Foreigners for Hire: Masked Exclusionists and Clandestine Learning: Men Who Attended the Hulbecki Residence (Late 1860s to Early 1870s, Bakumatsu to Early Meiji Era)

Foreigners for Hire: Masked Exclusionists and Clandestine Learning: Men Who Attended the Hulbecki Residence (Late 1860s to Early 1870s, Bakumatsu to Early Meiji Era)

From the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji era (late 1860s to early 1870s), the dominant political term in Japan was "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarian" as a sign of political legitimacy. The exclusion of foreign nations and the emperor-centered ideology were powerful slogans for uniting a turbulent society, and any opposition to these ideals was met with political suspicion. Christianity, in particular, had been shunned as an evil sect since the Edo period (1603-1867), and not only belief in it but also contact with it was considered dangerous.

Rumors began to circulate that Okuma Shigenobu and Soejima Taneomi had frequented the residence of the missionary Hulbecki, and a rumor spread that while on the surface they were advocating the Emperor's exclusion of foreigners, behind the scenes they were bringing in the pagan sect. This was not merely a curious rumor, but took on the character of an attack on them as ideological betrayal and an attempt to eliminate them politically.

In later years, however, Okuma recalled this experience in a very different way. He did not accept Christianity as a faith, but learned about the religious views and ethics of Western society as knowledge. This understanding proved decisive in understanding the logic of his opponents and in explaining Japan's position in diplomatic negotiations over religious issues. The dual structure of the modern nation-state, with its front ideology of "Emperor expulsion of the barbarians" and the backbone of practical knowledge, was the key to Japan's success in the modern era. This dual structure was a practical strategy that supported Japan during its modernization period.