MEIROKUSHA

The '' was an intellectual society in Meiji period Japan.
Proposed by statesman Mori Arinori in 1873 (six years after the Meiji Restoration) and officially formed on 1 February 1874, the Meirokusha was intended to “promote civilization and enlightenment”, and to introduce western ethics and the elements of western civilization to Japan. It played a prominent role in introducing and popularizing Western ideas during the early Meiji period, through public lectures and through its journal, the ''Meiroku zasshi''. Mori had been impressed by the activities of American educational societies during his stint (1871-1873) as Japan's first envoy to the United States. He was also influenced by Horace Mann's views on universal education.
Its original members were:

★ Mori Arinori

★ Nishimura Shigeki

★ Fukuzawa Yukichi

★ Kato Hiroyuki

★ Mitsukuri Rinsho

★ Mitsukuri Shuhei

★ Nakamura Masanao

★ Nishi Amane

★ Tsuda Mamichi

★ Sugi Koji
The society grew to encompass a total of thirty-three members, including:

★ Sakatani Shiroshi

★ Kanda Takahira

★ Maejima Hisoka

★ Nagayo Sensai

★ Tanaka Fujimaro

★ Tsuda Sen

★ Ōtsuki Fumihiko

★ William Elliot Griffis
This membership thus included some of the most leading educators, bureaucrats, and philosophers of 19th century Japan, from a variety of backgrounds. Most had studied both Confucianism and western philosophy, and most had experience in living abroad. The Confucian faction felt that the strength and prosperity of the western nations was built on a foundation of moral strength, and urged that Japan follow the same path. The western philosophy faction asserted that the strength and prosperity of the western nations was due to logic and rationally organized and operated organizations and institutions. The pragmatist faction held that Japan had its own unique and special strengths that needed to join with both western values and western systems of government.
Although the Meirokusha continued to function up to around 1900, the society's influence sharply declined after it was forced to cease publishing its journal following the introduction of the Press Ordinance and the Libel Law in 1875.

Contents

References and further reading

References and further reading

★ Hall, Ivan Parker. ''Mori Arinori''. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1973. ISBN 0-674-58730-8.

★ Tozawa Yukio. Meirokusha no Hitobito. Tsukiji Shokan, 1991, ISBN 4-8067-5690-3 (Japanese)

★ William R. Braisted, Adachi Yasushi, Kikuchi Yuji. ''Meiroku Zasshi: Journal of the Japanese Enlightenment Pacific Affairs'', Vol. 50, No. 3 (Autumn, 1977), pp. 525-528