Tadano Makuzu
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- In this Japanese name, the family name is Tadano.
| Tadano Makuzu 只野真葛 |
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| Born | 1763 Edo |
|---|---|
| Died | 1825 Sendai |
| Occupation | Intellectual and author |
| Parents | Kudō Heisuke |
Tadano Makuzu (只野 真葛? 1763 — 1825), daughter of an Edo physician, wrote remarkable and prescient commentaries on Japan's social and political problems.
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[edit] Early life
Tadano Makuzu was born in 1763 as Kudō Ayako, the oldest daughter of Kudō Heisuke. Kudō Heisuke was a late-eighteenth century physician representing the Sendai domain in Edo. At the age of thirteen, Heisuke became the adopted son of Kudō Jōan, who was a physician of the retired lord of Sendai, Date Yoshimura. In 1754, Heisuke, a man in his twenties, inherited the physician position from his father. As Heisuke aged, he was known for his unprejudiced hospitality. He had guests from all different classes including “scholars, poets, actors, and …even gamblers” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 3-4). In addition to his hospitality, Kudō Heisuke was commonly revered for his extensive knowledge of Russia. As a result of his widespread knowledge on Russian affairs, Heisuke became acquainted with “the circle of Rangakusha” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 3-4). Heisuke knew that Japan needed to expand its knowledge base to the methods of countries other than itself even before the United States of America forced Japan to open its doors (Timperley, 1942: 346). As a revolutionary figure, Kudō Heisuke was also a part of the heroes, which was a small group that consisted of late Tokugawa anti-seclusionists. This group, which included “such figures as…Hayashi (Rin) Shihei, Honda Rimei, Hirayama Kozo, Sato Shinen, Hashimoto Sanai, and Yoshida Shoin,” shared views of expanding the Japanese empire (Conroy, 1951: 33). However, one of their most important concerns was protecting Japan from Russia (Conroy, 1951: 33).
Heisuke was one of the great minds that had knowledge on how to attempt to help protect Japan from Russia. In the eighteenth century, Heisuke believed that an establishment of trade relations with Russia was unavoidable, yet he was also aware that having such a relationship with Russia would prove to be beneficial to Japan in many ways. From this relationship, Japan could gain knowledge from the world outside of Japan on how to improve itself while also acquiring knowledge on how to prepare itself for when Russia would come back to fight (Timperley, 1942: 346). During his life, Heisuke also published a book by the name of Akaezo fūsetsu kō, meaning Report on the Land of the Red Ainu (i.e. Russia), in which Heisuke addressed a rumor at the time of Russia’s plans of raiding Ezo (Hokkaidō). As a precautionary measure, Heisuke advised that Japan should make movements to start developing and colonizing Ezo in order to prohibit Russian expansion into Ezo. In response to Heisuke’s advice on Ezo, Tanuma Okitsugu, a member of the rōjū, attempted to begin colonization of Ezo yet unfortunately, was removed from office in 1786, and the development of Ezo ceased (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 4-5). Tanuma's removal also affected Makuzu.
Growing up in Sukiyachō, Nihonbashi, Makuzu had a privileged childhood and due to her father’s involvement, had been exposed to much more than an ordinary Japanese girl. At the age of sixteen, Makuzu left her home and “entered the service of Princess Akiko, [who was the] daughter of Date Shigemura” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 4-5). During her time of service to Princess Akiko, Akiko married “into the Ii family of the Hikone domain” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 4-5). Loyal to her mistress, Makuzu followed Akiko to the Ii residence in Edo. In 1787, at the age of twenty-five, Makuzu left the service and returned to her parent’s house (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 5-6).
