was a Japanese historian and moral philosopher.

Early life

Watsuji was born in

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

to a physician. During his youth he enjoyed poetry and had a passion for

Western literature Western literature, also known as European literature, is the literature written in the context of Western culture in the languages of Europe, as well as several geographically or historically related languages such as Basque and Hungarian, an ...

. For a short time he was the coeditor of a literary magazine and was involved in writing poems and plays. His interests in philosophy came to light while he was a student at First Higher School in Tokyo, although his interest in literature would always remain strong throughout his life. In his early writings (between 1913 and 1915) he introduced the work of

Søren Kierkegaard Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , , ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on ...

to Japan, as well as working on

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

, but in 1918 he turned against this earlier position, criticizing Western philosophical

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...

, and attacking its influence on Japanese thought and life. This led to a study of the roots of Japanese culture, including Japanese

Buddhist art Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, and ...

, and notably the work of the medieval

Zen Buddhist Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Dōgen Dōgen Zenji (道元禅師; 26 January 1200 – 22 September 1253), also known as Dōgen Kigen (道元希玄), Eihei Dōgen (永平道元), Kōso Jōyō Daishi (高祖承陽大師), or Busshō Dentō Kokushi (仏性伝東国師), was a Ja ...

. Watsuji was also interested in the famous Japanese writer

Natsume Sōseki , born , was a Japanese novelist. He is best known around the world for his novels ''Kokoro'', '' Botchan'', ''I Am a Cat'', '' Kusamakura'' and his unfinished work '' Light and Darkness''. He was also a scholar of British literature and writer ...

, whose books were influential during Watsuji's early years.

Career

In the early 1920s Watsuji taught at Toyo,

Hosei is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of la ...

and Keio universities, and at Tsuda Eigaku-juku (now,

Tsuda University is a private women's university based at Kodaira, Tokyo. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious higher educational institutions for women in Japan, contributing to the advancement of women in society for more than a century. History The u ...

). The issues of

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate c ...

attracted his attention, especially the hermeneutics of Boeckh and

Dilthey Dilthey is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Helmut Dilthey (1894–1918), German First World War flying ace *Karl Dilthey (1839–1907) German classical scholar and archaeologist *Wilhelm Dilthey Wilhelm Dilthey (; ; 19 No ...

. In March 1925, Watsuji became a lecturer at

Kyoto Imperial University , mottoeng = Freedom of academic culture , established = , type = Public (National) , endowment = ¥ 316 billion (2.4 billion USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to disting ...

, joining the other leading philosophers of the time, Nishida Kitaro and

Tanabe Hajime was a Japanese philosopher of science, particularly of mathematics and physics. In 1947 he became a member of the Japan Academy, and in 1950 he received the Order of Cultural Merit. Tanabe was a key member of what has become known in the Wes ...

. In July, he was promoted to associate professor of ethics. In January 1927, it was decided that he would go to Germany for 3 years for his research on the history of moral thought. He departed on 17th February and finally arrived in Berlin in early April. In the beginning of summer, he read Heidegger’s ''

Being and Time ''Being and Time'' (german: Sein und Zeit) is the 1927 ''magnum opus'' of German philosopher Martin Heidegger and a key document of existentialism. ''Being and Time'' had a notable impact on subsequent philosophy, literary theory and many other ...

'' which had just come out. He then went to Paris. He left Paris in early December and arrived in Genoa on the 12th of that month. From January to March 1928, he travelled to Rome, Naples, Sicily, Florence, Bologna, Ravenna, Padua and Venice. He then cut his trip short, returning to Japan in early July. So his stay in Europe only lasted for roughly a year. In March 1931, he was promoted to full professor at Kyoto Imperial University. He then moved to the

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

in July 1934 and held the chair in ethics until his retirement in March 1949. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

his theories (which claimed the superiority of Japanese approaches to and understanding of human nature and ethics, and argued for the negation of self) provided support for

Japanese nationalism is a form of nationalism that asserts the belief that the Japanese are a monolithic nation with a single immutable culture, and promotes the cultural unity of the Japanese. Over the last two centuries, it has encompassed a broad range of ideas a ...

, a fact which, after the war, he said that he regretted. Watsuji died at the age of 71.

Work

Watsuji's three main works were his two-volume 1954 ''History of Japanese Ethical Thought'', his three-volume ''

Ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

'', first published in 1937, 1942, and 1949, and his 1935 ''Climate''. The last of these develops his most distinctive thought. In it, Watsuji argues for an essential relationship between

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

and other environmental factors and the nature of human

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

s, and he distinguished three types of culture: pastoral, desert, and monsoon. Watsuji wrote that

Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

involves raising a struggle to a life-transcending level by freeing oneself from an attachment to life.

