East-Asian Theory of Civilization: From the Arts View of Okakura Tenshin

本論文探討近代日本對亞洲的論述及觀感，以明治時期及岡倉天心為主要研究時期和對象。岡倉天心(1863-1913)為明治時期思想家，活耀於日本美術界，曾任東京美術學校，致力於革新日本傳統美術及美術教育。培育諸多日本美術家，如橫山大觀、菱田春草及下村觀山等人。辭去美術學校校長一職後，在後期創立日本美術院及任美國波士頓美術館東洋部部長，持續努力發揚日本暨東洋美術之美。 岡倉天心一生所留下的著述不多，除其發表的美術評論外，共有四本著作，分別為『東洋的理想』(1903)、『東洋的覺醒』(寫於1902，發行於1938年)、『日本的覺醒』(1904)及『茶之書』(1906)。四本著作皆為他生涯後期著書，但維護東洋精神之信念，貫穿四書主軸，可謂系列之作。他對亞洲的論述，以一句「亞洲是一體的」(Asia is one)，清楚點出其亞洲觀。這樣的亞洲一體論成為後人對他評論的要點。本論文從岡倉天心之美術評論和四本著作出發，以文獻探討方式並以明治時代為背景，回到岡倉天心論述之原點，理解他的文明觀，及他如何主張亞洲、日本、西洋之關係。This paper is going to research on Japan’s perceptions on Asia during the process of modernization. During the Meiji Restoration, when Japan met the Western, there were different voices in the society. Among these philosophers during the time, this paper focuses on Okakura Tenshin’s statements about Asia. Okakura(1863-1913) is a philosopher who played an active part as an leader in protecting the Japan’s traditional art and the art education. He had been the principal of The Tokyo Art School ( The Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko), cultivating many master artists of traditional Japanese art, such as Taikan Yokoyama, ShunsoHishida and Kanzan Shimomura. After he resigned from the Tokyo Art School, he founded The Japan Art Institute (The Nihon Bijutsuin) and worked as the curator of the Department of Asiatic Art of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to keep on preserving and promoting the beauty of the Japan and East-Asian Arts. Besides Okakura’s art reviews, he also released 4 books, including 『The Ideals of the East』(1903), 『The awakening of the East』(wtitten in 1902 and published in1938), 『The awakening of Japan』(1904), and『The Book of Tea』(1906). Thought all of these books were written and completed during the later period of his life, to protect the spirit of the East has played as the main faith in the books. So the 4 books could be seen as a serial publication, declaring his opinions of the Asia. People has been fixed their eyes on his most famous declaration-「Asia is one」, when making comments on his statements about the Asia. We could say that is has been the core of his perceptions. Here, I am trying to do text analysis, from his art comments to the 4 books , also with the background of Meiji Period, to understand his understanding of civilization and go back to what he has insists upon the relations of the Asia, Japan and the West