Finding One’s Identity: Fukuzawa Yukichi About His Studies in Osaka (Chapter “Ogata School” From “The Autobiography of Elder Fukuzawa”)

Abstract

Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835–1901) is rightly considered a person who made a significant contribution to introducing Western civilization to Japan. His writings on politics, society, state, pedagogy, i.e., products of “mature” Fukuzawa, are often being studied. However, Fukuzawa’s personality itself usually remains outside the scope of such studies. But it seems extremely important to understand how the personality of this outstanding educator, who dared to raise his hand against the fundamental values of the state and society of the Tokugawa era, was formed. This will allow us to understand not only Fukuzawa himself, but also the type of person who was in demand during the time of revolutionary change.
In 1899 Fukuzawa published his autobiography (Fukuō Jiden). It is considered the first “full-fledged” work of the autobiographical genre in Japan. In this text, with unprecedented frankness for former Japan, the author talks about himself. Fukuzawa dictated the text to a stenographer, so his publication has all the usual properties of spontaneous oral speech: liveliness, vulgarisms, factual errors, repetitions, contradictory statements, spontaneity and some randomness. This does not change the fact that Fukuzawa was an observant man and an excellent storyteller. A significant part of the “Autobiography” is devoted to his childhood and youth, that is, the time when the formation of one’s personality occurs.
In this publication, we provide a translation of a chapter dedicated to Fukuzawa’s studies at the Osaka School of Medicine, which was opened by Ogata Kōan (1810–1863), a famous doctor who practiced European medicine. About three thousand people graduated from his school. In Fukuzawa’s description, the students at this school were characterized by deviant behavior, which provided them with an identity different from the personality type that prevailed in Tokugawa Japan. Many graduates of the Ogata school later became famous and had a significant influence on the appearance of the new Japan, which was significantly different from the old Japan.