List of works

''Collected Works'' ��辻哲郎全集 27 vols. (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1961-91) W CW1 * ''Studies on

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...

'' ��イチェ研究(Tokyo: Uchida Rôkakuho ��田老鶴圃 1913). * ''

'' ��エレン・キェルケゴオル(Tokyo: Uchida Rôkakuho ��田老鶴圃 1915). CW2 * ''Pilgrimages to the Ancient Temples'' ��寺巡礼(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1919). * ''

Katsura Imperial Villa The , or Katsura Detached Palace, is an Imperial residence with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan. Located on the western bank of the Katsura River in Katsura, Nishikyō-ku, the Villa is 8km distant fro ...

: Investigating the Background Behind Its Style'' ��離宮——様式の背後を探る(Tokyo: Chûô Kôronsha ��央公論社 1958). :: Originally published as ''Katsura Imperial Villa: Reflections on Its Construction Process'' ��離宮——製作過程の考察(Tokyo: Chûô Kôronsha ��央公論社 1955), it was significantly rewritten after receiving criticism from the architectural historian Ôta Hirotarô. * Eyes of the

Haniwa The are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. ''Haniwa'' were created according to the ''wazumi'' technique, ...

Statue ��物埴輪の眼* What the

Maijishan Grottoes The Maijishan Grottoes (), formerly romanized as Maichishan, are a series of 194 caves cut in the side of the hill of Maijishan in Tianshui, Gansu Province, northwest China. This example of rock cut architecture contains over 7,200 Buddhist s ...

Tell Us ��積山塑像の示唆するもの CW3 * ''Ancient Japanese Culture'' ��本古代文化(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1920). * ''The Hidden Japan'' ��もれた日本(Tokyo: Shinchôsha ��潮社 1951). CW4 * ''Studies on Japanese Intellectual History'', Vol. 1 ��本精神史研究(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1926). * ''Studies on Japanese Intellectual History'', Vol. 2 ��日本精神史研究(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1935). CW5 * ''The Practical Philosophy of Early Buddhism'' ��始仏教の実践哲学(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1927). * The Beginnings of Buddhist Philosophy ��教哲学の最初の展開 CW6 * ''Professor Koeber'' ��ーベル先生(Tokyo: Kôbundô ��文堂 1948). * ''Critique of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

'' ��メーロス批判(Tokyo: Kaname Shobô ��書房 1946). * ''

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

'' ��子(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1938). * ''Forerunners of the Modern Philosophy of History'' ��代歴史哲学の先駆者(Tokyo: Kôbundô ��文堂 1950). :: On Vico among others. CW7 * ''The Cultural Significance of Early Christianity'' ��始キリスト教の文化的意義(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1926). * ''Ethics of Humanity in the

Polis ''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Later, it also ...

'' ��リス的人間の倫理学(Tokyo: Hakujitsu Shoin ��日書院 1948). CW8 * ''Climate: Philosophico-Anthropological Reflections'' ��土——人間学的考察(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1935). * ''Pilgrimages to the Ancient Temples of Italy'' ��タリア古寺巡礼(Tokyo: Kaname Shobô ��書房 1950). CW9 * ''Ethics as the Study of Humanity'' ��間の学としての倫理学(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1934). * ''

Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemolo ...

’s Critique of Practical Reason'' ��ント実践理性批判(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1935). * ''Personality and Human Nature'' ��格と人類性(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1938). CW10 * ''Ethics'', Vol. 1 ��理学(上)(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1937-49). CW11 * ''Ethics'', Vol. 2 ��理学(下)(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1937-49). CW12 * ''A History of Japanese Ethical Thought'', Vol. 1 ��本倫理思想史(上)(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1952). CW13 * ''A History of Japanese Ethical Thought'', Vol. 2 ��本倫理思想史(下)(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1952). CW14 * ''Royalist Thought and Its Tradition'' ��皇思想とその伝統(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1943). * ''The Way of the Imperial Subject in Japan'' ��本の臣道(Tokyo: Chikuma Shobô ��摩書房 1944). :: Published together with ''The National Character of the United States'' ��メリカの国民性 The book was banned and destroyed by

SCAP SCAP may refer to: * S.C.A.P., an early French manufacturer of cars and engines * Security Content Automation Protocol * ''The Shackled City Adventure Path'', a role-playing game * SREBP cleavage activating protein * Supervisory Capital Assessment ...

during the US Occupation.文部省社会教育局編『連合国軍総司令部から没収を命ぜられた宣伝用刊行物総目録』1949年 (https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1159482/169). * ''The Symbol of National Unification'' ��民統合の象徴(Tokyo: Keisô Shobô ��草書房 1948). CW15 * ''

Sakoku was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...

