Nishida Kitaro - Nishida Kitaro

Japanese: 西田幾多郎 - にしだきたろう

Philosopher. Born in Unoki Village (now Kahoku City) near Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. His pen name was Sunshin. After the Meiji Restoration, Western learning and art were introduced, and the entire culture of the new Japan began to undergo fundamental changes and progress in its style. He not only introduced contemporary Western philosophy, but also made the best of it his own, and was the first representative philosopher to create his own original philosophy by integrating the essence of Buddhism (especially Zen) and Confucianism, which had been the core of the spiritual and religious life of the Japanese people since the samurai period. He published a book called "A Study of Good" (1911), which was a collection of his papers from time to time. It is generally considered to be the first original philosophical book for modern Japan, which had been promoting Westernization since the Meiji Restoration.

In the early Meiji period, when schools were not yet established and change was rapid, he attended elementary and middle school, then a high school that would later become Kanazawa Fourth High School (he dropped out due to eye problems), and studied at the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Letters, Tokyo Imperial University. After graduating, he became a professor at Kanazawa Fourth High School and Gakushuin, among other places, and in 1910 (Meiji 43) became an assistant professor at the Faculty of Letters, Kyoto Imperial University. He lectured on philosophy, ethics, and religious philosophy. In 1913 (Taisho 2), he obtained his doctorate in literature. The following year, in 1914, he published a paper titled "Intuition and Reflection in Self-Awareness" in the journal of the Kyoto University Philosophy Department, "Geibun," and later in the newly established journal, "Tetsugaku Kenkyu," over a period of five years, 44 times in total. It was soon published by Iwanami Shoten under the same title. Along with "Study of the Good," these two books had an enormous impact on young philosophers and students in the Taisho era. It is not a work that has produced anything that could be labeled as a special conclusion or a new theory, and in particular with regard to "Intuition and Reflection in Self-Awareness," the author himself states in the preface that "This book is a document of the struggle of my thought. After many twists and turns, it must be said that I ultimately arrived at no new ideas or solutions. I may not be able to escape the criticism that I have reached the end of my sword and am begging to surrender to the army of mysticism."

In 1940 (Showa 15), he was awarded the Order of Culture.

[Iwao Takayama September 16, 2016]

The Essence of Nishida's Philosophy

"To study philosophy is to learn to philosophize" (philosophieren), said Kant, who can be said to be the founder of German philosophy. I believe that the true origin of the emergence of the so-called German idealist philosophers who fascinated the philosophical world of Western Europe for half a century lies in Kant's spirit of philosophy, "to philosophize." I also believe that the origin of the fascination with Japanese students of philosophy and the name "Kyoto philosophy" or "Kyoto school" is in the form of Nishida Kitaro's "lectures." In the few years leading up to his retirement as a professor at Kyoto University, not only were the lecture halls filled to capacity, but also the lectures were attended by students, graduates who teach in nearby prefectures, and professors and assistant professors from other faculties. I can still remember the quiet lecture scenes as Nishida, dressed in a kimono, paced back and forth on the podium.

Nishida's philosophy -- the first person to use the term "Nishida philosophy," which is unusual in Japan, was Kiichiro Souda, a professor at Tokyo University of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University) -- began to undergo a major transformation in his lectures at the end of the Taisho era, when he was approaching retirement age and the unusual term "place" appeared, and eventually an article with the same title was published in the journal "Tetsugaku Kenkyu." The word "place" is not an uncommon everyday word, and Plato also had the concept of the "place of ideas," which Nishida actually used in his lectures. However, in order to understand Nishida's philosophy of place in his later years, and also in the long "Documents of Struggle" period before that, the following important point must be noted here. It is Nishida's deep interest in Buddhism, especially Zen, and his Zen training since his Kanazawa days, and without this, it is impossible to truly understand Nishida's philosophy.

[Iwao Takayama September 16, 2016]

Nishida Philosophy and Zen

I have never directly asked Nishida Kitaro when his relationship with Zen began, but when he entered the aforementioned Fourth Higher School, Suzuki Daisetsu was in the same class as him. It is well known that Suzuki Daisetsu became involved in Zen at an early age and remained involved in it throughout his life, becoming known around the world for his collection of Zen Essays in English. As those close to Nishida know, Nishida Sunshin had an extremely close relationship with Suzuki Daisetsu since their days at Fourth Higher School, and when he asked him about Zen, he would tell him to ask Suzuki or Hisamatsu Shinichi, his oldest disciple from his days at Kyoto University.

