Inoue Enryō

Inoue Enryō
Inoue Enryō
Born	March 18, 1858; Santō District,Nagaoka Domain,Japan
Died	June 6, 1919(aged 61); Dalian,China
Other names	Giếng thượng viên
Occupation(s)	philosopher and educator

Inoue Enryō(Giếng thượng yên,March 18, 1858 – June 6, 1919)was a Japanese philosopher,Shin Buddhistpriest and reformer, educator, and royalist. A key figure in the reception of Western philosophy, the emergence of modern Buddhism, and the permeation of the imperial ideology during the second half of theMeiji Era.He is the founder ofToyo Universityand the creator ofTetsugaku-dō ParkTriết học đường công viên(Temple Garden of Philosophy) in Tokyo. Because he studied all kinds of mysterious phenomena andapparitions(Yêu quái,yōkai)in order to debunksuperstitions,he is sometimes called "Professor Specter"(Yêu quái tiến sĩ,Yōkai Hakase)and the "Spook Doctor"(お hóa け tiến sĩ,ObakeHakase).^[1]

Biography

Early Years 1858-1881

Born in a village close to Nagaoka in today'sNiigata Prefecture,he was ordained as a priest in theŌtani Branch( đại cốc phái ) ofShin Buddhism( Chân Tông ) at the age of 13. As the oldest son, he was brought up toinheritthe ministry of his father's parish temple. His early education included the Chinese classics and Western subjects like geography and English. In 1878, his Buddhist order sent him to Tokyo in order to study at Japan's first modern university. Before enteringTokyo Universityin 1881 Inoue received additional secondary education in English, history, and mathematics in the university's Preparatory School.

Establishment 1881-1888

Registering for philosophy as single major atTokyo Universityfirst became possible in 1881. Inoue was the first and only student in 1881 to do so. As a student, Inoue initiated Japan's first Society of Philosophy (1884). On the occasion of his graduation in 1885, he created a Philosophy CeremonyTriết học tếthat commemorated Buddha, Confucius, Socrates and Kant as the Four Sages of world philosophy. In 1887, he set up a Philosophy Publishing HouseTriết học thư viện,edited the first issue of theJournal of the Philosophy Society『 triết học sẽ tạp chí 』and founded the Philosophy AcademyTriết học quán,the predecessor of today'sToyo University(Đông Dương đại học). His early worksEpitome of Philosophy『 triết học yếu lĩnh 』(1886/86) andOutline of Ethics『 luân lý thông luận 』(1887) are the first Japanese introductions to philosophy in East and West.

Besides establishing and popularizing philosophy, Inoue dedicated himself as a lay scholar to the critique of Christianity and the reform of Buddhism. The latter project he announced in theProlegomena to a Living Discourse on Buddhism『 phật giáo sống luận tự luận 』(1887), which is the introduction to a tripartite work that aimed to give Buddhism a new doctrinal foundation for the modern world. In theProlegomenaInoue first proclaimed his lifelong slogan "Protection of Country and Love of Truth"Hộ quốc ái lý.Inoue attempted to demonstrate Buddhism's consistency with philosophical and scientific truth and its benefit to the modern Japanese nation state.

In 1886, Inoue married Yoshida KeiCát điền kính(1862-1951) with whom he had one son, Gen'ichiHuyền một(1887-1972), and two daughters, ShigenoTư dã(1890-1954) and SumieTrừng giang(1899-1979).

Leadership 1889-1902

In 1888, Inoue departed on his first of three world tours. The nationalist spirit he observed in the Western imperial countries and the promulgation of theImperial Rescript on Education(1890) after his return, gave Inoue's maxim of the Protection of Country concrete meaning. The spread of the Education Rescript as the moral foundation of the rising Japanese Empire became one of his main objectives for the rest of his life.

In his lectures at the Philosophy Academy, Inoue pioneered several academic fields. Inoue's lecture records which were published as textbooks for the Academy's distance learning program cover subjects like Psychology, Pedagogy, Religious Studies, Buddhist Philosophy and the original science Inoue called Mystery StudiesYêu quái học.In a large-scale project, he recorded, categorized and rationally explained every kind of folk belief and superstition he heard about in Japan. This ambitious program made him famous among his contemporaries as Doctor Specterお hóa け tiến sĩorYêu quái tiến sĩ.

