A ...

's views on

universal education Universal access to education is the ability of all people to have equal opportunity in education, regardless of their social class, race, gender, sexuality, ethnic background or physical and mental disabilities. The term is used both in colle ...

. Its original members were Mori Arinori, Nishimura Shigeki,

Fukuzawa Yukichi was a Japanese educator, philosopher, writer, entrepreneur and samurai who founded Keio Gijuku, the newspaper ', and the Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases. Fukuzawa was an early advocate for reform in Japan. His ideas about the or ...

, Kato Hiroyuki, Mitsukuri Rinsho, Mitsukuri Shuhei, Nakamura Masanao,

Nishi Amane was a Japanese philosopher. He studied law and economics in the Netherlands. He became a political advisor to Tokugawa Yoshinobu before and after the Meiji Restoration. He served as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Educati ...

, Tsuda Mamichi, and Sugi Koji. The society grew to encompass a total of thirty-three members, including Sakatani Shiroshi, Kanda Takahira, Maejima Hisoka, Nagayo Sensai, Tanaka Fujimaro, Tsuda Sen, Ōtsuki Fumihiko, and

William Elliot Griffis William Elliot Griffis (September 17, 1843 - February 5, 1928) was an American orientalist, Congregational minister, lecturer, and prolific author.Brown, John Howard. (1904)."Griffis, William Elliot,"''The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictiona ...

. This membership thus included some of the most leading educators, bureaucrats, and philosophers of 19th century Japan, from a variety of backgrounds. Most had studied both

Eastern Philosophy Eastern philosophy (also called Asian philosophy or Oriental philosophy) includes the various philosophies that originated in East and South Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Korean philosophy, and Vietnamese philoso ...

and

Western Philosophy Western philosophy refers to the Philosophy, philosophical thought, traditions and works of the Western world. Historically, the term refers to the philosophical thinking of Western culture, beginning with the ancient Greek philosophy of the Pre ...

, and most had experience in living abroad. The Chinese philosophy faction felt that the strength and prosperity of the western nations was built on a foundation of moral strength, and urged that Japan follow the same path. The European philosophy faction asserted that the strength and prosperity of the western nations was due to

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

, science, and rationally organized and operated organizations and institutions. The pragmatist faction held that Japan had its own unique and special strengths that needed to join with both western values and western systems of government. One of the main issues they debated was religious freedom and the ideal relationship between religion and the nation state. Although the Meirokusha continued to function up to around 1900, the society's influence sharply declined after it was forced to cease publishing its journal following the introduction of the Press Ordinance and the Libel Law in 1875.

Sources

* ''Meiroku Zasshi: Journal of the Japanese Enlightenment.'' William Reynolds Braisted, trans. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1976. * Hall, Ivan Parker. ''Mori Arinori''. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1973. . * Josephson, Jason Ānanda. ''The Invention of Religion in Japan''. University of Chicago Press, 2012. . * Motoyama Yukihiko,"Meirokusha Thinkers and Early Meiji Enlightenment Thought," in Motoyama, Yukihiko, J. S. A Elisonas, and Richard Rubinger. Proliferating Talent : Essays on Politics, Thought, and Education in the Meiji Era. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawai’i Press, 1997. Translated by George M. Wilson, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1997. pp. 238-273. * Tozawa Yukio. Meirokusha no Hitobito. Tsukiji Shokan, 1991, (Japanese)

References

{{Authority control Meiji Restoration Organizations established in 1874