Yoshioka Hirotake (吉岡弘毅)
Hirotake YOSHIOKA (July 8, 1847 - September 12, 1932) was a Japanese diplomat and a Christian (minister of the Presbyterian Church). He objected to the 'Seikanron' (subjugation of Korea) debate in negotiating with Joseon as Gaimugon no Shojo (a junior secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). He was born in the Province of Mimasaka (later Okayama Prefecture).
Up to Yoshioka's Appointment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Yoshioka was born in Fukuwatari-cho (in present day Okayama City), Mimasaka Province as the third son of Yurin YOSHIOKA, a physician (who studied Western medicine in Nagasaki and became a famous obstetrician) and 'Towa.'
Having studied the Yomei-gaku (neo-Confucianism based on the teachings of Wang Yangming) with the Confucian scholar Sessai MORITA in Kurashiki City, he became an ardent advocator of the 'Sonno Joi' slogan, (Revere the Emperor and Expel the foreigners). After serving, in Kyoto, Motoosa MIBU, a court noble who advocated Sonno Joi, he joined the Imperial Army in the Boshin and the Hokuetsu War. In 1869 he was appointed to the Danjodai (Board of Censors) established in Kyoto by the new government of Japan. As can be seen from the fact he had a job at the Danjodai which formed the base of the radical advocates of Sonno Joi within the new government, he still held the nationalistic idea of Joi (expelling the foreigners) at that time. (In fact, Juro KOGA who had insisted on rejecting Christianity together with Yoshioka and who had been also appointed to the Danjodai attempted to subvert the new government and was later sentenced to death with his head exposured on charge of his involvement in the attempted coup d'etat by two nobles called the Nikyo Incident in Joseon). However, Yoshioka underwent a radical transformation when he was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1870.
Off to Japan-Joseon Negotiation as a Young Diplomat
Appointed as a junior secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1870, Yoshioka was ordered by the government to go to Joseon. Entrusted with a letter (with the sovereign's message) composed by Nobuyoshi SAWA (the Minister of the Foreign Affairs in Japan) and addressed to the Minister of Rites (in Joseon), he left Tokyo for Joseon via Tsushima, together with Shigeru MORI (as a Gaimu-shosakan officer) and Hironobu HIROTSU. On December 24 of the same year the party arrived at the Wakan (former consulate of the Tsushima clan) in Busan Metropolitan City and began negotiating with the Joseon government.
At that time the new government of Japan had no diplomatic relations with Joseon because of the so-called 'Sovereign Message Problem' after 1869. Although still in his early twenties, Yoshioka was the first diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the So clan of the Tsushima Fuchu domain to be in charge of Japan's diplomatic relationship with Joseon and to negotiate with Joseon over the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. (The expression that had caused a problem between Japan and Joseon (mentioned below) was therefore removed from the sovereign letter by the Foreign Minister Sawa). However it was extremely difficult for Yoshioka to negotiate with Joseon that requested Japan to maintain the former diplomatic relationship through the Tsushima clan under the reign of Heungseon Daewongun who adopted a very nationalistic policy. Furthermore, retainers of the Izuhara (Tsushima) clan directly or indirectly obstructed the negotiations, fearing their long-standing privileges such as the ambassadorship to Joseon and management of the Choryang-dong Wakan would be taken away. Accordingly, in the Spring of 1871 Yoshioka abolished the Izuhara clan's diplomatic privileges and instead appointed Yoshiakira SO, the former lord (governor of Izuhara Domain) to a high-ranking post (Gaimu-taijo) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He decided to take the strategy of dispatching So to Joseon to persuade Heungseon Daewongun in person. However, this strategy was put on hold, partly because 'Haihan-chiken' (the abolition of the feudal domains and establishment of the prefectures) led to the abolishment of the Izuhara domain (on account of which the domain's ambassador was dismissed and its Joseon-related diplomacy was completely transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and partly because the Iwakura Mission was dispatched to further complicate the situation. What happened was that although the new government appointed So as Gaimu-taijo to have him notify Joseon of the Haihan-chiken (in September 1871), it concluded in January 1872 to cancel his mission. Instead it decided to send a letter by the name of the Gaimu-taijo So to Joseon. Moriyama and Hirotsu then went to Busan by steamboat, which the Joseons disapproved, to deliver So's letter. They began to take over the Choryang-dong Wakan without notice. Under the worsening situation created by the attacks by American naval forces on Ganghwa Island (the Shinmiyangyo or the US Joseon Expedition), the Joseons hardened their attitude. While waiting for Moriyama and Hirotsu to return to Busan, Yoshioka was not allowed to go outside the Wakan. He therefore had to urge the retainers of the former Izuhara domain who were older and more experienced than he (and who were therefore uncooperative) to negotiate with Joseon on practical levels. During his stay in Busan, he recognized Joseon's hardened attitude as 'fear' resulting from the Bunroku-Keicho Wars.
In short, the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs including Yoshioka entrusted a copy of the letter by the name of the Gaimu-taijo So with officials of the Joseon government in April 1872 and no further progress was made in diplomatic negotiations with Joseon. In July of the same year Yoshioka ordered the Japanese officials in the Wakan to return to Japan and he also left for Japan without having an official talk with Joseon.
On his return from Joseon, he reported to the ministry that although Japan nearly broke off diplomatic relations with Joseon, there would be time when 'the misunderstandings would be resolved to reach a mutual understanding.'
