An Analysis Of Fukuchi (?)chi’s Thought Of Gradualism

Fukuchi ōchi(1841-1906),originally known as Genichiro,was one of the earliest intellectuals in modern Japan who had in-depth contact with Western civilization,and was also a highly renowned journalist in the speech circle during the early Meiji era.In the study of modern Japanese history,the Toubaku faction in the late Shogunate period and the Civil Rights Faction in the Meiji period are the focus of attention in the academic field,while the study of the "Sabaku Faction" and the "Official Power Faction " represented by ōchi is still insufficient.During his more than 40 years of active career,ōchi ’s political stance has changed several times,and his ideological outlook has also shown significant differences,while gradualism occupies a central position in his ideological system.This article will use the chronological sequence ofōchi ’s career as a clue to explain the connotation and evolution of his gradual ideology from the political,social,and historical perspectives,in order to reveal the long-term hidden aspects of Japan’s modern ideological history.The first chapter(Introduction)introduces the reason for choosing this topic,combs out the original literature related to the topic and the previous research achievements of China and Japan,and then proposes the research issues,methods,and significance of this article.The second chapter narrates ōchi ’s early academic cultivation and experience in serving in the shogunate,with a focus on his Sabaku actions during the end of the shogunate and reform period.The shogunate had a long tradition of governance,and its ability to implement founding diplomacy and strengthen centralization in the face of changing circumstances had become the starting point for ōchi to continue shogunate’s rule.This period was the embryonic and initial formation period of his gradual ideology.The third chapter discusses the evolution of ōchi ’s political stance and ideology during the first ten years of the Meiji era.With the decline of the doctrine of Sabaku and the approach to the new government,ōchi ’s gradualism has gradually been established.After returning to the journalism,ōchi advocated for populist nationalism and gradual parliamentary theory,and engaged in a debate with the emerging aristocratic civil rights movement,which led to the development of his gradual thinking.During this period,ōchi’s ideas had significant gradual significance and exerted tremendous public opinion influence.The fourth chapter explores the evolution of gradualism during the peak period of the civil rights movement in ōchi.After the end of the Southwest War,ōchi advocated for the establishment of a parliament,and on the other hand,advocated for the reverence of the emperor.Based on this,he derived top-down political modernization ideas such as "Wangdao politics" and "constitutional monarchy".These ideas attempted to achieve reconciliation between officials and the people,but they clashed fiercely with the civil rights faction on the issue of political dominance,and had disagreements with the Hanbatsu government on specific strategies.As a result,his gradualism gradually lost its social influence as it matured.The fifth chapter elaborates on the later extension of ōchi ’s gradualism after he withdrew from the political discourse in 1883 from two dimensions: the historical perspective(the historical view of Sabaku)and the future perspective(the view of socialism).As for the integration of citizens in the Mikado system countries and the social problems exposed under the promotion of the industrial revolution,ōchi started from the "Kokutai theory" of historicism and advocated the idea of moderate and orderly social improvement.ōchi ’s gradualism can be said to had lasted until the last moment of his life.The sixth chapter(Conclusion)summarizes and sorts out the content of the full text,and evaluates the historical significance and limitations of ōchi ’s thought.This article believes that ōchi ’s gradualism thought indicated the development direction of Japan in the early modern times,striving to coordinate various political forces at that time,and its emphasis on practical methodology had certain reference significance.On the other hand,ōchi ’s thoughts(especially his later thoughts)have many defects such as passivity,superficiality,dependence,and conservatism.In particular,his concept of respecting the Mikado has had a profound and adverse impact on modern Japan and even the world.We should objectively interpret and prudently handle ōchi ’s complex gradualism.