Philosophy in Japan

A translation of Miki's short writing entitled "Tetsugaku-no nai Nihon"「哲学のない日本」.  This is a work in progress. If you have any criticisms, suggestions, questions, etc., please contact the translator. 
Special thanks to Cody Staton (KU Leuven) for the helpful suggestions.

This is a partial translation of Kuki Shūzō's "Gūzensei-no mondai" 偶然性の問題 (1935). This translation is a work in progress and if you have any suggestions, criticisms, questions, etc., please feel free to contact the translator.
Special thanks to Sean Winkler for his variable comments on the text.

An English translation of Miki Kiyoshi's "Katarare-zaru Tetsugaku" 語られざる哲学 (1919). A page break is indicated with two vertical lines (||) and a paragraph change, inserted by the translator, is indicated with a single vertical line (|). This is the first of the twelve sections that constitute the whole essay (which would amount to 90 pages or so). This translation is a work in progress and please feel free to contact the translator for suggestions, criticisms, concerns, discussions, etc.

'Lolita is back.’ As early as 1996, Hannah J. L. Feldman made this statement in regard to a newly emerging phenomenon, represented at the time in art and popular culture, by a ‘triumphant emblem of a newly configured’ feminist model for the young woman, who, unlike Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 heroine, ‘no longer represents a young girl’s vulnerability to an older man’s lascivious desires’ (52). ‘To be Lolita’, she declared, now ‘means to take control… and to reverse the pejorative connotations of [male dominance] and aggressive sexual behavior’ (Feldman 1996: 52). Under this particular banner of ‘Lolita’ has grown a fashion-based youth movement known as Gothic & Lolita, a youth street subculture that originated in Japan and is rapidly gaining worldwide appeal.
The most prominent face of the Gothic & Lolita subculture is the Lolita herself (gothloli, gosurori), the young woman whose style, based on little girls’ fashions of the Rococo, Romantic and Victorian periods, is signified by her doll-like or childish appearance. As the Lolita also commonly collects and plays with dolls, and sometimes parades with them on the street, this preoccupation is, therefore, often seen as superficial and meaningless, and disregarded as merely another development of a perceived Japanese obsession with all things ‘cute’ (kawaii), which has been represented in terms of an ‘infantile mentality’ (Kageyama 2006). However, this dismissive attitude overlooks more complex psychological and sociological issues behind the motivation towards participation in the Japanese Lolita movement. It also fails to recognise the subculture as a ‘transgressive model for representing female sexuality’ (Feldman 1996: 52).
As it is essentially a ‘feminine’ movement, the Lolita subculture is unique. What sets this phenomenon apart from the subcultural ‘model’ is that the face of the Lolita is paradigmatically female. Whilst, according to Dick Hebdige’s observation ‘girls have [in the past] been relegated to a position of secondary interest within both sociological and photographic studies of urban youth, and [that] masculine bias [has existed]… in the subcultures themselves’, the Japanese Lolita movement, as noted by Yuniya Kawamura (2007), is essentially a girls’ subculture (344), which may be understood in terms of a tribal empowerment against the so-called ‘Lolita Complex’, a term applied by sociologists in Japan to a ‘male desire for girlish women’ (Feldman 1996: 55).
How, though, does one battle against a paradigm of male dominance, female vulnerability and victimisation, from a position that appears to adopt the very construct that is being challenged? The Lolita, after all, in her embracement of frills and childish frippery, may lead one to suggest that her behavior is, in fact, frivolous and morally irresponsible. Herein lays the paradox. What is shocking about the Lolita subculture is exactly this: although many members (Japanese or otherwise) choose to deny any sexual connotations in regard to either their appearance or infantile habits, the Lolita’s adoption of a seemingly submissive, yet sexually provocative identity (even in the acceptance of the Lolita tag) is controversial and contentious, and therefore rebellious. Furthermore, the new Lolita reclaims her right to be feminine. She hijacks the male fantasy, turns it on its head, takes possession of and power over it, and escapes with it to her own realm, one that is instead controlled by a force of ‘girlish’ women. 
This chapter discusses the impetus for this Lolita phenomenon in Japan and its increasing relevance and importance for young women worldwide.
References:
Feldman, H. J. L. (1996), The Lolita Complex, World Art (Australia) 2, pp. 52 – 57
Kageyama, Y. (2006), Cute is King for the Youth of Japan but It's Only Skin Deep, The New Zealand Herald, Friday 16 June, p. B3
Kawamura, Y. (2007), Japanese Street Fashion: The Urge to be Seen and to be Heard, in Welters, L., and Lillethun, A. (eds), The Fashion Reader, Oxford and New York: Berg.