Inoue managed the Philosophy Academy as an institution that promoted the revival of Eastern scholarship. Most pioneers of modern Buddhist studies were lecturing in the Academy. Inoue interpreted his role as a lobbyist for Buddhism in the capital and worked to consolidate the position of private education with the Ministry of Education. In 1896, Inoue was the first to be awarded a Doctor of Letters by submitting a thesis to the Faculty of Literature of Tokyo Imperial University.

Crisis 1903-1906

While Inoue was on his second world tour, the so-called Philosophy Academy IncidentTriết học quán sự kiện(1903/04) took its course. Inspectors from the Education Ministry became aware that one student received a full score in the ethics examination for answering that regicide under certain circumstances could be legitimate. The ministry threatened to close down the Academy, demanded that the responsible teacher resign and withdrew the Academy's right to grant certificates for teaching in public schools.

In the years after the Philosophy Academy Incident several factors played together which eventually led to Inoue's resignation from the Academy in 1905/06: (1) internal differences about the Academy's management, (2) estrangement from other Buddhist leaders, (3) health problems.

During the same period, Inoue started two new projects that became seminal for his late activities: the foundation of the Morality ChurchTu thân giáo hội(1903) and the building of the Philosophy ShrineTriết học đường(1904).

Independence 1906-1919

Starting in 1890, lecture tours were important for Inoue to raise funds for the Philosophy Academy. After 1906, the fund raising served to create theTemple Garden of Philosophyaround the Philosophy Shrine in today's Nakano District in Tokyo. Inoue started his lecture tours during his late period in the name of the Morality Church initiative, which aimed at establishing Sunday schools in shrines and temples all over the country. In 1912, he renamed the organization into the Society for the Spread of Civic MoralityQuốc dân nói đức phổ cập sẽ.The venue of his lectures moved away from temples into primary schools. The main objective however stayed the same, namely teaching national morals and spreading theImperial Rescript on Education.It was Inoue's ambition to lecture literally everywhere in Japan. During his late life, he extended his radius to the new Japanese colonies in Korea, Manchuria, Hokkaidō, Sakhalin, Okinawa, Taiwan, and China.

Inoue died on June 6 1919 after giving a lecture inDalian,China.

Works

Below is a chronological list of Inoue's monographs. Not included are travel diaries, lecture records, verse and aphorisms in Chinese, textbooks, articles, and essay collections. The listed works are accessible via theInoue Enryo Research Database.

