Takayama Chogyu
Encyclopedia
, real name Takayama Rinjirō, was a Japanese author and literary critic. He profoundly influenced Japanese literature
in the late Meiji period
with his blend of romantic individualism, concepts of self-realization
, aesthetics
, and nationalism
. However, many of Chogyū's works seems cryptic to contemporary readers due to the archaic style which he employed.
. His father was a minor samurai
of the Shonai domain, who found employment with the police after the Meiji Restoration
. At the age of two he was adopted by his aunt's family.
In 1887 he entered high school in Sendai
, where he excelled in English language
and English literature
. While studying philosophy at Tokyo Imperial University, he was influenced by Thomas Hill Green
's concepts of self-realization and nationalism.
newspaper for his semi-historical romance, Takiguchi Nyudo. While still a student, he co-founded the literary journal Teikoku Bungaku
("Imperial Literature") and submitted articles to the literary magazine, Taiyō ("Sun"), of which he later became senior editor. He also changed his official residence to Hokkaidō
to avoid military conscription.
In 1896, Chogyū returned to Sendai to teach English and logic at a prestigious high school. A student revolt the following year forced him give up teaching to edit a literary magazine, and he returned Tokyo. It was at this time he married Sato Sugi.
During the surge of ultra-nationalism that enveloped Japan in the wake of the First Sino-Japanese War
of 1895. Chogyū wrote about his identity as a Japanese. He regarded nationalism
as laudable in some respects, but also recognized a need to cooperate internationally. Although patriotic, Chogyū later expressed concern with the militaristic tendencies
developing in Japan.
In 1900, Ministry of Education selected Chogyū to study in Europe together with Natsume Sōseki
, but he developed tuberculosis
and declined. During his convalescence, he wrote articles praising Friedrich Nietzsche
and on aesthetics
. In 1901, Chogyū became a professor at Toyo University
. Teaching one day a week, he devoted most of his time to writing. In 1902, he received a doctorate in literature from Tokyo Imperial University, writing about Asuka period
art. The work left him exhausted.
As sea air was thought to be helpful for lung ailments, Chogyū moved from Tokyo to the seaside resort towns of Atami
, Shimizu
, Oiso
, and finally to Kamakura
in an effort to cure his disease. With the likelihood of recovery increasingly remote, he turned his attention the teachings of 13th century Buddhist
leader, Nichiren
. He continued to write, but on religious philosophy, especially Nichirenism. Unfortunately, his condition worsened and he died on 24 December 1902 at a hospital in nearby Chigasaki
. He lived in a house within the precincts of Kamakura's Hase-dera during the last year of his life, and his funeral rites were at the temple.
However, his grave is located at Ryuge-ji, a temple in Shimizu
, Shizuoka Prefecture
. The inscription on the grave is from one of his writings: “Obviously we should transcend the present”.
Although Chogyū's literary career spanned a mere six years, he had a major impact on other Japanese writers; he is largely unknown outside of Japan.
Japanese literature
Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
in the late Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
with his blend of romantic individualism, concepts of self-realization
Self-realization
Self-realization is a self-awakening.Self-realization may also refer to:* Self-Realization Fellowship, worldwide spiritual organization founded by Paramahansa Yogananda...
, aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, and nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
. However, many of Chogyū's works seems cryptic to contemporary readers due to the archaic style which he employed.
Early life
Chogyū was born in Tsuruoka city in Yamagata PrefectureYamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
. His father was a minor samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
of the Shonai domain, who found employment with the police after the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
. At the age of two he was adopted by his aunt's family.
In 1887 he entered high school in Sendai
Sendai, Miyagi
is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku Region. In 2005, the city had a population of one million, and was one of Japan's 19 designated cities...
, where he excelled in English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. While studying philosophy at Tokyo Imperial University, he was influenced by Thomas Hill Green
Thomas Hill Green
Thomas Hill Green was an English philosopher, political radical and temperance reformer, and a member of the British idealism movement. Like all the British idealists, Green was influenced by the metaphysical historicism of G.W.F. Hegel...
