?
Обретение личности: Фукудзава Юкити о своей учебе в школе Огата Коан (глава «Школа Огата» из «Автобиографии старца Фукудзавы»). Перевод и комментарии А. Н. Мещерякова
Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835–1901) is rightly considered a person who made a
significant contribution to introducing Western civilization to Japan. His writings
on politics, society, state, pedagogy, i.e., products of “mature” Fukuzawa, are often
being studied. However, Fukuzawa’s personality itself usually remains outside the
scope of such studies. But it seems extremely important to understand how the
personality of this outstanding educator, who dared to raise his hand against the
fundamental values of the state and society of the Tokugawa era, was formed. This
will allow us to understand not only Fukuzawa himself, but also the type of person
who was in demand during the time of revolutionary change.
In 1899 Fukuzawa published his autobiography (Fukuō Jiden). It is considered
the first “full-fledged” work of the autobiographical genre in Japan. In this text,
with unprecedented frankness for former Japan, the author talks about himself.
Fukuzawa dictated the text to a stenographer, so his publication has all the usual
properties of spontaneous oral speech: liveliness, vulgarisms, factual errors,
repetitions, contradictory statements, spontaneity and some randomness. This
does not change the fact that Fukuzawa was an observant man and an excellent
storyteller. A significant part of the “Autobiography” is devoted to his childhood
and youth, that is, the time when the formation of one’s personality occurs.
In this publication, we provide a translation of a chapter dedicated to
Fukuzawa’s studies at the Osaka School of Medicine, which was opened by
Ogata Kōan (1810–1863), a famous doctor who practiced European medicine.
About three thousand people graduated from his school. In Fukuzawa’s
description, the students at this school were characterized by deviant behavior,
which provided them with an identity different from the personality type that
prevailed in Tokugawa Japan. Many graduates of the Ogata school later became
famous and had a significant influence on the appearance of the new Japan,
which was significantly different from the old Japan.