어느 명치 일본작가의 종교관 연구-기타무라 도코쿠와 프로테스탄티즘

Abstract

Toukoku Kitamura, a Japanese poet and novelist of the Meiji era was committed to Protestantism, and detached himself from it. When he got married with a Japanese lady Mina, Toukoku was baptized at the Sukiyabashi Church, and soon after, he engaged himself in Christian missionary activity. Indeed, it is quite difficult to say definitely what kind of religious stage Toukoku tried to reach, and finally attained. It is because his religious view is nearly mystical. It is because he was not satisfied himself with Christianity that he approached to Oriental religious thoughts. Christian churches did not allow his criticism against Christian society, Toukoku went through hardships. In his works, we can see a kind of frustration in his speculation. But when he tried to enlighten the people in the Meiji era, he found a weapon in religious Unification. Such a revolutionary attempt could not easily accomplish its task, that is, the establishment of the modern self. It is because a kind of feudalism which lingered in the Meiji era fettered people's minds. As to Toukoku, his modern ego was not fertilized enough, because he died so young. This may have been a tragedy not only for Toukoku himself, but also for the modernizing Japan A japanese modern ego stopped its development at the immature state.