How much Nishida was absorbed in Zen can be seen from the diary of his youth, but even if we examine his chronology (vol. 19 of the Complete Works of Nishida Kitaro), we can see that he became interested in Zen at the age of 28, visited four Zen masters, Unmon, Tekisui (1822-1899), Guangzhou, and Kokan, and participated in a seven-day summer sesshin at Myoshinji Temple in Kyoto, continuing his Zen training at Myoshinji Temple. From around the age of 30, he continued to visit Unmon Roshi at Garyozan Roshi on the outskirts of Kanazawa. He received the title "Sunshin Koji" from Unmon Roshi. I will not go into this further here, but it is important to note that Nishida's extremely unique philosophy would not have been established apart from Zen, and conversely, even if a Westerner who studied Western philosophy and became an excellent philosopher came to Japan and practiced Zen, he would inevitably feel uncomfortable with Nishida's style of philosophy and would not be able to build a position of his own.

The relationship between Nishida's philosophy and Zen is not merely an external one, such as the use of Zen terminology, but rather, his contemplation, which is inwardly integrated with the Zen experience, becomes philosophical terminology different from Zen terminology (for example, the place of absolute nothingness), and becomes its logic.

Before taking up his post at Kyoto University, Nishida taught as a professor at Gakushuin (1909). Although it was only a short period of one year, during this time it seems that many children of aristocrats, including Duke Konoe Fumimaro, were influenced by Nishida and became his followers. When Nishida moved to Kyoto as a professor at Kyoto University, Konoe enrolled at Kyoto University (not in the Faculty of Letters) and seems to have created opportunities to meet with Nishida and receive his teachings. As the Pacific War was drawing storms and Nishida was operating secretly under the curtain of the political world, the author believes that Nishida and Konoe had some kind of direct or indirect connection in the political world.

[Iwao Takayama September 16, 2016]

"The Complete Works of Nishida Kitaro, 19 volumes (1965-1966, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "The Collected Calligraphy of Nishida Kitaro, 1 volume (1977, Toeisha)" ▽ "The Complete Works of Nishida Kitaro, New Edition, 24 volumes (2002-2009, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Arai Masao, Reading Nishida's Philosophy: Interpretation of Hegel and Theory of the State (2001, Koyoshobo)" ▽ Takemura Makio, Nishida Kitaro and Buddhism: Exploring the Foundations of Zen and Shin Buddhism (2002, Daito Publishing)" ▽ Kobayashi Toshiaki, Nishida Kitaro's Melancholy (2003, Iwanami Shoten/Iwanami Gendai Bunko)"

Kitaro Nishida
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Kitaro Nishida

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

哲学者。石川県金沢市近傍の宇ノ気村（現、かほく市）に生まれる。号は寸心。明治維新後、欧米の学問、芸術が入り、新日本の文化万般がその様式において根本的な変革と前進を始めた時期、欧米の現代哲学を紹介するのみならず、その優れたものを自家薬籠(やくろう)中のものとし、これを日本精神史、わけても武家時代以後、日本民族の精神的、宗教的生活の中核をなしてきた仏教（別して禅）と儒教の精髄を統合して独自の哲学を創建した最初の代表的哲学者である。ときどき発表した論文を集めて1冊の著書としたのが『善の研究』（1911）である。これは明治維新以来の欧風化を進める近代日本にとって、最初の独創的な哲学書とみるのが通説のようである。

　学制定まらず変革激しい明治初期であるが、初中校を経、のちに金沢の第四高等学校となる高等中学を経（目を病み中途退学する）、東京帝国大学文科大学哲学選科にて学ぶ。卒業後、金沢四高教授、学習院教授等を経、1910年（明治43）京都帝国大学文科大学助教授となる。哲学、倫理学、さらに宗教哲学も講ずる。1913年（大正2）文学博士。翌1914年より『自覚に於(お)ける直観と反省』なる論文を京大哲学科の機関誌『芸文』に、のちに新設の機関誌『哲学研究』に続いて発表、回を重ねること前後44回、5年にわたる。まもなく岩波書店より同名の標題の著書として出版される。『善の研究』と並び、この2書は大正年代の哲学青年・学徒に与えた影響すこぶる大であった。特別結論とか新学説とか銘打たれるようなものを産出した著述ではなく、とくに『自覚に於ける直観と反省』は、著者自身「此(この)書は余の思索に於ける悪戦苦闘のドッキュメントである。幾多の紆余(うよ)曲折の後、余は遂(つい)に何等の新しい思想も解決も得なかったと言はなければならない。刀折れ矢竭(つ)きて降を神秘の軍門に請ふたという譏(そしり)を免(まぬがれ)ないかも知れない」と序に述べている。