He officially announced that the retainers of the Izuhara domain and merchants should refrain from conducting any violence against the Joseons as they used to do in the past. He appealed to the ministry to recompensate the Joseons for the firewood and food that the Japanese castaways demanded of them.
Petition for 'the Disapproval of the Seikanron'
Just after his return to Japan, in September 1872, Yoshioka was relieved of his post at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at his own request. He did not resign to take responsibility for the failure to negotiate with Joseon. He appears to have voluntarily resigned. The Japan-Joseon relationship took the following course after Yoshioka's return and resignation. From Autumn 1872 to 1873 his successor, Yoshimoto HANABUSA (Gaimu-taijo) was sent to Joseon with the battleship 'Kasugamaru' to take over the Choryang-dong Wakan. Mitsui-zaibatsu's secret trade with Joseon (to which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave silent approval) was discovered. It was strictly 'banned' by Joseon. (The text of 'the Instructions' apparently posted during this period immediately triggered the proposal of the Seikanron). In this way the relationship between Japan and Joseon became worse. In Japan the Seikanron debate within the government led to the political upheaval in 1873. At the beginning of 1874 the Saga War broke out in favor of the subjugation of Korea.
Concerned about the situation, Yoshioka, although a retired official, submitted a petition to the Council of the Left in February 1874. This petition discussed diverse issues.
Article 6 of the petition discussed 'the re-appointment of Takamori SAIGO and Taneomi SOEJIMA to establish a democratically elected local council in every prefecture.'
A vast majority of the people supported the Seikanron or anti-Seikanron to 'prioritize the domestic affairs' (which did not reject the Seikanron itself, but rejected its feasibility as being 'premature.'
In such a situation at the time, Yoshioka's petition was exceptional and noteworthy as it argued 'the disapproval of the Seikanron' on principal and moral grounds. In the petition he stated that as rumour had it, Joseon did not in fact 'tear up Japan's sovereign's message' (some passages omitted) and give us 'an arrogant and impolite answer,' although he criticized the dishonest Joseons who avoided meeting the Japanese delegation by making excuses such as feigning illness. He also mentioned that Joseon was reluctant to establish diplomatic relations with Japan, partly because Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI invaded Joseon twice during the Bunroku and the Keicho eras, and partly because the Tsushima clan intimidated Joseon into giving them rice and grain. Joseon became 'suspicious of and frightened with' 'Japan's attempt to conquer the country through the use of the false name of the emperor' when she saw the letters of the 'emperor' and 'edict' in the sovereign's message sent by the new government of Japan. Yoshioka argued that Japan was to blame for that matter. He said that if it is right to conquer Joseon was only because the diplomatic relationship cannot be renewed, we could not blame the Westerners who would have invaded Japan for her isolationist policy.
He thereby criticized the dogmatic Seikanron by saying, 'Do not do to the others what you do not want.'
He also supported Takamori SAIGO and Taneomi SOEJIMA who had to resign because they insisted on the Seikanron, for he respected, as a matter of principle, 'different arguments and opinions.'
(He requested the government employ them again.)
However, there is no indication that his petition was heard by the government.
The Rest of Yoshioka's Life as a Clergyman
In 1875, the year following the submission of the petition just mentioned, Yoshioka converted to Christianity, baptized by D. Tamson of Presbyterian Church, part of Protestantism. In September 1878 he participated in the establishment of United Christ in Japan, Hongo (Presbyterianism) and was elected to the office of elders. During this period he expressed a negative opinion about missionary work in Joseon at a meeting of the Board of Commissions for Foreign Missions in October 1879. In August 1882 he published an article entitled 'Rebuttal against Mr. Fukuzawa's Thesis on Christianity' in the journal "Rikugo-zasshi" (Cosmos).
He described "Jiji shogen" (Commentary on the Current Problems) by Yukichi FUKUZAWA as a conspirator who would turn the Empire of Japan into a country of thieves.'
He famously criticized it for 'vainly hating our neighbouring countries, making every nation hate us, thereby irrevocably damaging our future.'
Later he was involved in the establishment of the Young Men's Christian Association of Tokyo (YMCA of Tokyo). He worked as a minister in Osaka, Kochi, and Kyoto, spending the rest of his life as a Christian. He died in 1932 (in his eighty-sixth year).
Chronology
1847: Yoshioka was born.
July 1869: he was appointed to a post in the Danjodai.
August 1, 1869: he was appointed as Sho-junsatsu at the Danjodai.
September 18, 1869: he was promoted to Dai-junsatsu at the Danjodai.
May 12, 1870: he was appointed as a soninkan officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
August 8, 1870: he was promoted to Shojo (a junior secretary) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
October 12, 1870: he was ordered to go to Joseon.
December 24, 1870: he arrived at Busan.
July 21, 1872: he left Joseon for Japan.
September 1, 1872: he was relieved of his post at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at his own request.
September 1878: he took part in the establishment of United Christ of Japan, Hongo (Presbyterianism) and was elected as an elder.
1884: he became the founding minister of Osaka-Kita Church.
July 1888: he became the minister of Kochi Church.
1892: he became the minister of Kyoto-Muromachi-cho Church.
1909: he resigned from the office of minister.
1932: he died.
Family
Hirotake's third son is Kiyoshi NOBUTOKI, a composer known for his musical piece 'Umiyukaba.'