著者

宮永 孝

出版者

法政大学

雑誌

社会志林 (ISSN:13445952)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.52, no.1, pp.126-48, 2005-07

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This essay is comprised of 9 chapters . (1) The origin of word " Tetsugaku " ( 哲学 ) in Japan (2) The pioneers who mentioned " Western Philosophy " in the period of the Muromachi in Japan (3) The Jesuit College in Funai ( i.e. Ōita City, Kyūshū Island ) - the birth place of Japanese education on Western philosophy (4) The teachers and the divinity students at the College in Funai (5) The end of the college in Funai (6) The words " philosopho " and " theologia " as appeared in the books published by the Jesuit missionaries in Japan (7) The Western ideas and the scholars of Western learning in the Edo period (8) The imported books on Western philosophy at the end of the Edo period (9) A short history of the introduction of Western philosophy into Japan - from the Edo period until the Meiji period. It was only after the Meiji Restoration that the Japanese started to learn Western philosophy properly . However , when we trace the route of this introduction to its source , it dates back to the end of the Muromachi period ( i.e. the latter half of 16th century ) . When Francisco Xavier (1506~53) , a Jesuit missionary , and his followers first arrived in Kagoshima , Satsuma province , the Japanese learned about Western ideas , such as scholastic philosophy and Greek theology . Since we had no Japanese equivalent to " philosophy " or " philosopher " the missionaries were forced to use the original Portuguese or Latin for the words " philosophy " or " philosopher " . Lectures on Western philosophy started at the Jesuit College of St . Paul ( Colégio de SãoPaulo ) in Funai in September , in the 11th year of the Tensho era ( i.e. Oct. 1583 ) , after 34 years of the introduction of Christianity into Japan . An ltalian padre named Antonio Prenestino ( 1542 - 89 ) first taught logic in Latin to five Portuguese students , which was followed by the brief lecture on dogmatic theology conducted by padre Pedro Goméz ( 1533 - 1600 ) and padre Francisco Calderón ( 1548 - 1618 ) in the 3rd year of the Bunroku ( i.e. l594 ) .It was also at the Jesuit college at Kawachinoura ( 河内浦 ) in Amakusa - jima ( 天草島 ) , a group of islands , west of Kyūshū in the province Higo that Japanese theological stndents were first officially taught Western philosophy and Christian theology in 1599 . The Students then used Compendia compiled by the Spanish Jesuit , Pedro Goméz in 1593 as their testbooks . Though Japanese Christians came in touch with Western ideas and lots of Western thinkers through Jesuit activities and books on Christianity , the newly started philosophical education and the study of Western philosophy in Japan broke down due to the ban of Christianity and to the national isolation promulgated by the Tokugawa government in the Edo period ( i.e. 17th century ) .However the study of Western sciences continued to some extent in Nagasaki while Japan closed its doors to the rest of the world . Nagasaki was the only town in Japan where the Dutch and the Chinese were permitted to traffic . The scholars of Westerm learners in Japan , such as Shizuki Tadao ( 1760- 1806 ) , Watanabe Kazan ( 1793 - 1841 ) , Yoshio Shūnzo ( 1787 - 1843 ) and Takano Chōei ( 1804 - 1850 ) , had a slight knowledge of Western philosophy . Also , we must remember many Japanese classical scholars learned Christian thoughts , Western astronomy , and Western morality through imported Chinese books . It appears to me that every scholar of European learning in Japan didn't have the same keen interest in and deepunderstanding of European philosophy . Having such a weak grounding in Western philosophy and Christian theology was an encumberance in the development of Japanese thought .