[edit] Marriage and Family
As a result of Tanuma’s removal from office, Kudō Heisuke’s plans for finding Makuzu’s marriage partner began to fall apart. However, in 1787 at the age of twenty-five, Makuzu married a retainer of the Sakai family from Tsuruoka domain, who happened to be much older than Makuzu. During her marriage, Makuzu became extremely miserable until the point where she was returned to her parent’s house. Over the next couple of years, Makuzu experienced a host of poignant events, which included the deaths of her grandmother, brother, three sisters, and mother. After the period of death, the remarried Heisuke was able to find Makuzu a second husband by the name of Tadano Iga Tsurayoshi. Iga was a high-ranking Date retainer and had been married before as well. In 1797, Makuzu married Iga and moved to his domain of Sendai, which was the domain where Makuzu was original from. Yet surprisingly, although they were married for fifteen years, Iga was only allowed to come to Sendai sixteen times to see Makuzu. Sadly, in 1800, Heisuke died due to illness leaving the pressure of continuing the Kudō family name on the last son, Genshirō. However, seven years later, Genshirō died. In attempt to continue the Kudō name, a cousin was adopted as a successor. Although the Kudō name lived on through the successor, the cousin “sold everything in the household” to pay off debt. Needless to say, Makuzu found the cousin’s reckless actions quite upsetting (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 6-8).
[edit] Education and Career
Makuzu's education contributed to her production a number of works in her lifetime. Due to her reputation of critiquing literary and Confucian studies, “Makuzu [was] often considered to belong to the nativist school” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 2). Scholars described Makuzu’s education as “learning based on experience” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 2). Kada no Tamiko was Makuzu’s first formal teacher, who “taught her to read and write in the style of Heian classics, such as Kokinshū and Ise monogatari” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 13). From then, Makuzu was trained in wabun poetry, in which she became quite a popular poet with her influence reaching as far as Edo. Then, at the age of forty-nine, Makuzu wrote Mukashibanashi, the work that is she best known for today. In Mukashibanashi, Makuzu tried to “provide a remembrance of [her] mother for her sister Teruko, who was still a child when [their] mother died” and “make her father’s name known to the world” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 8-13) Six years after starting Mukashibanashi, Makuzu started her next project writing Hitori kangae, in which she addressed her “often unconventional views on issues ranging from the sources of the economic problems of the warrior class to relations between men and women” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001: 9 and Tadano, 2001b: 173).
[edit] Major Concepts and Legacy
In Hitori Kangae, Makuzu discussed her critical views on gambling. In third part of Makuzu’s Hitori Kangae, Makuzu argued that she saw the experience of Buddhist enlightenment and gambling as the same experience with “the only difference [being] whether [it led] to good or evil” (Tadano, 2001b: 187). According to Makuzu, “‘enlightenment’ [was] what happen [ed] when a person’s mind suddenly extend[ed] itself…and then stay[ed] in that position” (Tadano, 2001b: 188). In Makuzu’s opinion, both, Buddhism enlightenment and gambling provided an upward floating experience. Makuzu believed that the people who did not experience this floating experience in life should be considered amateurs. Although Makuzu disapproved of the gambling lifestyle, she sympathized for the victims of the powerful evil of gambling. Yet despite her condolences to those to fall to such an evil, Makuzu praised the government for its role in prohibiting such practices. Makuzu explained that people born with an evil heart, still had an evil heart even when their hearts rise above the ground in the floating experience (Tadano, 2001b: 187-189). Despite the repercussions of gambling, Makuzu sadly remarked how it was still extremely prevalent within the lower-class people (Tadano, 2001a: 28).
Makuzu also had strong and distinctive ideas on gender relations and, in particular, women's role within gender relations. According to Japanese tradition, women’s existence was purely for the benefit of men and not the other way around. Without men in the world, women would cease to exist. Makuzu discovered that the root of this sentiment toward women was founded in women’s lack of male genitals. In concordance with society’s view contemporary to Makuzu, most would agree that it is a woman’s role to “keep everything in her heart, say little, and be modest” (Tadano, 2001a: 22-25). According to Makuzu, a woman should also have been fashionable while she was young. Nevertheless, for women, it was not appropriate for them to think of themselves as equals to men. Instead, women should be solely concerned with the happiness of their guests, the order of their household, and the management of their children. Makuzu even went as far to describe a pre-marriage woman as an appetizer and one who was married as a part of the furnishings (Tadano, 2001: 174-176). However, after further reflection on society’s views of women, Makuzu detected an important revelation. In her study of classic Japanese mythology, Makuzu noticed that all of the major deities were female such as Amaterasu Ōmikami and Princess Okinagatarashi. Makuzu admired works of great women such as Murasaki Shikibu as well as the Western images of professional women doctors. From these observations, Makuzu posed the question as to why women of her time were not prohibited to such ambitious expeditions ((Tadano, 2001a: 30).
