Short Abstract

This paper reassesses Obata Tokujiro as a pivotal mediator of modern thought in Meiji Japan. By analyzing his strategy of "Annotation," it explores how he recontextualized Western concepts—including Fukuzawa Yukichi's radicalism—into a coherent, functional intellectual "stock" for Japan.

Long Abstract

Obata Tokujiro (1842–1905), a central figure in the Keio Gijuku circle, has long been viewed as a secondary figure following in the footsteps of the enlightenment giant Fukuzawa Yukichi. This paper challenges this narrative by defining Obata as a pivotal mediator who provided the systematic framework and intellectual "annotation" (chūkai) necessary to ground modern social thought in the Japanese landscape. 

While Fukuzawa’s thought was characterized by pioneering provocations, Obata acted as a vital intermediary who interpreted and adapted these ideas into workable social systems. His uniqueness lay in his methodological strategy of "Annotation". For instance, in formulating the Code of Morals (Shushin Yoryo) in 1900, Obata mediated between radical enlightenment and traditional sensibilities by arguing that morality is historically contingent. He legitimized this shift by citing the history of Confucian hermeneutics, demonstrating that the interpretation of texts must evolve with the social context. 

Beyond morality, Obata applied this functionalist approach to politics and economics. He introduced parliamentary procedures (Giji Hikkei) as the essential "wheels" for the "carriage" of civilized politics and provided a functional defense of commercial society by inverting traditional hierarchies. This paper argues that Obata was an active interpreter who mediated even Fukuzawa’s ideas into a durable intellectual "stock" for Meiji Japan. His work reveals that Japan's modernization was not a simple displacement of tradition, but a continuous process of intellectual mediation.