Name: 福沢諭吉の生涯の闘い (Yukichi Fukuzawa's Lifelong Fight)
Uploaded: 2021-01-14T08:30:01.000Z
Duration: 5 min 57 s

Yukichi Fukuzawa, the founder of Keio University,

慶應義塾大学の創立者 福澤諭吉

was a radical and at the same time, a profound and reflective thinker.

彼はラディカルであり かつ思慮深い思想家でした

程度の副詞

He is well known for contributing greatly to the making of modern Japan,

近代日本の形成に大きく貢献したと言われますが 彼の主張の大部分は未だに実現できておらず

but the majority of what he advocated has not yet been realized until today,

人生は挫折に満ちていたと言っても 過言ではありません

and it is no exaggeration to say that his life was filled with discouragement and setbacks.

彼が生涯を通じて日本人に求めたもの

Fukuzawa held a lifelong hope for the people of Japan.

それは「数理と独立」であると 晩年に出した自伝の中で述べています

In his autobiography written in his later years,

すなわち　合理的なものの考え方を身につけ

Fukuzawa noted that Japanese people lacked full recognition

自分で考え行動できる人が持続的に 生み出される社会となることを願いました

and practice of the sciences of “number and reason”

そしてそのような人々によってこそ 豊かな文明社会が発展し続けると信じたのです

and the doctrine of “independence,” which he considered to be of paramount importance.

In other words, his hope was for a society that can continuously produce people

下級武士の出身であった彼は軽んじられる者の 屈辱と情報格差をよく知っていました

身分に妨げられ 学び 向上することを知らなかった者を 鼓舞するため　次々に本を発刊します

who can think for oneself, and take action based on that understanding.

その代表が『学問のすすめ』です

He believed that only at the hands of such people can society become affluent and civilized.

日本人の160人に1人が買ったといわれる 爆発的なベストセラーとなりました

彼はまた　実に多くの子供向けの本を書きました 世界の地理・理科・道徳・習字・手紙の書き方

Fukuzawa was keenly aware of the humiliation felt by those who were looked down upon,

どんな難解なことも易しく書け どんなに取るに足らないことも難解に書けるものだ

as well as of the disparity in access to information.

難文にだまされるな ―  それが彼の持論でした

those who were inhibited by their social rank from advancing themselves,

江戸時代の日本では　オランダ語の書物を通じて 西洋のことを学ぶのが一般的でしたが

Fukuzawa began to write books and published them one after another.

1859年のある日 福澤は英語の重要性に気づき

Among these books, the Encouragement of Learning is one of the most celebrated.

すぐにオランダ語をやめて 翌日から英語の独学を始めます

Written in easy to understand terms, the book was, according to some accounts,

そして　その年のうちにアメリカに行く 幕府の使節に志願して下僕（げぼく）となり

bought by one in 160 Japanese people, becoming an immediate bestseller.

世界への目を大きく開くことになったのです

He also wrote a vast number of books for children on world geography,

彼は学問こそが 国を発展させると信じてやみませんでした

science, morals, calligraphy, and letter writing.

1868年5月 江戸に戦火が上がって町中が大混乱になったときも

He held the opinion that one must write in simple terms no matter how complex the topic is;

砲声をよそに経済学の授業を続けました

the most trivial matters can be written in the most complicated way;

徳川幕藩体制が倒れる政治変動よりも 学問の灯火を守り続けることが重要と信じたのです

and one must never be fooled by difficult texts.

従来の身分秩序を率先して破壊しようとしていた頃

During the Edo Period in Japan, it was common to study the West through Dutch literature,

彼はわざわざ 低い身分の人と同じ服装を身につけたり

but one day in 1859, Fukuzawa realized the importance of English.

身分の高い人に会うときに寝っ転がって話した という逸話が残っています

The following day, he quickly shifted his studies from the Dutch language and started to teach himself English.

人々が独立するためには 自分で表現する習慣が必要と考え

That year, he volunteered his services to the government envoy dispatched to the United States,

西洋の「スピーチ」を教え子と共に特訓

専用のホールを作って 多くの人の前でやって見せました

He held firmly to his belief that it was only through learning could a country advance.

これが全国に広がり 日本の自由民権運動へと発展していきました

Despite a raging battle in Edo in May 1868, which threw the city into a state of chaos,

彼は学校の経営を 「私立」で貫くことにも固執し続けました

Fukuzawa continued to give a class in economics amid the sound of gunfire.

慶應の経営そのものが政府に依存せず

He believed that keeping the torch of scholarship burning was more important

独立して生きていくことの 実践であると考えたのです

than the major political change that was to take place with the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

誰よりも熱心な啓蒙家であり 徹底した教育者であった福澤諭吉

その未完結の遺産が 智の発展の拠点としての慶應義塾なのです

There is a telling anecdote about Fukuzawa that during the time

he was proactive in trying to rid Japanese society of the traditional class system,

he would go out of his way to wear clothes worn by the lower classes

and would purposely lay around on the floor when meeting people of high rank.

Fukuzawa believed that in order to become independent,

people must develop the habit of expressing their opinions.

Along with his students, he trained hard in delivering Western-style “speeches”

and built a dedicated hall in which Fukuzawa initiated the art of public speaking in front of a large crowd.

From there, Western-style public speaking spread throughout the country

and played a significant role in the Freedom and People's Rights Movement of Japan.

Fukuzawa was adamant that the management of Keio remain in the private domain.

This was putting into practice his belief of not being dependent on the government

and living a life of personal independence.

Yukichi Fukuzawa was one of the most dedicated educators and ardent enlighteners of his time.

His unfinished legacy lives on at Keio University where knowledge and wisdom is cultivated for tomorrow.