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The Society's artistic justification and value will grow and develop over time in synchrony with the scientific content, becoming an important illustration of the possibility of unifying science and art in the life of Man. This indeed may reveal itself to be the highest value generated by the study of the human visage in all its mysterious dimensions through the worldwide activities of the Society for Faces.

Readers are advised that this paper forms the foundation for three newer writings that should be read together with it for an integrated and particularized approach to the context, the form (or plan), the neurophysiological underpinnings, and the exhibition of the Trifurcated Face of Man (see 'Plan of Face Derived and Explained,' The Soul of Life and the Spirit of War,' and 'Desiderata for Primary Exhibition of the Face' on this page).

A fifth paper ('Convergences of Human Face in Life and Death') will, in due course, clarify and strengthen the contributions to the theory of the face by the present author and form the basis for substantial new research on the idealist theory of the Visage of Man by theorizing the integration of the individual facial conformation at first maturity with the totalized face in death (the Totenmask), all as envisioned by the 'Prospectus of the Society for Faces,' but now at last rooted in true psychology and demonstrable neurophysical reality.

Readers of this foundational paper originally dated 2000 will benefit from our recently uploaded analytical conspectus ('Analysis of Max Picard's "Human Face" With Implications for Portraiture and Its Exhibition') (which is essentially paper #6).

Coming soon in addition is a further paper ('Thematic Apperceptions of Max Picard's "Human Face" With Implications for Portraiture and Its Exhibition') (which will be #7) based on a close re-reading of Picard's masterwork in the astoundingly faithful poetical dress given to it by the late screenwriter S. Goldstein (1930), originally published in New York.

The translation of Picard is not mentioned in published accounts of Goldstein's career or in his 'New York Times' obituary (he died in 1970) but it undoubtedly constitutes Goldstein's most notable literary achievement. This is especially noteworthy since Goldstein, who studied languages at Columbia University, was by all accounts obstreperously leftist-materialist in outlook (actually a communist) but in Picard brilliantly and objectively handled the masterwork of an extraordinarily strong idealist at the height of his powers.

This document gives the TOC of the Miki Kiyoshi Zenshū (Iwanami Shoten, 1966–68). This translation is a work in progress and many of the titles should be revised as their translations appear in the field of academia. If you have any criticisms, suggestions, questions, etc., please contact the translator. 
Special thanks to Cody Staton (KU Leuven) for the helpful suggestions.

This is a partial translation of Watsuji Tetsurō's "Ethics as the Study of Human." 

After working on this translation for a few months, I am absolutely convinced that it is far from being the perfect translation. I must confess that my knowledge of ancient Chinese is too poor (to say the least) and also that I left some serious difficulties with this translation unsolved. One of the complex issues with this text is the translation of the term "Ethics" (Chi. lúnlǐ,  Jp. rinri 倫理) and other relevant terms. Watsuji's reflections on the historical significance of the Chinese term 倫理 require that it should be referred as lúnlǐ (since he is reflecting on the original meaning that starkly differs from the general usage of the word "Ethics" in his contemporary west) but then, at some point, Watsuji seems to insert his own take on the philosophical notion of ethics. When his constructive use of the term "倫理" seems to take on its own meaning or if Watsuji seems to make his own contribution to the field of ethics, it would be more appropriate to translate 倫理 or 倫理学 as Rinri or Rinrigaku (as Yamamoto-Carter text clearly does).

This transition from Watsuji's historical narrative of the term to his original contribution seems take place in this section of "The Meaning of the Word 'Ethics' (rinri 倫理)" but I cannot yet make a conclusive claim on this issue. I would like to beg some patience from my readers (especially Watsuji specialists) in case they find this incomplete translation repulsive. I have learned so much from trying to translate this text and what I have so far could be useful for those who are curious to know what Watsuji says in this text without sufficient fluency in Japanese to read the original.

