2024年度の活動報告

The General Meeting and the 7th Regular Meeting, "Common Theme: Exchange and Fusion of Knowledge and Technology: What Happened in the Asian World," were held on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 3:00 PM. Yoshiyuki Okayasu (Tohoku University) gave a presentation titled "The Dawn of Journalism: Meiji Japan and the West." At first, newspapers in Japan during the late Edo period consisted largely of translations of Western newspapers. However, as their social importance grew, independent newspapers began to be launched in various regions. Okayasu emphasized the growing emphasis on editorials expressing independent positions in early Japanese newspapers. Focusing on Genichiro Fukuchi, a journalist with experience living in Europe, he argued that by publishing editorials that advocated firm political ideals, Japanese newspapers aimed to create a political culture that would lead to the formation of public opinion similar to that found in Western societies.
 

The 8th regular meeting, "Common Theme: Exchange and Fusion of Knowledge and Technology: What Happened in the Asian World," was held on Friday, September 20, 2024, at 4:00 PM. Professor Toshio Tsunoda (Musashi University) gave a presentation titled "Prejudice and Empathy for Asia in the European Intellectual Community during the Enlightenment." Tsunoda analyzed the conflict and exchange between East and West in European thought, focusing on figures who highly valued ancient Indian civilization and showed empathy for the Indian people suffering under British colonial rule. Tsunoda discussed Rammohan Roy's pursuit of the Christian Bible from an Indian perspective, as he sought to reform Hindu society. According to Tsunoda, Roy pursued deep biblical studies, criticized the doctrine of the Trinity as prejudice and superstition, collaborated with Western Unitarians, and sought to fuse Eastern and Western cultures. Next, Tsunoda discussed the limits of the British public's empathy for the Indian people, using the example of British political thinker Edmund Burke. According to Tsunoda, Burke criticized the East India Company for governing and exploiting the local people without any interaction or empathy with them, and he was skeptical of Western civilization, which was considered "advanced" at the time, and took the position that the dignity and rights of Indians as human beings should be recognized. In the discussion that followed the report, opinions were exchanged that also took East Asia into consideration.
 

The 9th regular meeting, "Common Theme: Exchange and Fusion of Knowledge and Technology: What Happened in the Asian World," was held on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 4:00 PM. Yoichi Isahaya (Project Associate Professor, Hokkaido University) gave a presentation titled "Another 'Astronomical Dialogue': East-West Astronomy during the Mongol Empire (1206-1368)." After outlining the cultural exchange between East and West Eurasia during the Mongol Empire based on historical documents from the time, Isahaya explained that Western scholars held a paradigm of geometric astronomy, based on Aristotelian physical science and Ptolemaic astronomy, while Eastern scholars held a paradigm of quantitative astronomy, based on a numerical view of the universe. He then analyzed the "astronomical dialogue" between Eastern and Western scholars. Isahaya cited the achievement of their "dialogue" in the form of the introduction of the Chinese calendar by the Taoist Fu Mengzhi to Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201-1274) in the west. He also discussed Tusi's views on Fu Mengzhi in the "dialogue." He concluded that exchanges between Eastern and Western astronomy were limited during the Mongol Empire, and that the Mongols had no intention of integrating or fusing astronomical knowledge. However, Eastern and Western scholars competed with each other to diversify and deepen the astronomy of the time.

The 10th regular meeting, "(Common Theme) Christianity and East Asia: The Reformation in Meiji Japan," was held on Friday, March 14, 2025, at 3:00 PM. The first presenter, Tomoji Odori, stated that the history of hidden Christians in early modern Japan should be considered in conjunction with the Protestants of Dejima, Nagasaki, and the surrounding Japanese. He then discussed how Christianity (especially Protestantism) was suddenly thrust into the world of public opinion in the early Meiji period, with little understanding of its significance, and incorporated into discussions of Westernization and civilization. The second presenter, Tetsuya Nagamoto (Lecturer, Hirosaki University), traced the history of the Meiji period, when the term "Reformation" became standard, referring to the Protestant reform of churches and other institutions, through international histories, history books, and textbooks. He argued that in the early Meiji period, religion in Japan was understood as something that brought about "civilization," but in the later period, it came to be understood as a "religion" related to the inner faith of the individual. The third presenter, Orion Krautau (Associate Professor, Tohoku University), discussed how Buddhist intellectuals advocated a "religious reform" of Buddhism in opposition to Christianity (Protestantism) that emerged in the public sphere during the Meiji period. Specific examples include Hara Katsuro, Kitatomi Michiryu, Takahashi Goro, and Inoue Enryo.

