Inazo Nitobe was a Japanese scholar (1862-1933). At a young age, he studied in the United States with dreams of an international career. He studied agricultural policy and taught at universities in Japan. He served as principal of a high school and a women’s college, contributing to the development of education. He introduced Japan in the world famous book, held important positions in international organizations, and was active internationally. After the war, his portrait appeared on Japanese bills.
Life of Inazo Nitobe（新渡戸 稲造）: Meeting Kanzo Uchimura
Inazo Nitobe was born in Morioka, Iwate to a family of samurai. In 1877, he moved to Sapporo and entered the Sapporo Agricultural College. He became friends with Kanzo Uchimura (内村鑑三). Under the influence of a foreign teacher, he converted to Christianity.
Growing up as a cosmopolitan
In 1883, Nitobe entered Tokyo Imperial University. During his studies, his strong international interests led him to study in the United States in 1884, where he entered Johns Hopkins University. While studying abroad, he was appointed assistant professor at his alma mater, the Sapporo Agricultural College. When it was decided to study in Europe, he moved to Germany. He studied agricultural policy at the universities of Bonn and Berlin. There he married a foreign woman and returned to Japan in 1891.
In 1894, Japan finally won a war with China over its interests in Korea (Sino-Japanese War). 1898 saw Nitobe’s research findings published in a book. However, he left his position due to illness.
Introducing Japan Overseas: “Bushido”(武士道)
Beginning in 1898, he traveled to Europe and the United States to recuperate. During this period, he introduced Japanese culture to the West by publishing his best-known work, “Bushido” in English in 1899. The book was soon translated into German, French, Russian, and other languages and became a bestseller. This was because the world’s attention to Japan had been growing since the Sino-Japanese War.
In this book, Nitobe interpreted bushido as the spirit of righteousness and valor, and virtues such as benevolence, courtesy, sincerity, and loyalty. Nitobe introduced such bushido as the soul of Japan. Originally, bushido was an ethic of the class of samurai rather than of the Japanese people as a whole.
However, Nitobe presented bushido as something applicable to all Japanese. He contrasted Japanese Bushido with the Christian ethics of the West. However, he did not argue that Bushido should be the model in Japan for all time to come. This is because the warrior class, which should have been the mother of bushido, had already disappeared during the Meiji era. So, what should we do?
From Bushido to Heimindo（平民道）
In “Heimindo,” Nitobe argues that the morality of the Japanese people should develop from bushido to heimindo. Heimindo refers to democracy. “Heimin” means common people while “do” means a road or way
However, Nitobe’s meaning of democracy is difficult to understand. Democracy is generally a type of polity. It is a democratic system that differs from a monarchy or aristocracy. For a long time, these polities have been distinguished by the number of sovereigns.
But Nitobe does not understand democracy in this sense. Why? Because Japan was a monarchy with an emperor. If one understands democracy as a political system in which the majority is sovereign, it would have been politically dangerous to promote democracy in this sense in Japan.
Instead, Nitobe says that democracy is the character or color of a country. For example, England is a monarchy as a political entity, but in reality it has strong shades of democracy.
So, what is democracy or commoner’s way? It seems to mean equality of social rather than political circumstances. Specifically, it is a character that does not discriminate against others based on social class, occupation, education, family background, or gender (gender), but recognizes equality of character. This type of democracy is now a global trend. Nitobe argued that the Japanese should also absorb this kind of morality.
In doing so, Nitobe suggests that Bushido should be used as a developmental tool. At the core of Bushido are the ideas of loyalty, honor, humanity, and humanity. As mentioned above, the warrior class, the foundation of Bushido, has been destroyed. From now on, it is the age of the commoner, as the commoner is obliged to be drafted into the military. The commoners must improve themselves.
To this end, they should utilize the core of conventional bushido. While using it, they should absorb the character of democracy. The layman’s way of democracy based on bushido is what the modern Japanese should choose.
Incidentally, the above discussion was presented during the Taisho Democracy. The Taisho Democracy was a period when democracy was actively promoted in Japan in the 1910s.
Nitobe’s Contribution to Education in Japan
In 1901, Nitobe returned to Japan. He then went to Taiwan as a government official, where he was involved in colonization projects.
In 1903, Nitobe became a professor at Kyoto Imperial University. 1906, he became principal of Daiichi High School. He devoted himself to character education of young students, and in 1911, he published Shuyō (The Spiritual Development) publicly.
Shortly before that, in 1909, he was also a professor at Tokyo Imperial University. He dealt with colonial policies; in 1911, he also lectured in the U.S. In 1913, he resigned as principal of Daiichi High School to devote himself to his professorship. In the same year, he became acquainted with folklorist Yanagida Kunio and contributed to the development of folklore studies in its early days.
Promotion of Girls’ Education
Nitobe also promoted women’s education, supporting the establishment of a women’s English school by Umeko Tsuda, and in 1918 she herself became president of Tokyo Women’s University.