For the convenience of tracing the WTZ, a page break is indicated with two vertical lines (||) and translator's notes are put in brackets. This is a work in progress and if you have any suggestions, criticisms, questions, etc., please feel free to contact the translator. 

Special thanks to David Johnson for his helpful suggestions and constructive criticisms over the earlier draft.

Fukada Yasukazu 深田康算 (1878–1928) was one of the pioneers in the field of Aesthetics in modern Japan. In early 20th century, he taught Aesthetics at the Kyoto Imperial University (later University of Kyoto) where other notable thinkers (e.g.,  Nishida Kitaro, Hatano Seiichi and Watsuji Tetsuro) were teaching philosophy, religion and ethics.  Along with Kuki Shūzō, Fukada greatly influenced the leading contemporary theorist of aesthetics, Nakai Masakazu 中井正一 (1900–52).

"Il tema scelto per la sesta edizione: Agire o non-agire? Strategie di pensiero/azione in Oriente e Occidente; vuole porre l’attenzione sulla complessa tematica dell’agire  - intesa in tutte le sue sfaccettature: etica, pratica, politica, artistica, religiosa – in una logica comparata, che analizzi con uguale intensità, le tradizioni d’Oriente e d’Occidente.
Per fare questo, oltre alle due lectio magistralis tenute da due importanti studiosi del pensiero orientale, saranno attivati due laboratori che saranno animati da interventi di giovani ricercatori italiani.
Il primo sarà dedicato al tema dell’agire nel pensiero occidentale e il secondo, al pensiero orientale. Il laboratorio mira alla partecipazione attiva, allo scambio di idee e di prospettive, al confronto appassionato e diretto.
In un mondo globalizzato che affida all’agire il suo sviluppo tecnologico, una riflessione profonda sulle motivazioni che inducono all’azione, diventa assolutamente necessaria per comprendere le radici culturali e le possibilità future di un pianeta sempre più a rischio.
Il Seminario vuole rappresentare un punto di riferimento importante per quanti sono intenzionati a riflettere approfonditamente sulla possibilità di un incontro tra le culture.
"

This is a partial translation of Kuki Shūzō's『偶然性の問題』"Gūzensei-no mondai" (1935).
To maintain the difference between "gūzensei" (偶然性) and "gūzen" (偶然), I have translated the former as "contingency" and the latter as "contingents" (except for Chapter 2 Section 5). Whether or not this distinction has any significance needs further investigations and I also believe that there will be more cases in which it would be better to use different terms than contingency and/or contingents for conveying the meaning of 偶然 and 偶然性 in different contexts.
This translation is a work in progress and if you have any suggestions, criticisms, questions, etc., please feel free to contact the translator.

Synopsis This second annual international conference for IAJP aims at 1) further reinforcing Japanese philosophy as a global academic discipline; 2) exploring the potential of Japanese philosophy in its interface with the various philosophical traditions of East Asia, including, but not limited to, Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism; and 3) developing a solid research network within East Asia for the field of Japanese philosophy in order to facilitate its promotion across the world. Riding on the wave of the very successful first international meeting of IAJP in 2016, IAJP's second international conference will continue the promotion and development of Japanese philosophy globally. Although the reception of and confrontation with Western philosophy remains on the agenda of the 2017 conference, the IAJP also seeks to explore the comparatively underdeveloped but indeed important connection between Japanese philosophy and the philosophical traditions of East Asia. The philosophical and cultural diversity that Taiwan embraces will definitely provide conference participants an opportunity for inspiring intellectual exchange involving the people of Taiwan and scholars of Japanese philosophy from East Asia as well as other parts of the world. This conference welcomes proposals for critical and insightful presentations that challenge the study of Japanese philosophy through a re-reading and reconfiguring of related philosophical texts and issues, from the perspectives of Western as well as Eastern philosophical traditions. This conference specifically encourages young scholars to submit their proposals.  Topics may cover any period, figure, or context pertaining to Japanese philosophy and thought.

Nakai Masakazu 中井正一 (1900–1952) was a philosopher, social activist, librarian and film theorist from Japan. While drawing influences from the Kyoto School philosophers (and especially Fukada Yasukazu's aesthetics), he developed his own theories of aesthetics and his representative work "The Logic of Committee" (iinkai-no ronri 委員会の論理) has influenced many progressive intellectuals in Japan after the WWII.

