The Research On Siratorikurakiti’s View Of China

Siratorikurakiti（1865-1942）is one of the originators of the research of Oriental history.He devotes himself to constructing the system of the Oriental history in Japan, whose researchis profound and valuable. Siratorikurakiti’s research on history is based on textual researchand put an emphasis on survey. Most of the research results are always connected with thesocial activities, which leads to the broad horizon of his research. As for the research method,with his western academic background, Siratorikurakiti starts the empirical research onhistory in Japan. He integrates linguistics, geography and ethnology into the history research.Siratorikurakiti sets up his academic community, which establishes the basis of Tokyoliterature school. The academic research cannot be isolated from the era. Siratorikurakiticlears up repeatedly that his research is “purely academic”. As far as this issue is concerned,we suppose that concerning the research object, his research is actually academic, butconcerning his research course, the analysis of his research results, the social historicalbackground, Siratorikurakiti manifests Japanese “national strength”. His research processcoincides with the paces of Japan’s invasion into China and the entire Asia. All researches,ranging from the research on North Korea, to Manchuria, China and other nations in Asia,match up with Japan’s invasion procedures.The core of Siratorikurakiti’s history research focuses on China. This paper based on thechronological study of Siratorikurakiti’s academic research discusses the issue of the view ofChina. This paper mainly aims at the history of North Korea, Manchuria issues, theestablishment of “Manchuria railway joint-stock Co., LTD”,“the state system”, the currentpolitical situation and the history of Mongolia and analyzes in details the issues, including“Manchuria as neutral ground”,“denial about Yao, Shun and Yu” and “Chinese culturalstagnation” and summarizes Siratorikurakiti’s views on Chinese history, culture, politics andso on. Furthermore, this paper explores the nature and connotation by the analysis ofSiratorikurakiti’s attitudes and viewpoints on Asia. Since the Oriental historians, led bySiratorikurakiti, exclude Japan from the scale of the Orient, this paper as a comparative studyanalyzes issues such as “the emperor country history”,“Japanese supremacy” so as to clarifythe significance of Siratorikurakiti’s view of China and Siratorikurakiti’s view of Asia.Based on the historical data and logical demonstration, his paper divides Siratorikurakiti’sresearch course into three stages and defines the establishment, development and extension ofSiratorikurakiti’s view of China from the aspect of his specific research emphases anddirection. Meantime, a horizontal research is carried out during the analysis of the respectivestage, including research motivation, academic background, concrete content to clarify the nature and connotation of Siratorikurakiti’s view of China, to reveal the academic tendency ofOriental history in Japan, and to explore the internal relationship between Siratorikurakiti’sview of China and Japanes wartime policies to China.Although Siratorikurakiti’s Oriental research is academic, it is also affection-oriented.Firstly, the view of China is deeply affection-oriented. Secondly, his research is based on“visible” cultural plunder of Chinese materials and archaeology and “invisible” culturalaggression via doubt and denial. Therefore, Siratorikurakiti’s view of China is culturallyaggressive. Thirdly, with regard to his research route, research content and research theory,Siratorikurakiti’s view of China serves the realpolitik. The Oriental history is establishedalong with Japan’s aggression into Asian countries, such as North Korea and China.Siratorikurakiti’s academy not only coordinates with the advance of Japan’s “mainlandpolicy”, but it also consolidates, to some extent, Japanese political situation and providestheoretical evidence for Japanese foreign aggression. Hence, Siratorikurakiti’s view of Chinaserves the realpolitik.