1886/87 Epitome of Philosophy『 triết học yếu lĩnh 』(2 vols.)
1886/87 An Evening of Philosophical Conversation『 triết học một tịch lời nói 』(3 vols.)
1886/87 The Golden Compass of Truth『 chân lý kim châm 』(3 vols.)
1887 Dark Tales of Mysteries『 yêu quái huyền nói 』
1887 Prolegomena to a Living Discourse on Buddhism『 phật giáo sống luận tự luận 』
1887 Living Discourse on Buddhism: Refuting the False『 phật giáo sống luận bổn luận: Phá tà sống luận 』
1887 Fundamentals of Psychology『 tâm lý trích yếu 』
1887 Outline of Ethics『 luân lý thông luận 』(2 vols.)
1888 A New Theory of Religion『 tôn giáo tân luận 』
1889 Treatise on Religion and the State in Japan『 Nhật Bản chính giáo luận 』
1890 Living Discourse on Buddhism: Disclosing the Right『 phật giáo sống luận bổn luận: Hiển chính sống luận 』
1890 Imaginary Interstellar Travelogue『 tinh giới tưởng du ký 』
1891 Fundamentals of Ethics『 luân lý trích yếu 』
1891 A Morning of Philosophical Conversation『 triết học một sớm lời nói 』
1892 Prolegomena to a Philosophy of the True School『 Chân Tông triết học tự luận 』
1893 Living Discourse on Loyalty and Filial Piety『 trung hiếu sống luận 』
1893 Discussing the Relationship between Education and Religion『 giáo dục tôn giáo quan hệ luận 』
1893 Proposal in Japanese Ethics『 Nhật Bản luân lý học án 』
1893 Prolegomena to a Philosophy of the Zen School『 Thiền tông triết học tự luận 』
1893/94 Lectures on Mystery Studies『 yêu quái học giáo trình 』
1894 Fragment of a Philosophy of War『 chiến tranh triết học đốm 』
1895 Prolegomena to a Philosophy of the Nichiren School『 ngày tông triết học tự luận 』
1897 The Heterodox Philosophy『 ngoại đạo triết học 』
1898 Outline of Indian Philosophy『 Ấn Độ triết học điểm chính 』
1898 The Pedagogical View of Life and the World: or, Theory of the Educator's Mental Peace『 giáo dục thế giới quan cập nhân sinh quan: Một người giáo dục gia an tâm luận 』
1898 Refuting Materialism『 phá thuyết duy vật 』
1898/1900 One Hundred Mysterious Stories『 yêu quái trăm nói 』(2 vols.)
1899 Theory of the Immortality of the Soul『 linh hồn bất diệt luận 』
1899 A Quick Primer to Philosophy『 triết học sớm わかり』
1901 Philosophical Soothsaying『 triết học うらない』
1902 The Hidden Meaning of the Rescript『 sắc ngữ huyền nghĩa 』
1902 Proposal for the Reform of Religion『 tôn giáo cải cách án 』
1903 Goblin-Theory『 thiên cẩu luận 』
1904 The Dissolution of Superstition『 mê tín giải 』
1904 Psychotherapy『 tâm lý liệu pháp 』
1904 Dream of New Reform Devices『 cải tiến tân án の mộng 』
1909 New Proposal in Philosophy『 triết học tân án 』
1912 Japanese Buddhism『 Nhật Bản phật giáo 』
1912 Living Buddhism『 sống phật giáo 』
1913 A Glance at the World of Philosophy『 triết giới thoáng nhìn 』
1914 The True Nature of Specters『お hóa けの chữ chân phương 』
1914 Life is a Battlefield『 nhân sinh là れ chiến tràng 』
1916 Superstition and Religion『 mê tín と tôn giáo 』
1917 Philosophy of Struggle『 phấn đấu triết học 』
1919 The True Mystery『 thật quái 』

Influence and Evaluation

During his lifetime, Inoue was a widely read author, of whom more than ten books were translated into Chinese. His works were influential in spreading the terminology of modern East Asian humanities. Due to his prolific writing, the distance learning program of the Philosophy Academy and his lectures tours, Inoue probably had a larger audience than any other public intellectual before the First World War. He must have contributed considerably to the decline of superstition and the spread of the imperial ideology during the late Meiji period.^[2]

His prominence during his lifetime stands in stark contrast to the minimal attention paid to his work after his death. His uncritical speculative metaphysics and his ethics being based solely on imperially decreed virtues, make any future affirmative philosophical reception unlikely.^[3]Japanese Buddhist studies have passed over Inoue, because his Buddhist scholarship was not yet based on Sanskrit philology. Any philosophical discussion about the doctrinal foundations of Buddhism will nonetheless have to acknowledge Inoue's pioneering work.

In contemporary scholarship, a growing interest in his voluminous works on Mystery Studies is conceivable.^[4]

Toyo University, Tokyo University's Society of Philosophy, and the Temple Garden of Philosophy are Inoue's lasting institutional heritage.

References

^The article is based on the research published in Schulzer.Inoue Enryo(2019).
^Schulzer.Inoue Enryo(2019), chap. 14, 17, 19, 23.
^Schulzer.Inoue Enryo(2019), chap. 18, 24.
^Figal 1999; Foster 2008 and 2015.

External links

[1] The article is based on the research published in Schulzer.Inoue Enryo(2019).

[2] Schulzer.Inoue Enryo(2019), chap. 14, 17, 19, 23.

[3] Schulzer.Inoue Enryo(2019), chap. 18, 24.

[4] Figal 1999; Foster 2008 and 2015.

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