The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa / Edition 1
by Yukichi Fukuzawa
Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901) was a leading figure in the cultural revolution that transformed Japan from an isolated feudal nation into a full-fledged player in the modern world. He translated a wide range of Western works and adapted them to Japanese needs, inventing a colorful prose style close to the vernacular. He also authored many books, which were critical
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Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901) was a leading figure in the cultural revolution that transformed Japan from an isolated feudal nation into a full-fledged player in the modern world. He translated a wide range of Western works and adapted them to Japanese needs, inventing a colorful prose style close to the vernacular. He also authored many books, which were critical in introducing the powerful but alien culture of the West to the Japanese. Only by adopting the strengths and virtues of the West, he argued, could Japan maintain its independence despite the "disease" of foreign relations.
Dictated by Fukuzawa in 1897, this autobiography offers a vivid portrait of the intellectual's life story and a rare look inside the formation of a new Japan. Starting with his childhood in a small castle town as a member of the lower samurai class, Fukuzawa recounts in great detail his adventures as a student learning Dutch, as a traveler bound for America, and as a participant in the tumultuous politics of the pre-Restoration era. Particularly notable is Fukuzawa's ability to view the new Japan from both the perspective of the West and that of the old Japan in which he had been raised. While a strong advocate for the new civilization, he was always aware of its roots in the old.
Columbia University Press
Product Details
- ISBN-13:
- 9780231139878
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- Publication date:
- 01/02/2007
- Edition description:
- New Edition
- Pages:
- 480
- Sales rank:
- 453,274
- Product dimensions:
- 5.56(w) x 8.02(h) x 1.01(d)
- Age Range:
- 18 Years
Table of Contents
Foreward by Albert CraigAcknowledgmentPreface to the 1899 EditionI ChildhoodII I Set Out to Learn Dutch in NagasakiIII I Make My Way to OsakaIV Student Ways at Ogata SchoolV I Go to Yedo; I Learn EnglishVI I Join the First Mission to AmericaVII I Go to EuropeVIII I Return to Anti-Foreign JapanIX I Visit America AgainX A Non-Partisan in the Restoration; The Growth of a Private SchoolXI The Risk of AssassinationXII Further Steps Toward a Liberal AgeXIII My Personal and Household EconomyXIV My Private Life; My FamilyXV A Final Word on the Good LifeNotesAfterword. Fukuzawa Yukichi: The Philosophical Foundations of Meiji NationalismAppendix I. Chronological TableAppendix II. Encouragement of Learning: The First Essay, 1872Index
Columbia University Press
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