‘Here you have at least a nation different in her development from any existing people in the Occident. Governed from time immemorial by the immediate descendants of the Sun-Goddess, whose merciful rule early taught us to offer them our voluntary tribute of devotion and love, we have based our social system on filial piety, that necessary outcome of ancestor-worship which presupposes altruism on the one hand, and on the other loyalty and love of the fatherland.’
A lecture originally given in the early 20th century, Okakura Yoshisaburo sought to give the outside world a better understanding of Japan. During this time, Japan was still only in the beginning stages of establishing itself within the international community and for many people outside Japan it was still a country shrouded in mystery. Okakura traces the course of Japanese thought and all its influences from Confucianism and Buddhism to Shintoism and Bushido in order to present a comprehensive view of the “Japanese Spirit” to anyone seeking to understand Japan.
Okakura Yoshisaburo (岡倉由三郎) was a Japanese linguist specializing in English. He was also the brother of famous Japanese scholar Okakura Kakuzo.