Analyzing Meanings and Usages of Republicanism in Meiji Japan: Especially Focusing on Their Anglo-American Roots

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26770037
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: History of thought
• Research Institution: International Christian University
• Principal Investigator: SHIBATA Makito 国際基督教大学, 付属研究所, 元・特別研究員PD (70722916)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 共和主義 / 明治期 / キリスト教 / 共同体 / 内村鑑三 / 南原繁 / ニーバー / 福沢諭吉

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research, I investigated the examples that in Meiji Japan some thinkers used the word “republicanism” and the words similar to it as a positive concept. In addition, I studied the historic significance and possibilities of the social community design that those representations had. There is the characteristic for the method to demonstrate the range of the meaning of the word substantially: how the concept of the “republicanism" was understood in Meiji Japan and how the history of reception of its concept can be traced in modern Japan. Specifically, led by all such as Chomin Nakae, Kanzou Uchimura, Naoe Kinoshita, I arranged some arguments over "republicanism" used within the national polity and laws in those days and studied historical evidences of the connection with the Anglo-American origins in their thoughts.

Free Research Field

日本思想史