ANNIBALE ZAMBARBIERI

I fili del tessuto: incontri culturali e religiosi tra Europa e Giappone nell'era Meiji

218

Maggio-Agosto 2008

Anno LXXIII    n. 2

Summary - The complex phenomenon of the Meiji Restoration was the result of many interacting factors. The ground was provided by the abundant legacy of the Edo period, in particular the accumulation of capitals and a considerable development on the intellectual front. The contact with the West allowed the acquisition of many cultural contributions in sectors such as science, economy, law, art and literature. At the same time, as a consequence of their approach to the Christian faith, some Japanese thinkers were led to recognize a possible convergence between the ideal Japanese legacy and the Western religion. Nitone Inazo thought that the ethical idea of bushido could be realised and strenghthened by loyalty and filial piety both of which present in Christian morality. At another level, according to a later suggestion by the writer Endo Shasaku, similarities between the essence of Christianity and that attitude known as amae, which in a meaning inspired by buddhism leads to sympathy and the total acceptance of the other than self, need to be emphasized. This could be considered a point of intersection with the Christian creed.