James Summers

By Ryuichi Shitara

Summary

James Summers was a British Sinologue and Japanologist in early Meiji era. There are three foundations for understanding him, which are the following: his effort, great interest in Asia and education in Japan.

His effort will be introduced first. He was born in a poor family, which prevented him from receiving higher education. Therefore he determined to cultivate his education on his own and he went to Hong Kong with the will of becoming a diplomat when he was only 20 years old. Soon he went back to England and received a job relating to Chinese language of Kings College of London University. While he was at London University, he received two different jobs which are at the British Museum and as an assistant at a Library of department of India. Besides that, he was an enthusiastic writer. He published books called “the Repository”, an academic magazine on Asian community, and “Taisei Shinbun”, translated version from Japanese original.

Secondly, the paper will mention his great interest in Asia. As we discussed above, he was seriously eager to work on Asia. In addition to the above, the article will introduce his several works. He dedicated himself to translating the Bible into Chinese language, publishing collective grammar books on Chinese and Japanese language.

Thirdly, this post will mention his education for Japanese people. In 1873, he arrived in Japan and began to teach English language to Japanese starting with Tokyo-Kaisei School followed by Niigata English School, Osaka English School and Sapporo agricultural School. His influence was enormous, because among those who listened his lectures there are many famous people such as Okakura Tenshin, Nitobe Inazou, Kanou Jigoro and so forth. He taught English using sophisticated scripts and novels, such as Shakespeare etc.

Summary of discussion

There were two discussion questions, one of them was what do you think of his contribution as a pioneer of English education in Japan, and the other was what do you think of the English education shift from translating, reading and writing-focused to talking-focused.

In terms of the first question, two members of our group answered. They said that since a pioneer always has difficulty, there must have been difficulty on the way he tried to go. Also they said they were able to have chance to receive English education in KUIS [our university - Ed] indirectly thanks to him.

As for the other question, some members of the group seemed to agree that contemporary English education which concentrates on discussion is practical.


Reflection

It was great opportunity to learn about foreign people in Meiji era because there seems to be no exaggeration when I say that modern Japan started from that period. There have been prodigious changes from that time, and without those changes, we wouldn’t live in such a cutting-edge society. As the paper wrote above, it is a part of Summers’s contribution that we can study English at KUIS. We all should appreciate him.


Bibliography

Fujitani, S. (2009). [Washington Irving and Japan]. Kyoto: Ryukoku University.

Miyata, K. (2012). [About references on Eclectic Chinese-Japanese-English Dictionary (1884), compiled by Gring, A.D.]. Fukita: Chinese literature course, faculty of literature, Kansai University.

Nakayama, K. (2008). [James Summers : Reevaluation as a Japanologist and teacher]. Hokkaido: Hokkai-Gakuen University.

Unknown. (Unknown). James Summers (1829-91). Unknown: Unknown.

Nitobe Inazo

By Osamu Kuroki

Nitobe Inazo

In this essay, I’m going to write about how Nitobe Inazo is depicted by some writers who specialize in him. Nitobe Inazo is known as one of the most intelligent Japanese agronomists, educators and philosophers. However, I was wondering which subject he wanted to learn the most before he died. Nitobe Inazo had contributed to the society as a bureau chief of the League of Nations since he experienced overseas life during Meiji era. Also, he is a symbol of 5,000 yen bill in the Japanese bank and his famous work, Bushido: The soul of Japan is still read today. According to Kikuto Matsushita, a professor of Nitobe Inazo, Bushido is proper manners of morals that samurais should obey, which is taken over from a feudalistic idea of samurais in the past. Actually, this moral is deeply related to religion so it seems how Nitobe Inazo could have accomplished the spirits as Bushido for samurais through his background. I will focus on his youth until he became agronomist, educator and philosopher.

According to a part of the complete works of Nitobe Inazo, Reminiscences of Childhood, Nitobe Inazo was born in a southern domain in 1862 and his parents taught him samurai soul and morals early, before he went to school to learn common education. For Nitobe Inazo, in the first school, Tsukiji International English School, he was an excellent student regarding mainly English and other subjects so his father took him to Tokyo International School which changed his life. In Tokyo International School, Nitobe Inazo would meet two important people. Kanzo Uchimura and Kingo Miyabe motivated and inspired him a lot because the three people wree not only friendly rivals, but also close friends from Tokyo International School and Sapporo Agriculture School generation. Among current eminent scholars like Kikuto Matsushita, they are called Sapporo Torio – The Sapporo Trio. It is said that their personalities were quite different. Kanzo Uchimura was good at studying so the whole average score on each test was always top from Tokyo International School. He succeeded in expanding the significance of religion between Japan and overseas during Meiji era. Kingo Miyabe followed Kanzo Uchimura for the whole average score on each test. He contributed to Meiji society as a botanist. Both were very clever and influential. Compared to them, although Nitobe Inazo’s whole average on each test was not so high, his ability was remarkable for English, agriculture and religion. He was always top in those subjects. When Nitobe was interested in something keenly, he made efforts a lot.

Actually, the reason why he wanted to go abroad was to learn and join the Quakers. Although it is said that Nitobe Inazo was inspired to decide to go abroad by William Smith Clark, who famously said 少年よ大志を抱け [Editor's note: “Boys, Be Ambitious!”], actually it was another person, Mr. Marrion M. Scott at the Tokyo International School, that changed his mind into the idea of internationalism first. According to the complete works of Nitobe Inazo, Wayland’s Moral Science, nobody appears more in the past and future than Mr. Scott, who put into his mind the love for studies. We found how much Nitobe Inazo respected him. Nitobe Inazo learned his future contribution from Mr. Scott and two rivals, Kanzo Uchimura and Kingo Miyabe a lot.

While he was abroad in America after he graduated from Sapporo Agriculture School, he thoroughly studied about Japanese inner spirit at Johns Hopkins University. He learned overseas spirits by joining Quaker and it was said overseas culture and spirits would be modern and new so he reflected on himself and Japan. Nitobe Inazo remembered what Mr. Scott said to him, which was that Japan would not evolve in development of religion overseas. After that, he wrote Bushido during his time at Johns Hopkins. Although he became famous as an agronomist, educator and philosopher, through those subjects, what he wanted to do may have been to expand the importance of spirits and manners of morals from Quaker and Bushido directly to people through his position and works.



References

松下菊人 (1987) 国際人　新渡戸稲造　published by Mitsumi Printing Corporation, Tokyo, Japan p. 3-22, p. 46-59, p. 206-230

鈴木範久 (2007) 新渡戸稲造全集　published by Iwaba Bookstore, Tokyo, Japan p. 25-130

大田愛人　(2006) 「武士道」を読む　published by Heibon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan p. 13-26, 55-78