Difficulties, Successes, and Missteps in the Adoption of the Concept of ‘Aesthetics’ in Japan

Authors

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/daimon.557521
Keywords: Aesthetics, Nishi Amane, Fukuzawa Yukichi, Fine Arts, Neo-Confucianism

Supporting Agencies

  • El presente artículo forma parte de los resultados de la ayuda FJC2021-046570-I, financiada por MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033 y por la Unión Europea «NextGenerationEU»/PRTR». El artículo se inserta, además, dentro de los resultados del Grupo de Investigación Japón y España: relaciones a través del arte de la Universidad de Zaragoza, Grupo de Investigación de Estética y Teoría de las Artes (GEsTA) de la Universidad de Salamanca, Grupo de Investigación Japón de la Universidad de Zaragoza y Humanismo Eurasia (HUME) de la Universidad de Salamanca.

Abstract

The purpose of the current paper is to establish the social and intellectual context in which the concept of “aesthetics” [bigaku] was translated, in modern Japan (1868-1912) (under- stood as a field of philosophy in Europe). This was the first time in history that a non-Western nation made such an assimilation effort. The concept was taken from Western tradition alongside other complex terms like “Philosophy” [tetsugaku] or “Fine Arts” [bijutsu]. This is evidence of how Japan tried to understand and apply several intellectual schemes from the Western nations it tried to be on a pair with. To carry out the analysis, several elements from East Asian culture will be addressed. Elements which Japanese intellec- tuals of modern Japan, for example Fukuzawa Yukichi, considered should be overcome in order to fully embrace the westernization of Japan. Additionally, it will be shown how difficult the proper apprehension of the concept of "aesthet- ics" was, since it belonged to such a foreign tradition like the European one.

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Published
01-09-2025
How to Cite
Romero Leo, J. (2025). Difficulties, Successes, and Missteps in the Adoption of the Concept of ‘Aesthetics’ in Japan. Daimon Revista Internacional De Filosofia, (96), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.6018/daimon.557521