 

<Research Trip>

In FY2024, several members undertook several research trips both domestically and internationally. Domestically, a trip to Kyoto was conducted under the common theme "Androids in the East and West: From Ancient Mythology to Cutting-Edge Robotics." Key destinations included the Kyoto Arashiyama Music Box Museum, home to historical automata and mechanical clocks. The museum houses several works by François Junot, a watchmaker and automaton craftsman from Saint-Croix, Switzerland. The results of this research will be reflected in a co-authored book, "Android Research: From Moving Dolls to Thinking Robots" (tentative title), which is scheduled to be completed this year. International destinations included China and South Korea. In China, a survey was conducted on the current state of application of classical thought in contemporary Chinese politics and administration under the common theme "Modernity and Post-Modernity in East Asia." The results of this survey will be published in the form of a paper in FY2025. The project will focus on South Korea, focusing on Protestants in South Korea who advocate nonviolence and refuse military service, within the framework of the common theme of "Christianity and East Asia." The results of the study will be published in the form of a paper or book in 2025.

 

Publication of research results

Regarding the publication of research results for fiscal 2024, a small feature entitled "East and West Theory of Good Government and Guides to Princes" was compiled in Issue 32 (2024) of the Musashi University Research Institute Bulletin on the common theme of "Modern and Post-Modern East Asia." The structure of the feature is as follows: Explanation of the purpose (Tomoji Odori); "The Qunshu Zhiyao: The Transmission and Succession of an Ancient 'Treasured Book of Governance'" (by Nie Feilin, translated by Ando Junichiro); "Translator's Commentary: The 'Utilization' of the Qunshu Zhiyong in Modern China and Its Background" (by Ando Junichiro); Traditional Chinese Political Thought and Japan: From Ancient to Early Modern Times / A Comparative Historical and Ideological Consideration" (by Ito Takayuki); and "European Guides to Princes: The Background to Their Dispersal, Discovery, and Reuse" (by Minagawa Takashi). Regarding the common theme of "Artificial humans in the East and West: from ancient mythology to cutting-edge robotics," the journal mentioned above also includes an article titled "An Interview with the 9th Generation Karakuri Puppet Master Tamaya Shobei" (Koyama Bridget and Oda Shota). Among the presenters and commentators at the regular meeting, the achievements of full-time faculty members of our university who have contributed to the common theme of "Christianity and East Asia: Conflict and Fusion of Religion [Faith] and Culture in Japan and Europe" and "Exchange and Fusion of Knowledge and Technology: What Happened in the Asian World" include Toshio Tsunoda, "Gibbon's Digression into the History of the Eastern Church: Branches in Karamzin's History of Russian State Civilization," Musashi University Humanities Society Journal 56/1 (2024); Tomoji Odori, "Conceptual History of the Reformation: Original Languages and Japanese," Musashi University Humanities Society Journal 55/2 (2024); Okayasu Yoshiyuki, "What Do the Letters Tell Us?" in Aida Yasunori et al. (eds.), Japanese History Told by Cultural Assets: Society and Culture Edition (Yuzankaku, 2024); and Kenichi Nejime, "The Immortality of the Soul in the Renaissance: Differences between the West and Japan," in: Europa ed estremo oriente. Relazioni, incontri e conflitti nella Examples include "prima età moderna," A cura di Stefano U. Baldassarri, Le Letter, 2025. Among the works by members that are being considered as preparatory work for the addition of "East and West: War and Peace" to the common theme from 2025 are Carter J. Eckert's "The Origins of Korean Militarism: Park Chung-hee and the Japanese Army" translated by Matsutani Motokazu (Keio University Press, 2024) and Tomoji Odori "The Birth of Nonviolence: The Reformation that Abandoned Arms" (Iwanami Shinsho, 2024).

 

In 2025, we will add "East and West in War and Peace" as a common theme. In addition, we will hold multiple reports in English to further internationalize our regular meetings.
The 11th regular meeting will be held on Friday, June 20, 2025, with the theme "Pro-Japanese Women in Korea under Japanese Rule" (report in English).
The 12th regular meeting will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2025, with the theme "The Acceptance of Confucian Thought in 18th Century Britain" (report in English).
The 13th regular meeting will be held on Friday, November 28, 2025, with the theme "The Christian Origins of Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice" (report in Japanese).
As in previous years, specific details will be posted on the website before each meeting, and online registration will be available. An additional meeting is expected to be held in March 2025.

Members are scheduled to travel to Europe, the United States, China, or South Korea for research. The trip to the United States will also serve as preparation for a lecture (forum) to be held in the fall of 2026 on the common theme of "East and West in War and Peace."

Regarding the publication of research results, we will make final preparations for book publication (editing the manuscript and submitting it to the publishing company's editorial department) and at the same time publish papers and other materials by our members in the Musashi University Research Institute Bulletin.