Tōten Miyazaki
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Tōten Miyazaki | |
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| 宮崎 滔天 | |
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| Born | 23 January 1871 |
| Died | 6 December 1922 (aged 51) |
| Occupation | Philosopher |
| Children | Ryūsuke Miyazaki |
Tōten Miyazaki (Japanese: 宮崎 滔天, Hepburn: Miyazaki Tōten) or Torazō Miyazaki (1 January 1871 – 6 December 1922) was a Japanese philosopher who aided and supported Sun Yat-sen during the Xinhai Revolution. While Sun was in Japan, he assisted Sun in his travels as he was wanted by Qing dynasty authorities.[1]
Biography
[edit]Genealogy
[edit]The history of the Miyazaki Family in Arao dates back to 1647, when Yajihei Masayuki Miyazaki settled as a local retainer of the shogunate. The family traced their ancestory to renowned poet Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) of the Hei'an period.[2] The Miyazaki family was wealthy and maintained landlord status in Arao for about 200 years by the time of Chōzō Miyazaki, Tōten's father.[3]
Early life
[edit]Miyazaki was born in 1873 as the eighth son of parents Chōzō (born Masakata) and Saki. Among his brothers were Social Activists Hachirō Miyazaki (known as the Russeau of Kumamoto), Tamizō Miyazaki and Yazō Miyazaki.[3] From a young age, Tōten was told to be like Hachirō when he grew up, and he saw himself as a natural born activist for liberty.[4] Hachirō died in combat during the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877 when Toten was seven years old. Upon hearing this news, his father told his family that "nobody in this family will ever work for the government," and from then on, Tōten saw all bureaucrats as evil thieves.[5] Miyazaki and his brothers learned the Niten Ichi-ryū martial art from their father.[3]
Ōe Academy years
[edit]Miyazaki initially studied at Kumamoto Public Middle School, but was put off by his schoolmates' aspirations to become government officials.[6] In 1885, he transferred to the Ōe Academy, the private school of the influential liberal journalist Tokutomi Soho, where he could learn about liberal theories of thinkers such as Maximilien Robspierre, Georges Danton, Richard Cobden, and John Bright. Miyazaki wrote of the school: "The Oe Academy was indeed an ideal home for me. No, more: it was a paradise of progressive liberalism and democracy."[7] Miyazaki eventually became disillusioned with the school and began to question the sincerity of Soho and his students. Despite being an undoubtedly important skill for an activist, Miyazaki admitted in his autobiography that he was bad at public speaking at this time, to the point of feigning illness to avoid speaking at the school Speech Club.
Encounter with Christianity
[edit]Miyazaki left the academy and moved to Tokyo in 1886. While exploring the city, he entered a church where he was deeply moved by a choir hymn. He listened to the speech of a missionary, Charles H.D. Fisher, and said his words felt like seeing "the hope of light in the darkness of the night."[8] He attended the church regularly from then on, learning English from the pastor's wife. He was also introduced by his former teacher at Ōe Academy to a Kumamoto missionary, Reverend Mr. Kozaki Hiromichi, who encouraged him to be baptised.[9] Toten was upset to find out that Fisher was a Baptist minister, while Kozaki was a Congregationalist, meaning that he would have to choose a denomination. Ultimately, Toten chose to be baptised in the Congregationalist Church, a decision which he attributed to a preference for its republican character and liberal faith, showing that he had not abandoned the liberal movement in his heart. After announcing his baptism to Fisher, Fisher responded by angrily arguing about baptism, and telling Miyazaki that membership of the Congregationalist Church would not suffice for salvation.[10]
Miyazaki then enrolled in the Eigaku (英学) (English and Western Studies) department of the Tokyo Professional School (東京専門学校, Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō), now Waseda University, but returned to Arao in 1887 due to trouble with school expenses. Upon returning to home, he was struck by the abject poverty among the townsfolk following a poor harvest. He wrote in his biography that he wondered, "Ah, does the provision of bread come first? Does the Gospel come first?".[11] This marked an early discord between his faith and ideals.[12]
In Arao, Miyazaki succeeded in converting his mother and brother, Yazō, to Christianity. He also learned from his brother Tamizō about Land Rights Equalisation and the theories of Henry George and Peter Kropotkin, which would in turn have an influence on his support for a revolution in China.[13]
Study in Nagasaki and meeting with Isaac Abraham
[edit]He again left Arao in 1888 to attend the Kumamoto English School, and subsequently Cobleigh Seminary School (now Nagasaki Wesleyan University) in 1889. The school was American Methodist Episcopal school, but Miyazaki denied offers to convert as he felt he would be abandoning his devotion to liberalism.[14] Miyazaki ultimately left Christianity while in Nagasaki after studying theology, philosophy and sociology, deciding that he would instead but his faith in rationalism. He was helped in this decision by a letter from his brother Yazō and friend from Waseda, Fujiyama, stating that they too left the faith for similar reasons. He still remained sentimentally attached to Christianity, however.
