Pacifism（平和主義）
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Egalitarianism. Equality. Equalness. (...)
Pacificism. Gentleness.
(Memo for a Sermon, “Egalitarianism,” undated, JNE, p. 287)
It is a frivolous argument to call for the strengthening of naval and land forces.
(“On the Local Education,” 1882, JNE, pp. 85–86)
Background
In Neesima’s writings, the word “pacifism” is found only in the first quote above. This memo states the superiority of egalitarianism over oligarchism and aristocracy. The memo also contains several biblical passages, in which the common message is that “God shows no partiality” (Ephesians 6:9, Romans 2:11, Galatians 2:6). This is both a premise for egalitarianism (today’s democracy) and a critique of war that divides people into friend and foe. Hence the word “pacifism” in the sermon notes.
We can also see in the second quote above that Neesima was not in favor of a strong military amid the national propaganda of “national wealth and military strength.” However, it was Gien Kashiwagi (1860–1938), who was trained by Neesima, who developed the pacifism implicit in Neesima in a clear form. He advocated the idea of non-war mainly in his monthly bulletin, but that was often banned by the government at the time. Kashiwagi, referring to Neesima, left the following words regarding national polity and freedom.
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In short, in all of Japan’s 2600 years of history, not a single liberal has ever been found who has truly demonstrated human dignity, even though there have been many outstanding figures. It is not only that but the perverters of the so-called “Japanese national polity” have not been able to find a single liberal who truly demonstrated the dignity of mankind. The so-called “perverters of the Japanese national polity” tend to ignore human freedom, and even mistakenly believe that this is the way to preserve the dignity of the national polity. The only person who had truly stood up for human dignity and freedom with sincerity was my teacher. He was the only champion of human freedom in Japanese history.
(Ryuichi Itani ed., Collections of Gien Kashiwagi, Vol. 2, pp. 356–7)
This conveys the state of affairs at the time when those who upheld the national constitution deliberately ignored freedom. We should find a positive connection between Neesima’s desire for freedom and Kashiwagi’s idea of non-war (pacifism).
Contemporary Significance
During the war, Doshisha had no choice but to follow the national policy that demanded loyalty to the emperor and cooperation in the war. However, it was not just a matter of bowing to external pressure; it was also a matter of voluntarily choosing this path. Doshisha, with Christianity as the basis of its moral education, stood in a special tension in its relationship with the state, as did other Christian schools. To make use of such historical lessons in the present age, it would not be meaningless to establish “pacifism” as one of the pillars supporting the inner substance of “Christian Values.”
In this way, it will be possible to reflect on the fact that the “Conscience Monument” erected on Doshisha’s campus in wartime was a sign of conformity to the national constitution, and this same “Conscience Monument” will shine a new light as a sign of the necessity of pacifism to us today.
Cutting-edge research was and still is easily linked to the military. Although there was a clear curb on the military use of research for a certain period after World War II, it is not certain that this will be carried on in the future. To resist the temptations of the times, the establishment and practice of “pacifism” is required.
(Katsuhiro Kohara)
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