1943 Editorial: nature is an object of love in Japan, while nature is an object of conquest in the West, which is why the early Scientific revolution started in the West

 

The True Meaning of National Identity and the Righteous Peninsula (4)

The "Way" Penetrating the Reality of History
The Japanese Nation Connected to Blood and Soil

by Sawaichiro Kamata

As I have already mentioned, the creation of the Japanese worldview is the result of a commitment to the true meaning of national identity. In other words, it is a clear way that the reality of national history can show us. Therein lies a great characteristic that is unparalleled in any other worldview. It is something that can be demonstrated through 2,600 years of history, and the reality of the nation state itself is a clear demonstration of this. It is not an abstract spiritual field, but a truth that can be thoroughly grasped through the "Way" that exists in national history.

It is said that the environment dominates man. This is the reason why the issue of "blood and soil" is always mentioned when discussing the worldviews of ethnic groups. If peoples continue to live in the same climatic environment while forming a close community, it is natural that their thoughts will be constrained and their ways of thinking will become similar and embrace similar ideals during the passage of time.

In the course of this contoured and integrated society, a common and shared "spirit" will naturally develop and be typified as a national spirit. This is the basic spirit that inevitably emerges from the living structure of the nation to ensure its independent survival. It is this spirit that permeates each and every member of the nation and manifests its unique worldview.

In this sense, the nature of Shinshu, which has given birth to the excellent history of Japan, the national identity of Japan, and the Japanese worldview, must first of all be the mother of all things. The thought and life of the Japanese people, which have been created and developed in the midst of this great nature, must be the "beginning" of every Japanese spirit and fundamental philosophy.

There emerges a Japanese worldview in which nature and people are not seen as opposites, but as one. This will soon become a characteristic of thinking of all East Asia. The love of nature, the immersion in nature, and the maintenance of life in full embrace with nature are the outstanding virtues of the Japanese climate that nurtured the characteristics of Japanese feelings.

In the Egyptian and Babylonian cultures, which were the roots of Western culture, the continental character of the people meant that they were always under the intimidation of nature, which, unlike the natural environment in Japan, was not only not an object of love, but also something fearful that fought people. This is also evident in the way each group of people gather food to sustain their lives. In Japan, known as the Land of Abundant Reeds, the management of settled agriculture was already established in ancient times, and the five grains were planted and gathered as staple food. In stark contrast, we can see that, in the West, nomadic livestock was raised by searching for water and grass, and their livelihood was based on milk, meat, and skin.

In other words, in order to obtain food from a certain land through settled agriculture, we must first love the soil. To love the soil is to love and appreciate nature as a whole. In contrast to the Japanese way of life, which achieves the goal of a bountiful harvest by loving nature, Westerners go out to the countryside with their livestock or by scaling the steep mountains to seek water and letting them eat the grass, or by moving on to let them eat at the next meadow. By confronting and conquering nature, they have been able to maintain their lives.

The basic organization of the fundamental development of life, which is based on the way of loving and integrating with nature, or based on the way of confronting nature, is the fundamental difference between the ideological lives of Japan and the West, and also between East and West, the East also including China, India, and other countries where the same settled agriculture based on arable land has mainly developed. This fundamental difference has also led East and West to have their respective strengths and weaknesses.

I have to interject with a funny story here. Once, in Europe, our diplomatic mission played host to a Mid-Autumn Moon viewing party.

The Japanese hosts set up a ceremonial altar on the balcony, laid out straw mattresses, arranged soot and grass, offered dumplings, and waited for the guests to arrive, fully adopting the Japanese customs and practices of their home country. However, all the Westerners showed up carrying telescopes in their hands.

In other words, even at the same moon viewing party, there was a significant difference between the Japanese and the Westerners. There is no need to explain that this is the result of the emotional bias of one side and the scientific bias of the other side.

In other words, science is based on the premise of conflict between nature and man. Therefore, this idea was born from the basic direction that life is in conflict with nature. Moon viewing means observing the moon with a telescope. When it comes to climbing a mountain, the Easterner would climb a mountain at a leisurely pace carrying a gourd, burning autumn leaves in the forest and relaxing with a drink of sake in Oriental elegance. In contrast, the Westerner would choose the most treacherous rocky mountain and bask in the pride of conquering it by rock climbing. This difference is the best explanation of this fundamental principle. 