He finally abandoned supernaturalism outright when he met an eccentric Swedish beggar named Isaac Abraham, who shocked Miyazaki by warning him against religion and that even in America and Europe, the home of liberal ideas, many people still suffer in poverty.[3] Planning to start a school with local supporters who also had an interest in Isaac, they requested the help of Maeda Kagaku (前田下学), eldest son of politician and liberal activist Maeda Gakashi (前田案山子). While the school was being set up, Miyazaki and Isaac lived in Kagaku's hometown teaching local children English, with Miyazaki acting as Isaac's Interpretor. There, he met and fell in love with Kagaku's younger sister, Tsuchi. Isaac's personal philosophy of anarchism involved a fanatical glorification of nature, which included open defecation in local fields. This strange lifestyle led over twenty of the school's students to leave immediately, causing the plans for a school to fall apart. Isaac was later deported to America.[15]
Belief in Chinese revolution
[edit]After falling deeply in love with Tsuchi, Miyazaki gradually developed guilt as he felt an early marriage would limit his ability to carry out his ambition of ending poverty around the world. He thus began planning to study in America to study a liberal democracy and relieve his guilt about his lack of progress. While staying in Nagasaki, waiting for the boat which would take him to Hawaii, he was visited by his brother Yazō who spoke to him about Revolutionary Pan-Asianism. Yazō believed that a world revolution was necessary to end poverty, and that the first step in this revolution would have to be China. This sentiment resonated strongly with Miyazaki. Miyazaki later wrote "Truly, that one night became the one that set the course for half my life."[16] Toten and Yazō then began to plan to learn Chinese language and culture. His other brother, Tamizō, refused to join as he found their plan to pretend to be Chinese deceitful.
In 1891, Miyazaki travelled to Shanghai on the Saikyō Maru to learn Chinese language and customs, but returned to Japan shortly after to seek money he had loaned a Nagasaki eccentric. He refused to stay among the Japanese community in China as he felt they were bent on the Japanese occupation of China, which he strongly opposed.[17]
Meeting with Kim Ok-gyun
[edit]While at home in Japan, Miyazaki married Tsuchi Maeda who gave birth to his first son Ryusuke. Determined to make progress on his plans with Yazō, Miyazaki decided to meet with Korean revolutionary Kim Ok-gyun, who was in exile in Japan at the time following the failed Gaspin Coup. During their meeting, Kim praised Miyazaki's plan to move to Shanghai and agreed that China would be the key to the future of Asia. The two made plans to eventually meet in Shanghai, but Kim was assassinated during his voyage across in 1894. Miyazaki attended Kim's funeral in Tokyo.[18]
The Donghak Peasant Revolution ended ties between China and Japan. Miyazaki planned to avoid being drafted in the coming conflict with China by moving abroad.[19]
Career
[edit]Tōten Miyazaki registered Sun for his safety under the name Nakayama (中山) at the "Crane Hotel" (對鶴館). This name would later be converted to the more popular Chinese name Sun Zhongshan (孫中山).[1] On 7 September 1900, Sun's first overseas visit to Singapore was to rescue Miyazaki Toten who was arrested there. This act resulted in his own arrest and a ban from visiting the island for five years.[citation needed]
The Nanjing Historical Remains Museum of Chinese Modern History has bronze statues of Sun and Miyazaki placed alongside each other.[citation needed]
In 1902 Miyazaki became a naniwa-bushi (Rōkyoku) balladeer and apprenticed to Tōchūken Kumoemon. He attempted to articulate his philosophy to ordinary Japanese people through the art form.[20]
Bibliography
[edit]See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Sing Tao Daily. Saturday edition. 23 Oct 2010. 特別策劃 section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition 民國之父.
- ^ 「友情の梅」開花情報2024 - 荒尾市 (arao.lg.jp) https://www.city.arao.lg.jp/oshirase/kurashi/shisetsu/miyazaki-kyodai/8069.html
- ^ a b c d Noda, Mai. Dr. Sun Yat Sen and Miyazaki Toten: From Strangers to Comrades. In Caixia, Lu and Tan Junyan. Once Upon a Revolution: Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the Miyazaki Brothers in Japan and Singapore. Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, August 2019. p. 34-49. http://id.ndl.go.jp/bib/030160542
- ^ Shinkichi, Eto, Marius B. Jansen, and Miyazaki Toten. "My Thirty-Three Year's Dream: The Autobiography of Miyazaki Toten." (2014). p. 8.
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 9
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 11
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 13
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 21
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 25
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 28
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 33
- ^ 猪飼隆明監修『世界のなかの荒尾―宮崎兄弟の軌跡をたどる』荒尾市、2018年、24頁。
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 34
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 35
- ^ 藤田美実、「<論説>文学と革命と恋愛と哲学と : 一冊の本の源流を尋ねて」『立正大学文学部論叢』 80巻 p.5-34, 1984, 立正大学文学部, ISSN 0485215X。
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 45
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 53
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 55-58
- ^ Shinkichi et al. 2014, p. 59
- ^ Littler, Joel (4 January 2024). "A Song of Fallen Flowers : Miyazaki Tōten and the making of naniwabushi as a mode of popular dissent in transwar Japan, 1902–1909". Modern Asian Studies: 1–24. doi:10.1017/S0026749X23000392. ISSN 0026-749X.
External links
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Media related to Tōten Miyazaki at Wikimedia Commons
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