The Three Generations of Otsuki (Part 3: Fumihiko)

Image: Provided by Ichinoseki City Museum

Fumihiko Otsuki spent 16 years compiling "Genkai," which is regarded as Japan's first modern Japanese dictionary. Tetsunosuke Tomita (former Governor of the Bank of Japan), a fellow countryman from the former Sendai Domain, suggested to him, "Why don't you hold a banquet?" Upon receiving Otsuki's reply, "I would like to if it is a gathering of great people," Tomita himself took the lead in the banquet organizing committee and prepared for the event. Tomita visited Hirobumi Ito with a copy of "Genkai" to request his attendance and received his consent. Furthermore, when he went to Yukichi Fukuzawa's place and spoke about the banquet, Fukuzawa also readily agreed, saying, "I shall go. I shall offer a congratulatory speech."

However, on June 23, 1891, the day of the banquet, Fukuzawa was not to be seen at the Koyo-kan, a high-class social venue in Shiba that served as the location. In the "Genkai Banquet Program" distributed to attendees, there was no mention of Fukuzawa's congratulatory speech.

Otsuki was born in 1847 in Kobikicho, Edo. His common name was Fukusaburo, and his pseudonym was Fukken (he began using the name Fumihiko in 1872). His grandfather was the Rangaku scholar Gentaku, his father was the Sinologist Bankei, and his older brother was Jo (commonly known as Shuji), who was well-versed in Japanese, Chinese, and Western studies. The field of study Otsuki initially aimed for was English studies, and he entered the Shogunate's Institute for the Investigation of Foreign Books (Yosho Shirabedokoro). Around the same time, Fukuzawa, who had become close friends with Bankei, began visiting the Otsuki residence. Otsuki's English studies were interrupted by Bankei's relocation to Sendai. In Sendai, he entered the domain school Yokendo, and four months later, he was ordered to serve as an assistant instructor. In 1866, Otsuki received an appointment from the domain as a student of Western studies and returned to Edo. Shindayu Owarashi, an official (Rusu-yaku) in Edo, favored Western styles and sent promising young men to the treaty port of Yokohama. Otsuki also received his support, based himself in Yokohama, and while pursuing English studies, was involved in editing the "Bankoku Shinbunshi" newspaper.

As the era moved rapidly, the Sendai Domain, located in a corner of Tohoku and unfamiliar with the trends in the Kyoto-Osaka region, rushed Owarashi to Kyoto to gather information. Otsuki was chosen by Owarashi to accompany him and was active as a secret agent in Kyoto. During the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, he witnessed the battlefield firsthand and experienced shells exploding nearby.

Furthermore, when the Sendai Domain opposed the new government, Otsuki went into hiding in Edo. Many of his comrades were captured because of their Sendai dialect, but Otsuki, who was born and raised in Edo, was able to slip through the search net. After the surrender, when Bankei was ordered to be imprisoned in April 1869, Otsuki returned to Sendai and worked tirelessly to petition for his father's life. After seeing Bankei's provisional release from prison, Otsuki returned to Edo and entered the Sansa Gakusha, organized by Shuhei Mitsukuri, to resume his English studies. Six months later, his language skills were recognized, and he became the Juku manager (President). Otsuki joined the Ministry of Education in 1872, and the following year, he was posted to the Miyagi Normal School in Sendai, where he served as principal.

In 1873, an academic society was born at the suggestion of Arinori Mori, who had returned from the United States, and was named Meirokusha after the year of its formation. Mori consulted with Shigeki Nishimura, who had studied under Bankei Otsuki and would later preach "Nihon Dotoku-ron" (On Japanese Morality), about the concept, and Nishimura called out to the "distinguished families of the capital." The initial membership consisted of 10 people, including Fukuzawa and Mitsukuri. The following year, the journal "Meiroku Zasshi" was published, playing a major role in the enlightenment of the public in the early Meiji period by featuring essays by progressive members.

