How the Anti-Russian Thought of Vambery Armin was Received by Japanese Intellectuals Before the Russo-Japanese War.

• Project/Area Number: 07610389
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Europe and America
• Research Institution: Gunma Prefectural Women's University
• Principal Investigator: INENO Tsuyoshi Gunma Prefectural Women's University Faculty of Literature Professor, 文学部, 教授 (40168430)
• Project Period (FY): 1995 – 1996
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 1996)
• Budget Amount: ¥2,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000); Fiscal Year 1996: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000); Fiscal Year 1995: ¥1,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000)
• Keywords: The Russo-Japanese War / Vambery Armin / Tokutomi Soho / Antagonism between England and Russia / Central Asia / Russophobia / Yellow Peril / Kokumin no Tomo / 黄禍論 / 英露の覇権争い / アールミン・ヴァームベ-リ / 白鳥康吉 / 牧野伸顕

Research Abstract

The main theme of my study of this year was researching how the anti-Russian thought of Vambery was received in Japan. I have especially studied how Vambery came to meet japanese journalist Tokutomi Soho. My research revealed the following facts :
The Hungarian Vambery was very famous as an adventurer and a philologist at that time. When Soho made a jouurney through variaus European countries in 1896 for one year, he visited Vambery in November in Budapest. He had already bought Vambery's The Coming Struggles for India at a bookstore in Tokyo in 1882 and read this book very carefully. Through this reading he could understand the history of Central Asia and how the imperialistic antagonism between Englang and Russia was there structured. What he learned from this book was reflected in a chapter of his first prominent book, The Future of Japan. In addition, later the translation of selected passages from Vambery's book appeared in the magazine Kokumin no Tomo published by Soho under the title "The Future of Russia in Central Asia. " At that time the Japanese government could'n bear to look at the colonial policy of the Great Powers in East Asia. Especially the government paied attention to Russian movements in Asia, the antagonism between England and Russia in Central Asia, and, for example, sent Nishi Tokujirou in secret to Central Asia. Under these circumstances Soho encountered Vambery's books due to need to understand international relationships in Central Asia. Vambery was very famous as an anti-Russian propagandist who took the English side by declaring the threat of Russia in Central Asia. After the Sino-Japanese War Soho rapidly strengthened his anti-Russian attitude, criticizing the interference of the Great Powers, especially Russia, which had expanded its power to Korea. Therefore Soho was prepared to accept Vambery's opinions.