In the East, nature is an object of love, but for them, nature is an object of exploration, analysis, and conquest. Therefore, it is only natural that natural sciences, such as mathematical thought and astronomy, developed from there and gradually led to the establishment of early modern scientific civilization.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 25, 1943

Translated from source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-02-25

Reddit Link: 1943 Editorial from Imperial Japan: nature is an object of love in Japan, while nature is an object of conquest in the West, which is why the early Scientific revolution started in the West : badphilosophy (reddit.com)

(Transcription)

京城日報　昭和十八年二月二十五日

国体の本義と道義半島（四）

歴史の現実に貫く『道』
血と土に繋がる日本民族

鎌田沢一郎

日本的世界観の肇造こそは、国体の本義に徹するところ自ら発生し来ることは前述した。即ち国史の現実が示し来れる昭かなる道である。そこに他の如何なる世界観にも類例を見ない偉大なる特徴が存在する。それは二千六百年の歴史を実証し来れるものであり、現に国家の現実そのものがこれを如実に示しているのである。それは抽象的な精神的分野のうちに存するのでなく、国史に実存する『道』を通じて脈々把握せらるる真実なのである。

環境は人間を支配するという。民族の世界観が論じられる場合、まず『血と土』の問題を採り、挙げられる所以は茲にある。民族が緊密なる共同体を形成しながら、同じ風土環境に生活しつづけるならば、悠久なる時間の経過の間には、その思惟は制約され、思考の方法は類似し同様な理想を抱擁するに至ることは当然である。

この輪郭的な綜合社会の裡に、自然成長的に、共通な共同な『こころ』が、かたち作られて民族精神として類型化される。之は民族が独立的な生存をする為の生活的構造から必然的に滲み出して来た基本的な精神である。そしてこの精神こそはこの民族を構成する各人を貫き、そこに特有の世界観を顕現する。

この意味において、その優秀なる日本の歴史、日本の国体、日本的世界観を産み出したる神州の自然こそは先ずあらゆるものの母胎でなければならぬ。その大自然の裡に生成発展し来りたる日本人の思想と生活こそは、あらゆる日本精神の『はじめ』であり、根本の哲理であらねばならぬ。

かくて自然と人とを対立的に考えないで、一体に見るという日本的世界観が出現する。このことはやがて全東洋的な物の考え方の特徴をもなして居るのであって、自然を愛し、自然に没入し、自然との全き抱合の裡に生活を保持し来ったことは日本的感情の特性を養った日本的風土のもつすぐれたる美点である。

西欧文化の根元であったエジプトやバビロニアに於いては、その大陸的風格の為につねに大自然の威圧下にあって、そこでは日本の自然環境とは似もやらず自然は愛好の対象とならないのみか、それは愕然と人に対峙していたのである。このことは夫々の集団に於いて生命維持の為の食物採集の手段の上にも現れ『豊葦原瑞穂の国』と言われたわが国が、太古に於いてすでに定着農業の経営が創始され、五穀を植えて、これを採集して主食となし来りたるに比し、西欧に於いては遊牧により水と草を求めて家畜を養い、その乳と肉と皮とによって生活の構成を遂げ来った相違の上に濃厚なる区分を見出される。

即ち定着農業により、一定の土地より食物を得んが為には、まずその土を愛さねばならぬ。土を愛することは同時に自然全体を愛し、かつ感謝することである。自然を愛することによって五穀豊穣の目的を達する日本的生活設計に対して、彼ら西欧人は家畜を伴って或いは嶮峻なる山岳を攀じて彼方の里に出で、その草を征服せしめては水を求め、又つぎの草原を食っては移動するに至っては、つねに自然と対立し、これを征服することによって、その生命は維持され来ったのであった。

その自然を愛し、これに融合して行くという行き方と、自然に対峙するという行き方の根本的なる生活発生の基本組織こそ日本と西欧、ひいては同じ耕地定着農業の主として発達した支那、印度等をふくめての東洋と西洋の思想生活の根本的な相違点であり、且つ各々の特長と欠陥を夫々に保有するに至ったのである。

これについての微笑しき一挿話がある。嘗て欧州において、わが在外公館が主人役となり、中秋明月の鑑賞会をひらいたことがある。

主人役の日本側はバルコニーに祭壇を設け、真菰を敷き、すすき、刈萱を活け、団子を供え、故国の風習行事を全面的にとり入れて賓客を待っていたところ、彼等西欧人の来客全部が手に手に望遠鏡を持って現れたのであった。

即ち同じ月見の宴でも、日本人と西欧人には、これほどの隔たりがある。一方は情緒的に、一方はただ科学的にのみ偏しての結果であること別に説明を要すまい。

即ち科学は自然対人間の対立を前提とする。即ち生活が自然と対立することの基本的方向より、この理念は生れ来ったのである。月見ということは、望遠鏡によって月体を観測することであり、同じ登山にしても、東洋では一瓢を携えて悠々山に登り、林間紅葉を焚いて酒を緩むる風雅に対し、彼は最も峻嶮なる岩山をわざわざ選択してロッククライミングによって征服する誇りとする相違が、最もよくこの根本義を説明して居る。

即ち東洋においては自然は愛の対象であるに拘わらず彼等にとっては探求、分析、克服の対象である。従ってそこからまず数学思想や、天文学等の自然科学が発達の萌芽をみせ、次第に近世科学文明を築き上ぐるに至ったことは当然としなければならない。