A translation of Watsuji's text entitled "Ningen-no Gaku toshite-no Rinrigaku" 人間の学としての倫理学 (1934).  This translation is a work in progress. If you have any criticisms, suggestions, questions, etc., please contact the translator. 
Special thanks to Cody Staton (KU Leuven) and Anton Luis Sevilla (Ateneo de Manila University) for their critiques and editorial suggestions.

In the way human produce knowledge, I have identified two antagonist though complementary approaches toward phenomena. From Philosophy and within the Communication sciences that provide the necessary focus on interactions rather than being "object-oriented" (essential switch to undertake a scientific explanation of relational events), I provide a historical background and a set of notions aiming at  re-establishing relational approaches as legitimate scientific methodologies for investigation and research. This paper calls for an urgent need for relation-based complementary approaches in all fields of Science and with the help of the science communication shift, for the scientific acknowledgement of such approaches is unavoidable for anyone willing to tackle the so called actual societal and environmental challenges our modern societies are facing. This paper calls upon and sketches out the main angle (the centrality of technic and its philosophic consequences) chosen for both reporting and scientifically founding relation-based approaches.

This book on metaphor and culture looks at how culture somehow determine its use of metaphor. In this paper, Bruno Deschênes shows that the metaphor in the traditional aesthetic of Japanese art is deeply part of the Japanese traditional mode of thinking. He suggests that, to a large extent contrary to Western Metaphor in which words create metaphorical images, in Japanese way of thinking, what is felt and experienced is put metaphorical into words. In orders,  the metaphor is an outcome of images, not the other way around.

"Shinran (1173-1263 CE), the founder of True Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo Shinshū), is widely appreciated for the depth of his psychological insight, especially his exploration of the inner dimensions of faith. Struggling with doubts and turbulent emotions, he came to the realization that in the Pure Land path, "nirvana is attained without severing karmic afflictions." This dissertation examines the soteriological basis for this striking claim by analyzing a passage from section 9 of the Tannishō [A Record Lamenting Divergences]. In that passage, he deviates from long-held Buddhist tradition to argue that the very presence of karmic afflictions, rather than their complete elimination, is assurance of one's salvation. In interpreting this well-known passage, the dissertation brings two new perspectives to Shinran studies: his relation to traditional Tendai Amidist practices and an often overlooked terminological distinction in his writings.

First, by examining his deployment and reframing of religious practice in light of his training at Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei, this dissertation uncovers striking continuities between Shinran's radical approach and traditional Japanese Tendai visualization and
recitation practices. This discovery runs counter to the common assumption that Shinran’s Pure Land Buddhism represents a sharp break from Tendai. Second, a careful tracking of Shinran's use and definition of two terms for “entrusting faith” (shinjin and shingyō) reveals that although the two are often considered near synonyms, they actually refer to two distinct realms of experience. Namely, shinjin refers to that of the Shin Buddhist practitioner, that is, to the affective state of which ordinary beings are capable through faith. By contrast, shingyō refers to the enlightened heart-and-mind of Amida Buddha. In other words, his primary distinction between the realms of ignorance and enlightenment is made along affective lines. For Shinran, the experience of entrusting is an affective response that sentient beings make when they are touched by the compassionate activity of Amida Buddha. Further, this affectively "roiled up" experience of entrusting is itself a positive indicator of the (self-) illuminating activity of Amida Buddha in the Pure Land practitioner's life. As the karmic afflictions are the targets of Amida's compassionate activity, and simultaneously, the sign and assurance of that working, we see that for Shinran, one's very awareness of the presence of karmic afflictions is itself the verification of Amida's working.

To analyze further that affective dynamic between Amida and the Pure Land practitioner a comparison is made with Maurice Merleau-Ponty's non-dualistic notion of "flesh." In his exploration of the "tissue of things" between the seer and the seen, Merleau-Ponty shows an important way that human beings connect intimately with their perceptual world. Viewed from that perspective, the affects (however troubling), play a crucial role in Shinran's understanding of the Pure Land Path. They are the tissue connecting the Pure Land believer with Amida Buddha, and the ground upon which an affective community of believers are united through their inner awareness of themselves as struggling and flawed individuals."