's concepts of self-realization and nationalism.
Literary career
Chogyū entered and won a fiction contest sponsored by Yomiuri ShimbunYomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
newspaper for his semi-historical romance, Takiguchi Nyudo. While still a student, he co-founded the literary journal Teikoku Bungaku
Teikoku Bungaku
Teikoku Bungaku was a literature magazine from 1895 to 1920 published by Japanese writers, Inoue Tetsujiro, Ueda Kazutoshi, Takayama Chogyu and Ueda Bin.See also: Japanese literature...
("Imperial Literature") and submitted articles to the literary magazine, Taiyō ("Sun"), of which he later became senior editor. He also changed his official residence to Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
to avoid military conscription.
In 1896, Chogyū returned to Sendai to teach English and logic at a prestigious high school. A student revolt the following year forced him give up teaching to edit a literary magazine, and he returned Tokyo. It was at this time he married Sato Sugi.
During the surge of ultra-nationalism that enveloped Japan in the wake of the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
of 1895. Chogyū wrote about his identity as a Japanese. He regarded nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
as laudable in some respects, but also recognized a need to cooperate internationally. Although patriotic, Chogyū later expressed concern with the militaristic tendencies
Japanese militarism
refers to the ideology in the Empire of Japan that militarism should dominate the political and social life of the nation, and that the strength of the military is equal to the strength of a nation.-Rise of militarism :...
developing in Japan.
In 1900, Ministry of Education selected Chogyū to study in Europe together with Natsume Sōseki
Natsume Soseki
, born ', is widely considered to be the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji period . He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, Chinese-style poetry, and fairy tales...
, but he developed tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and declined. During his convalescence, he wrote articles praising Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
and on aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
. In 1901, Chogyū became a professor at Toyo University
Toyo University
Toyo University is a university with several branches in Japan, including .- Overview :...
. Teaching one day a week, he devoted most of his time to writing. In 1902, he received a doctorate in literature from Tokyo Imperial University, writing about Asuka period
Asuka period
The , was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 , although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period...
art. The work left him exhausted.
As sea air was thought to be helpful for lung ailments, Chogyū moved from Tokyo to the seaside resort towns of Atami
Atami, Shizuoka
is a city located in the eastern end of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 39,755 and a population density of 645 people per km². The total area is 61.56 km².-Geography:...
, Shimizu
Shimizu, Shizuoka
is a town located in Suntō District, Shizuoka, Japan. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 32,205and a density of 3,640 persons per km². The total area is 8.84 km².-Geography:...
, Oiso
Oiso, Kanagawa
is a town located in Naka District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 32,725 and a density of 1,910 persons per km². The total area was 17.18 km².-Geography:...
, and finally to Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
in an effort to cure his disease. With the likelihood of recovery increasingly remote, he turned his attention the teachings of 13th century Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
leader, Nichiren
Nichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
. He continued to write, but on religious philosophy, especially Nichirenism. Unfortunately, his condition worsened and he died on 24 December 1902 at a hospital in nearby Chigasaki
Chigasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in central, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 234,400 and a density of 6,540 persons per km²...
. He lived in a house within the precincts of Kamakura's Hase-dera during the last year of his life, and his funeral rites were at the temple.
However, his grave is located at Ryuge-ji, a temple in Shimizu
Shimizu
Shimizu is the 20th most common Japanese surname.People named "Shimizu:*Ai Shimizu *Asuka Yūki, born 'Arisa Shimizu', prolific Japanese AV idol*Bukō Shimizu, photographer*Hiroshi Shimizu...
, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
. The inscription on the grave is from one of his writings: “Obviously we should transcend the present”.
Although Chogyū's literary career spanned a mere six years, he had a major impact on other Japanese writers; he is largely unknown outside of Japan.
External links
- http://www.aozora.gr.jp/index_pages/person271.htmle-texts of works at Aozora BunkoAozora BunkoAozora Bunko is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-of-copyright books or works that the authors wish to make freely available....
(Japanese site)] - Chogyu’s monumental grave at Ryuge-ji (Japanese site)
- Literary Figures from Kamakura