In 1918, she herself became president of Tokyo Women’s University.
In all secondary education, there is no need to think of practical use. Instead, it is necessary to raise ideals.
Education should be free and cultivate the student’s “power of taste and ideals. As long as the ideals are high, students will be able to enjoy themselves in spite of all difficulties. Many students are disappointed and fail because the reality differs from their ideals when they enter society. However, those who always hold firmly to their ideals are able to persevere and prevail in the midst of such a situation.
The school is the place where this ideal is nurtured. Ideals are not easily attained except at school. Therefore, while in school, one must cultivate the ideal to a great extent through good poetry, works, and the Bible.
Furthermore, after graduation and after entering society, when we do something, we should remember and think about the ideals that we have cultivated. When you are engaged in a serious contest, you should first take a step back, calm your mind and say, “Here it is,” and then do the deed. This is necessary for those who have left school and are about to enter the real world.
In 1904, Nitobe gave these words to graduating female students.
Activities in International Organizations
In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles established the League of Nations, and in 1920 Nitobe became its Under-Secretary-General, a post he held until 1926, when he moved to Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1925, near the end of his term, Nitobe wrote “What is the League of Nations” to explain the League of Nations to the Japanese people, drawing on his valuable experience mentioned above.
The motive was as follows. Since the League of Nations is not well understood even in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, the Japanese do not understand it well either. Therefore, I wanted to explain it clearly. He explained the purpose of the League of Nations, its member countries, its organizational form, and its session period.
Nitobe explains the League of Nations as follows. The League of Nations is an organization of representatives of a number of countries to discuss matters of common interest and to carry out the three ambitions of establishing international justice, promoting world peace, and promoting cooperation among mankind.
Therefore, its purpose is to promote international justice, world peace, and human cooperation. The idealistic character of the League of Nations can be clearly seen. The League of Nations is “like a parliament for all nations” for these purposes.
Most countries are members of it, Nitobe says. The exceptions as major powers are the United States, the Soviet Union, and Germany. Germany and Russia are close to joining, but the U.S., despite Woodrow Wilson’s advocacy, is not willing to join, he said.
Nitobe also explains its organizational structure. The main bodies are the General Assembly, the Board of Directors, the Secretariat, and various committees. He points out that at the time, too many academics were said to be represented at the General Assembly. In fact, one-third of the delegates had ministerial experience, one-third were diplomats, and the remaining third were university professors.
Regarding this, it is said that during the first General Assembly, when a certain Englishman wrote “There are too many professors” on a piece of paper and circulated it, a certain doctor replaced “professors” with “politicians,” which caused a good laugh.
In the General Assembly, determining the order in which countries are seated is a very serious matter. This is because in diplomacy, the order of seating is considered to be a matter of national dignity.
Therefore, the structure of the venue is devised. Since the order of seating is considered to be an issue, the distinction between upper and lower seats should be eliminated. Therefore, a circular table is adopted. However, the one near the entrance is seen as lower and the one far from the entrance as upper. Therefore, the building itself is also circular, so that people can enter and exit from anywhere. In this way, the seating order is eliminated from the top to the bottom.
Nitobe explains that if the General Assembly is like a parliament, the Board of Directors is like a government. The Board implements decisions made by the General Assembly. There are four permanent members of the Council: the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Japan.
Nitobe emphasizes the importance of the Secretariat. In the past, plans existed between nations for the purpose of peace, such as the League of Nations. For example, the Holy Alliance of the early 19th century. There, kings and prime ministers of each country participated and pledged to make peace in the future.
However, as soon as the meeting ended and they returned to their countries, they immediately prepared their armies and began preparations for war. Even if they signed a treaty, they would forget it when they returned home. Even if they remember, they do not keep their promises. The reason these international arrangements and conferences were not successful was that there was no body to prompt and implement them.
This is the Secretariat of the League of Nations. The Secretariat is permanent. The General Assembly and the Council, although they meet regularly, are temporary. The Secretariat reminds the General Assembly to implement the resolutions of the General Assembly. It is constantly reminding the governments of the member countries when to implement those resolutions and how well they have done. Because the Secretariat urges, the governments of the member countries are forced to implement them.
Therefore, “The Secretariat is one of the important organs for establishing the League of Nations and making it effective. The old international conferences failed because they lacked it. The current League of Nations is successful because it has it. The permanent establishment of the Secretariat is one of the greatest inventions in solving international problems.
Subsequent International Activities
In 1929, he served as President of the Pacific Studies Association, and worked for world peace. 1933, he traveled to Canada to attend the Pacific Conference as the Japanese delegate. He became ill after the conference and died in Victoria.
After his death, a 5,000 yen bill with Inazo Nitobe’s portrait was issued from 1984 to 2007.
Source: “Portraits of Modern Japanese,” National Diet Library (https://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/)