It was a natural progression for Otsuki, who was called back to Tokyo by Nishimura (who had become the head of the Report Section, later the Editorial Bureau, of the Ministry of Education), to join the Meirokusha, where the people surrounding him were listed as members. Because "Meiroku Zasshi" could no longer continue publishing free essays due to the enforcement of the Libel Law and the Press Ordinance, it was decided to suspend publication at Fukuzawa's suggestion, and the Meirokusha followed the fate of natural dissolution. However, the people of the Meirokusha continued to fulfill the mission of the society—the enlightenment of the public—in their respective fields thereafter. Otsuki was one of them.

Otsuki's efforts to compile a Japanese dictionary began. Nishimura entrusted this national project to Otsuki alone. Having mastered English studies and possessing a foundation in Chinese studies, Otsuki was the right person to be entrusted with this major undertaking. With no precedent to serve as a model in Japan, Otsuki initially thought it would be sufficient to translate Webster's English Dictionary from America. However, he soon realized that translating a dictionary from another country—where the origins of the language, the customs of the people, and the climate were different—would not form a proper dictionary, and that he had to investigate and clarify Japan's unique content himself. From here, Otsuki's ordeal began. It was an era when the distinction between standard language and dialects was not established, and loanwords were being born one after another. From among them, he selected the words to be included, interviewed people, scoured books to investigate etymologies, and considered the definitions of each and every word. In the postscript of the dictionary, "Kotoba no Umi no Okugaki," Otsuki expressed the extraordinary situation, saying, "In the midst of the sea of words, my oars were broken, and I could not determine where to go; I was simply amazed by its distance, breadth, and depth, and could only shame and blame myself for the shallowness of my own learning."

In 1886, Otsuki finished the revision of the dictionary he named "Genkai" and submitted it to the Ministry of Education. At this time, Nishimura, who had been the "protector of this dictionary's success," had already been transferred. After a year and a half passed without any word of publication, the Ministry of Education finally conveyed its intention to hand it back on the condition of self-publication. The publication of the Japanese dictionary, which was supposed to be a national project, became a self-published work for which Otsuki scraped together his private funds.

The publication of "Genkai" was delayed time and again due to interruptions in printing caused by issues with the factory's survival and other delays in the printing process. During that time, of the two people who had been helping with the proofreading work, Kuniyuki Nakada passed away, and Hatsuo Okubo was posted to a middle school in Tokushima, leaving Otsuki alone. Furthermore, in November 1890, his second daughter Emi, who had a severe cold, lost her life before reaching one year of age, and the following month, he lost his wife Iyo to typhoid fever. While facing unbearable misfortune and nearly losing his will, Otsuki was able to accomplish this great undertaking because he remembered the teaching his father Bankei had repeatedly told him as the deathbed instruction of his grandfather Gentaku: "A project should not be started lightly; if you decide to start one, you must have the spirit of 'never stop until it is accomplished,'" and he roused his spirits. In April 1891, Otsuki published the fourth volume of "Genkai," completing this project.

Otsuki visited Fukuzawa with a copy of the completed "Genkai." Fukuzawa was greatly pleased, saying, "A wonderful thing has been produced," but he frowned at the fact that the words were in the 50-syllable (gojuon) order, asking Otsuki, "Can the footwear tags at a yose theater work with the 50-syllable order?" In the world at that time, the "Iroha" order was still mainstream. This was a comment typical of Fukuzawa, who believed that a dictionary must be a practical tool that the masses can use. On the other hand, Otsuki took this comment from Fukuzawa as, "Perhaps he did not realize that the 50-syllable order has already been taught in primary schools for 20 years" ("Kokugo to Kokubungaku"). A short while after Otsuki's visit, Fukuzawa sent a letter of thanks. In it, Fukuzawa accurately pointed out the value of the dictionary compilation, stating, "Thanks to you, something that can truly be called a dictionary has been created in Japan for the first time; it is not only convenient for today's scholars but also sufficient to show the prosperity of our literary culture to foreigners" (Letter 1624).