　1940年（昭和15）文化勲章受章。

［高山岩男　2016年9月16日］

西田哲学の本質

哲学を学ぶとは「哲学する」philosophierenことを学ぶことだとは、ほかならぬドイツ哲学の始祖といってよいカントのいったことばである。半世紀にわたって西欧の哲学界を魅了したいわゆるドイツ観念論の哲学者たちを輩出させた本当の根源を、筆者はこのカントの「哲学する」という哲学の魂に存すると考えてきている者であるが、日本の哲学学徒を魅了し、世間に「京都哲学」とか「京都学派」とかよばれるようになった根源は、西田幾多郎の「講義」の姿にあると信じている。京都大学教授の停年も近づく数年間は、大講堂があふれるというだけでなく、学生のほか、近県で教鞭(きょうべん)をとる卒業生をはじめ、他の学部の教授・助教授がそのなかに混じって聴講し、講壇上を和服姿で行きつ戻りつする西田の姿を追い、水を打ったように静かであった講義風景を、筆者はいまなお思い出すことができる。

　このような西田哲学も――「西田哲学」という日本では珍しい呼び方をした最初の人は、東京商科大学（現、一橋(ひとつばし)大学）の教授だった左右田喜一郎(そうだきいちろう)である――停年が近づく大正末年の講義において大きな変換をし始め、「場所」という珍しい用語が飛び出し、やがて同名の論文が機関誌『哲学研究』に掲載された。場所ということばはなにも珍しくない日常語で、プラトンにも「イデアの場所」という概念があり、事実西田もこれを講義で援用したが、晩年の場所の哲学を理解するにも、またそれ以前の長い「悪戦苦闘のドッキュメント」時代の西田哲学を理解するにも、次の重大なことをここに記しておかなければならない。それは金沢時代からの西田の仏教、別して禅に対する深い関心と参禅修行のことで、これを抜きにしては西田哲学なるものを真には理解できないのである。

［高山岩男　2016年9月16日］

西田哲学と禅

西田幾多郎と禅との関係はいつ始まるか直接に聞きただしたことはないが、前記の四高に入校したとき、同級に鈴木大拙(すずきだいせつ)がいた。この鈴木大拙が早く、そしてまた生涯禅と離れず、英文の『禅論文集』をもって世界に知られた人物であることは周知のとおりである。西田寸心がこの鈴木大拙と四高以来きわめて親密な間柄にあることは西田に接近している人の知るとおりで、禅の話を尋ねると大拙に聞けとか、京大時代のもっとも古い門弟久松真一に聞けとかいわれたものである。

　西田がいかに禅に凝ったかは、残された若い時代の日記ですぐわかるが、年譜（『西田幾多郎全集』第19巻）を検しても、28歳のころ参禅の関心高まり、雲門、滴水（1822―1899）、広州、虎関(こかん)の4禅師を歴訪しており、京都妙心寺にての夏の大接心に7日間参加をはじめ、妙心寺での参禅は続いており、30歳ころからは金沢郊外臥龍山(がりょうざん)雲門老師に参じ続けたもののようである。「寸心居士」の号はこの雲門老師より受けている。いまこれ以上言及しないが、注意したい点は、この禅を離れて西田のきわめて独自な哲学は成立しなかったであろうし、逆に、西洋人で西洋哲学を学び、優秀な哲学者となった人が日本にきて参禅したとしても、西田哲学風の哲学に違和感は避けられず、自らこの種の立場を建設することはできないであろうということである。

　西田哲学と禅との関係は、単に禅語を使用するという風の外面的のものでなく、禅体験と内面的に融合した思索が禅語と異なる哲学用語となり（たとえば絶対無の場所など）、その論理となるということである。

　西田は京都大学に赴任する前、学習院に教授として教鞭をとった（1909）。ごく短い1年の期間であったが、この期間に近衛文麿(このえふみまろ)（公爵）をはじめ、貴族の子弟が西田に影響され帰依(きえ)したようである。西田が京大教授として京都に移るや、近衛は京都大学に入学（文学部ではない）、西田と会合する機会をつくって教えを受けていたもののようである。太平洋戦争の雲行き暗く、政界の暗幕下でひそかに動くなかから西田の名を聞くに及んで、筆者は、西田と直接間接、政界になにかの関係があったのでないかと思っている。

［高山岩男　2016年9月16日］

『『西田幾多郎全集』全19巻（1965～1966・岩波書店）』▽『『西田幾多郎遺墨集』1巻（1977・燈影舎）』▽『『西田幾多郎全集　新版』全24巻（2002～2009・岩波書店）』▽『荒井正雄著『西田哲学読解――ヘーゲル解釈と国家論』（2001・晃洋書房）』▽『竹村牧男著『西田幾多郎と仏教――禅と真宗の根底を究める』（2002・大東出版社）』▽『小林敏明著『西田幾多郎の憂鬱』（2003・岩波書店／岩波現代文庫）』