Expressed in Hitori Kangae, Makuzu had a strong opinion of China while also possessing an intense pride for her country. From a very young age, Makuzu’s father prohibited Makuzu from reading Chinese works. Thankful of Heisuke’s restrictions, Makuzu felt as though she had the ability to expand the subjects of her thinking and write because she had not fallen into the Chinese way of thinking. In Makuzu’s opinion, it was disappointing how many scholars adopted a Chinese way of learning and attempted to make it into Japan’s standard of learning. By scholars doing this, they lost the appreciation and value of Japan’s own traditional style of learning. However, Makuzu discovered the reality that because of the size, population, and intoxication by others of Japan, Japan was left with “no room for long-range thinking” (Tadano, 2001a: 22-31). A fear of Makuzu’s was to “become estranged from the pulse of [her] country, and totally out of phase with the rhythm of heaven and earth” (Tadano, 2001a: 26). According to Makuzu, “China [was] the root of mismatched rhythm” (Tadano, 2001b: 184). Through Makuzu’s disillusionment with Chinese culture, Makuzu’s pride for Japan increased.
Without a doubt, Makuzu believed that Japan was superior to any other country, and the Japanese people should know that a part of what made it superior was “that people [were] quick and inevitably [won] in contests of wit” (Tadano, 2001a: 37). However, Makuzu encouraged people to use Japan’s superiority for good instead of evil. Knowing the high valued property of Japan’s tobacco, Makuzu became discouraged to discover that some Japanese tobacco manufacturers did not share pride for Japan with Makuzu and had been cutting corners and degrading the quality of their tobacco product. Unwilling to accept below the best, Makuzu insisted that Japan must maintain its high standards to rise in the world, and Japan must not be shallow in attempts to save a little money (Tadano, 2001a: 31-32). Instead, Japan should take pride in and develop its national products and know that it was superior to all other countries (Tadano, 2001b: 185 and Tadano, 2001a: 37).
Although still loyal to her country, Makuzu, much like her father, thought that it would be in Japan’s best interest to learn from the countries around them. One country, in particular, that Makuzu thought would be a good country to emulate was Russia. In Hitori Kangae, Makuzu described how she was “envious when [she] consider[ed] the customs of Russia” (Tadano, 2001a: 32). In observing other countries, taking what they learned, and integrating it with Japan’s culture, Makuzu felt that the new knowledge gained would commence the improvements that Japan needed to make (Tadano, 2001a: 36). In light of all of her contributions of thought, Makuzu was a remarkable woman and provided “valuable commentary on various developments in late Edo society and culture” (Tadano, 2001b: 173). Many of her critics described her as a “pioneer feminist or a female critic of established norms” (Gramlich-Oka, 2001a: 2). Presently, the legacy of her works maintains to live on and to amaze people of her bold opinions that set an example of a unique, creative, and intellectual vision for the entire world.
[edit] Sources
- Conroy, Hilary. 1951. "Government versus 'Patriot': The Background of Japan's Asiatic Expansion." The Pacific Historical Review 20: 1 (Feb., 1951): 31-42. [1]
- Gramlich-Oka, Bettina . 2001a. "Tadano Makuzu and Her Hitori Kangae." Monumenta Nipponica 56: 1 (Spring, 2001): 1-20. [2]
- Tadano Makuzu; Janet R. Goodwin; Bettina Gramlich-Oka; Elizabeth A. Leicester; Yuki Terazawa; Anne Walthall. 2001a. "Solitary Thoughts: A Translation of Tadano Makuzu's Hitori Kangae." Monumenta Nipponica 56: 1 (Spring, 2001): 21-38. [3]
- Tadano Makuzu; Janet R. Goodwin; Bettina Gramlich-Oka; Elizabeth A. Leicester; Yuki Terazawa; Anne Walthall. "Solitary Thoughts: A Translation of Tadano Makuzu's Hitori Kangae (2). 2001b. " Monumenta Nipponica 56: 2 (Summer, 2001): 173-195. [4]
- Timperley, H. J. 1942. "Yoshida Shoin Martyred Prophet of Japanese Expansionism." The Far Eastern Quarterly 1: 4 (Aug. 1942): 337-347. [5]
