Visit to Japan (1893)
Swami Vivekananda went by way of Ceylon, Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, and then
visited Canton and Nagasaki. From there he went by land to Yokohama, seeing
Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. The Swami gradually accustomed himself to the life on
board the ship. His rich imaginative nature saw beauty, in a thousand forms, in
the swelling and falling of the waters, in every gust of wind and in
ever-changing shapes of clouds. The mighty expanse of water, the invigorating
air, the carefree atmosphere and the courtesy of all aboard reconciled him to
his new surroundings. Besides, the sea voyage provided him a unique opportunity
to gather new experiences and study the life and traditions of the people he
came in contact with at different places. He was much impressed at the sight of
the various remains of Indian religious influences in Chinese and Japanese
temples. In China he found to his amazement Sanskrit manuscripts, and in Japan
Sanskrit Mantras written in old Bengali script. In fact, everywhere in China and
Japan his attention was attracted by all that might confirm his hypothesis alike
of the religious influence of ancient India over the empires of the Far East and
of the spiritual unity of Asia. From Yokohama the ship sailed on to Vancouver -
from the Old World to the New; thence by train he reached Chicago towards the
end of July.
On his way to Chicago, Vivekananda visited Japan in
1893. He first reached the port city of Nagasaki, and then boarded a steamer to Kobe. From here he took the land route to Yokohama, visiting along the way the
three big cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. He
called the Japanese "one of the cleanest people on earth", and was impressed not
only by neatness of their streets and dwellings but also by their movements,
attitudes and gestures, all of which he found to be "picturesque".
This was a period of
rapid military build-up in Japan—a prelude to the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese
War. These preparations did not escape the attention of Vivekananda, who
wrote that "The Japanese seem now to have fully awakened themselves to the
necessity of the present times. They have now a thoroughly organised army
equipped with guns which one of their own officers has invented and which is
said to be second to none. Then, they are continually increasing their navy."
About the industrial progress he observed, "The match factories are simply a
sight to see, and they are bent upon making everything they want in their own
country."
Contrasting the rapid progress of Japan with the situation back in India, he
urged his countrymen—the "offspring of centuries of superstition and tyranny"
—to come out of their narrow holes and have a look abroad:| “ | Only I want that numbers of our young men should pay a visit to Japan and China every year. Especially to the Japanese, India is still the dreamland of everything high and good. And you, what are you? ... talking twaddle all your lives, vain talkers, what are you? Come, see these people, and then go and hide your faces in shame. A race of dotards, you lose your caste if you come out! Sitting down these hundreds of years with an ever-increasing load of crystallized superstition on your heads, for hundreds of years spending all your energy upon discussing the touchableness or untouchableness of this food or that, with all humanity crushed out of you by the continuous social tyranny of ages—what are you? And what are you doing now? ... promenading the sea-shores with books in your hands—repeating undigested stray bits of European brainwork, and the whole soul bent upon getting a thirty rupee clerkship, or at best becoming a lawyer—the height of young India’s ambition—and every student with a whole brood of hungry children cackling at his heels and asking for bread! Is there not water enough in the sea to drown you, books, gowns, university diplomas, and all? |
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