Fukuzawa had prepared a congratulatory message in response to the invitation from Tomita, but in a letter to Tomita dated the 21st, he conveyed his absence, saying, "I must decline the honor of attending on the day" (Letter 1627). Furthermore, after looking through the "Banquet Program" received from Tomita and feeling it was insufficient, he added a postscript, "I request that the name of Fukuzawa be removed" (Letter 1628), insisting that his name be deleted from the "Banquet Program," and sent it back with a reminder written on the program itself. The reason for Fukuzawa's sudden change in attitude is clarified in the letter. In the "Banquet Program," Hirobumi Ito was to read a congratulatory message first, followed by Fukuzawa's turn. Fukuzawa pointed out, "The society of scholarship and education and the political society are completely different things. It is already a mistake to rank alongside politicians who have no connection to scholarship," and stated flatly, "I do not wish to have my humble name recorded following Count Ito." He told Tomita that this was not done "for the sake of personal honor or disgrace, but for the independence of scholarship (Shibun Shido)." Later, it was Shinzo Koizumi who appraised this attitude of Fukuzawa, saying, "As one of the successors, I am grateful that there was one 'childish' Yukichi Fukuzawa in the Meiji era who sought to make scholarship respected through his own actions" ("Dokusho Zakki").

The banquet was held grandly, gathering people from the political and official worlds as well as those who had formerly been members of the Meirokusha, following the "Banquet Program" that had been reprinted with Fukuzawa's name removed in accordance with his wishes.

After spending over three years in Sendai following the publication of "Genkai," Otsuki returned to Tokyo and focused on establishing the national language. He published "Ko-Nihon Bunten," which summarized his grammatical theories, and when the government's National Language Research Committee was established, he served as its chief member, conducting a wide range of investigations and reports, including the adoption of the colloquial style (genbun itchi) and the reduction of kanji. Prior to this, as a central figure in the "Kana-no-kwai" (Kana Society), Otsuki had advocated for the abolition of kanji, which required much time to learn, in favor of using kana characters, and had engaged in debates with the opposition. Although the abolition of kanji was not realized, such investigations, research, and discussions became the foundation for the modernization of the Japanese language.

In 1912, Kajima Sakamoto, the president of Fuzambo, visited Otsuki and encouraged him to expand and revise "Genkai." Otsuki himself had intended to do so since the initial publication, but had been unable to take the plunge due to the weight of the difficult task. The following year, when the National Language Research Committee was abolished, Otsuki literally immersed himself in the expansion and revision work from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. He called Okubo, who had helped with the compilation of "Genkai," back to Tokyo as an assistant and had him live in the house next door. For Otsuki, who was over 65 years old, this project was a race against time. Otsuki emphasized the study of etymology by referring to foreign language dictionaries, which also became a cause for the time required. In February 1928, the 16th year since the start of the work, Otsuki passed away due to pneumonia. The manuscript was completed up to the "sa" row, which accounted for two-thirds of the entire dictionary. His older brother Joden then took over the project, and the expanded and revised version was published as "Daigenkai," with the first volume released in 1932 and completed with the publication of the fifth volume in 1937.

Fukuzawa's congratulatory message was published in the "Jiji Shinpo" four days after the banquet. Although it was not presented at the banquet as Fukuzawa wished, he likely could not help but celebrate Otsuki's great achievement. In it, Fukuzawa clearly stated, "Before Genkai, there was no dictionary in Japan," and touched upon the admonition (kaigo) of his grandfather Gentaku (Bansui), "Never stop until it is accomplished," praising the achievement based on the strong spirit and perseverance spanning three generations of the Otsuki family: "It must be this deathbed instruction that truly enabled you to endure this hardship and achieve this great feat." His sentence, "If the deceased have spirits, they must be smiling happily in the afterlife and praising your success," was the greatest tribute to Otsuki and a stylish congratulatory message from Fukuzawa.