Truth is Like an Early-flowering Plum Tree. Dare to Violate the Wind and Snow to Open.（真理似寒梅敢侵風雪開）

Background

This is Neesima’s poem written for Eigo Fukai. “Truth” is a keyword indispensable for understanding Neesima’s thoughts, especially his Christian faith. In a letter to Iichiro Tokutomi, he wrote, “We can only use our conscience with truth in our sights,” indicating that he thought the Confucian “conscience” Tokutomi favored was not sufficient, and he sought to use it in the light of the Christian “truth” (see “Conscience”).
　One of those who loved this poem throughout his life was the jurist Shinobu Tabata (1902– 1994). He had extolled fascism as unconstitutional before the war, became president of Doshisha University during the difficult postwar period, and devoted himself to the reconstruction of the University and its Faculty of Law. He promoted pacifism (see “Pacifism”), which was not always clear in Neesima, through his interpretation of the Constitution. Neesima’s poem above was a great comfort and encouragement to Tabata, who sought to put pacifism into practice, which excludes all force and war.

Contemporary Significance

Neesima speaks of a spirit that can resist the trends of the times as truth. Furthermore, there is no truth in a spirit that does not serve as a principle of resistance. The true value of Doshisha, a private school, is being tested to see whether its current principle has the power (truth) to challenge the times, or whether conformity to the dictates of the higher-ups has become the norm.
　In its beginning days, Doshisha struggled with state control of education concerning draft exemption and religious education, and during the war, Doshisha was forced to balance Christianity and nationalism (emperor system) as all its educational activities were under state supervision. Looking back on this history, Doshisha will repay the efforts of its predecessors by constantly paying critical attention to the state management in education and by faithfully pursuing the ideals of “freedom education” and “Christian values” as the foundation of its education.

(Katsuhiro Kohara)