: Japan’s Tragedy'' ��国——日本の悲劇(Tokyo: Chikuma Shobô ��摩書房 1950). CW16 * ''Studies on the History of Japanese Art:

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

and Jōruri'' ��本芸術史研究——歌舞伎と操り浄瑠璃(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1955). CW17 * ''The Revival of the

Idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

'' ��像再興(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1918). * ''Mask and

Persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally ref ...

'' ��とペルソナ(Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten ��波書店 1937). * ''The National Character of the United States'' ��メリカの国民性(Tokyo: Chikuma Shobô ��摩書房 1944). :: Published together with ''The Way of the Imperial Subject in Japan'' ��本の臣道 CW18 * ''An Attempt at Autobiography'' ��叙伝の試み(Tokyo: Chûô Kôronsha ��央公論社 1961). :: Unfinished work, posthumous publication. CW19 * A History of Buddhist Ethical Thought ��教倫理思想史 CW20-24 * Essays CW25 * Letters CW26 * Lecture Notes CW27 * Notes and Miscellanea

English translations

* 1961: ''Climate and Culture: A Philosophical Study'' trans. from by Geoffrey Bownas (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press) * 1969: ''Japanese Ethical Thought in the

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...

Plays of the

Muromachi Period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

'' trans. from chapter 4 of by David A. Dilworth (''Monumenta Nipponica'' 24:4, 467-498

* 1971: ''The Significance of Ethics As the Study of Man'' trans. from the introduction to vol. 1 by David A. Dilworth (''Monumenta Nipponica'' 26:3/4, 395-413

* 1996: ''Watsuji Tetsurō's Rinrigaku: Ethics in Japan'' trans. from the first half of vol. 1 by Seisaku Yamamoto & Robert Carter (Albany: State University of New York Press) * 1998: Various essays in ''Sourcebook for Modern Japanese Philosophy'' by David Dilworth and Valdo Viglielmo with Agustin Jacinto Zavala. * 2009: ''Mask and Persona'' trans. from by Carl M. Johnso

* 2009: ''The Psychology of

Idol Worship Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith, and Islam) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the A ...

'' trans. from by Carl M. Johnso

* 2011: ''Purifying Zen: Watsuji Tetsurō's Shamon Dōgen'' trans. from by Steve Bein (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press

* 2011: ''Pilgrimages to the Ancient Temples in Nara, Nara, Nara'' trans. from by Hiroshi Nara (Portland, ME: MerwinAsia) (201

* 2021: “Professor Koeber” trans. K.M.J. Shuttleworth and Sayaka Shuttleworth. ''The Journal of East Asian Philosophy'' 1: 75–99 (2021

* 2021: “Middle School” from Attempt at an Autobiography trans. K.M.J. Shuttleworth and Sayaka Shuttleworth. ''European Journal of Japanese Philosophy'' 6: 267–322 (2021

* 2021: “America’s National Character” trans. K.M.J. Shuttleworth and Sayaka Shuttleworth. ''Philosophy East and West'' 71 (4):1005-1028 (202

Notes

References

* Maraldo, John C. (2001). "Watsuji" in ''A Companion to the Philosophers'' (

Robert L. Arrington Robert L. Arrington (October 19, 1938 - June 20, 2015) was an American philosopher, specialising in moral philosophy, the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein, and the philosophy of psychology. Arrington was born in Bainbridge, Georgia, and educated ...

, editor). Oxford: Blackwell. * Marra, Michael F. (2002)
''Japanese hermeneutics: Current Debates on Aesthetics and Interpretation.''
Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
OCLC 237578040
* Mayeda, Graham. ''Japanese Philosophers on Society and Culture: Nishida Kitarō, Watsuji Tetsurō, and Kuki Shūzō''. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2020. * ———. (2006). ''Time, Space and Ethics in the Philosophy of Watsuji Tetsurō, Kuki Shūzō, and Martin Heidegger''. New York: Routledge. (alk. paper). * Hans Peter Liederbach (2001): ''Martin Heidegger im Denken Watsuji Tetsuros'', München: Iudicium,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watsuji, Tetsuro 1889 births 1960 deaths 20th-century Japanese philosophers Cultural historians Hosei University faculty Intellectual historians Japanese ethicists Japanese nationalism Japanese philosophers Keio University faculty Kyoto School Kyoto University faculty Moral philosophers People from Himeji, Hyōgo People of Shōwa-period Japan Philosophers of art Philosophers of religion Recipients of the Order of Culture Tsuda University faculty University of Tokyo alumni