A Study in the Changes of Takeuchi Yoshimi's Perception of Asia
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Yin, Chieh
Abstract
Takeuchi Yoshimi’s studies in modern Chinese literature breathed new life into traditional Sinology in Japan. In contrast to supports of modernism and contemporary political theories from west Europe by most Japanese postwar scholars, Takeuchi Yoshimi denounced that Japan gave up “defenses” and embraced the idea of “leave Asia to join Europe”with open arms. At the same time, he took China as the pillar of his theories, brought up new ideas in order to find out a “neutral perception of Asia”. Takeuchi Yoshimi’s political theories are constructed on close relationships with China. He used his own perception of China as a tool to form his criticisms of modern Japan. In ‘Chinese Modernity and Japanese Modernity’, Takeuchi Yoshimi stated his views of eastern and western culture, as well as the relationships between them. By comparing the modernity of China and Japan, he indicated that Japan does not have its own independent direction as a nation. He also came to being aware of the issue that “the images of Asia in resistance and struggle”. The article ‘Asia as a Method’ followed the basic theories mentioned in ‘Chinese Modernity and Japanese Modernity’ to reconstruct the “perception of Asia”. Asianism plays an important role in both ‘Chinese Modernity and Japanese Modernity’ and ‘Asia as a Method’. Takeuchi Yoshimi used “overcoming modernity” as the base of his theory, and tried to portrait the competitive relationship between Europe and Asia. Through his articles, we may realize that distinguished features of Asia are actually existed on the premise of resistance to Europe. Takeuchi Yoshimi found the nature of ‘resistance’ in China, and further more saw the ‘independent direction of Asia’ in ‘China in resistance’. This study focused on three articles, ‘Chinese Modernity and Japanese Modernity’, ‘Asia as a Method’, and ‘A Survey of Asianism’, to figure out Takeuchi Yoshimi’s perception of Asia.
Subjects
Takeuchi Yoshimi
Lu Xun
Modern China
Asianism
Criticism of modernity
Type
thesis