"Bakunin and Japanese anarchist" presented on July 12, 2014 at the “International Conference for Bicentennial of Mikhail Bakunin,” Pryamukhino, Russia.

"Bakunin and Japanese anarchist" presented by Hikaru Tanaka, on July 12, 2014 at the “International Conference for Bicentennial of Mikhail Bakunin,” Pryamukhino, Russia. 

1. Publications on Bakunin in Japan after Second World War

 After the Second World War, a relatively large number of articles about Bakunin were published in the Japanese anarchist papers and magazines. In 1956, one of the newspapers of Japan Anarchist Federation featured Bakunin, to commemorate the 80th year since his death. But, it was only after the 1960s that there were more texts on Bakunin published in Japanese.

 In 1961, there was a biography of Bakunin published, which was written by an Japanese anarchist, Osawa Masamichi (1933-). He wrote this book relying on the biography written by E.H. Carr, which was translated in Japanese soon thereafter by Osawa and which was published in 1965.

 Under the influence of the globally spread student revolts starting in 1968, even in Japan, as well as in Europe and in the United States, more people became interested in anarchism. Because of this, after 1968, many translations of Bakunin’s works were published and sold better than before. This made Bakunin more popular in Japan.

 Especially important among these publications, are the 6 volumes of “Bakunin’s collected works” published in 1973. This collection was translated and published by the associated scholars of history of Russian thought. The initiative of this collaborative work of translation was taken by Sakon Takeshi (1936-2002) who translated the biography of Bakunin by Natalia Pirumova, which was also published in 1973.

 One of the leaders of revolutionary anarchist group of high school student in Osaka, Chisaka Kyoji (1950-), who insisted on struggling for an anarchist revolution relying on Bakunin’s revolutionary vanguard secret organization tactics. This is an example, which indicates that the publications of 1970s influenced on Japanese social movement. Chisaka named himself “Bakuninist.”

 The next generation who were interested in anarchism in the 1980s like myself, have learned the anarchism, through reading the Japanese translation of Bakunin’s and Kropotkin’s works which were published in the 1970s. The almost all texts on Bakunin which are available today in Japan were published in 1970s except for the texts by Ōsugi Sakae, which were written in 1920s.

2. Ōsugi’s Interpretation on the thought and life of Bakunin

 These texts on Bakunin by Ōsugi are written from his unique perspective and are easy to understand. Through these texts, Ōsugi made Bakunin’s thought and life very popular in Japan and they are still cited and referenced today.

 Before Ōsugi played an active part in Japanese anarchist movement, Japanese anarchists split from social democrats. After that, in 1910, many anarchists and socialists were accused of high treason and persecuted and as a result in 1911 twelve anarchists were executed.

 After this persecution, there emerged the movement of younger anarchists including Ōsugi. He was different from the older generation, and also among the younger generation. He could read French and English very well, and he kept informed about the situation of anarchists in Europe and in the United States through French and English anarchist magazines and newspapers.

 Besides, his texts are easy to read even today, with clear cut discussion, and also they gave to Japanese reader always many unique perspectives.

 For this reason, his essays were very popular, not only among anarchists, but also among people outside the movement. In such populations, there were even admirers for his texts. And even some commercial papers requested him to write articles.

 The period when Ōsugi published some articles and books on Bakunin was only two years and three months. It was before he was killed by police when he was only 38 years old, in September 1923, along with his partner Itō Noe (1895-1923), when she was 28 years old. Why had Ōsugi written about Bakunin only in these two years and three months?

  Around 1920, Ōsugi expected the revolution to occur in Japan, like in Russia. He thought that to lead the revolution successfully, Japanese anarchists need to associate even with Bolsheviks or Marxists in Russia and in Japan.

 In 1920, when the Comintern, the Third International, invited Japanese socialists and anarchists to an international gathering in China, Ōsugi was the only Japanese anarchist who accepted this invitation, went to China and attended the meeting at the risk of being arrested. After this meeting, he agreed to collaborate with some Japanese Bolsheviks to publish a journal in Tokyo, but because of the betrayal by Bolsheviks, the conflict begun between Ōsugi and Bolsheviks.

  After 1922, when Ōsugi learned from the European anarchist papers that the Bolsheviks are suppressing anarchists in Russia, he began to criticize Bolshevism. From then Ōsugi attacked the supporters of Bolshevism in magazines and papers, and the fierce controversy between Ōsugi and Bolsheviks deepened the conflict.

 In December of 1922, Ōsugi received a letter from France. A French anarchist invited Ōsugi to the International Anarchist Congress, which would be held in Berlin in 1923. Ōsugi got a false passport very quickly, and “escaped” from Japan, and traveled to France by way of China. But the international conference was repeatedly delayed. Ōsugi was very frustrated by this waiting time, and ascended on the platform of workers gathering for May Day in Saint-Denis, Paris, and talked about “May Day in Japan.” He was arrested on the spot and was deported to Japan. 

Sakae Ōsugi ca.1922

　This international anarchist congress was originally proposed in 1922, at the international gathering for 50th anniversary of the anti-authoritarian conference in Saint-Imier, or the conference by the “Bakunin-fraction” of the First international. We can say that the Ōsugi’s travel to France or “escape” from Japan was indirectly connected to Bakunin’s legacy.
　Ōsugi wanted to meet with Russian anarchists like Nestor Makhno and Volin, i.e Vsevolod Mikhailovich Eikhenbaum in Berlin to hear the story about anarchist revolution in Russia. One of his greatest concerns in this period was how the Japanese revolution could be lead successfully, and he probably hoped to learn from the experience of anarchists in Russian revolution. Ōsugi named his third child “Nestor,” born in 1923. This indicates how Ōsugi respected Makhno and Russian anarchists.

 From the same perspective, Ōsugi was interested in Bakunin, but Ōsugi described Bakunin not only as a revolutionary, but as a likable human being. Ōsugi wrote as follows:

　"Kropotkin described Bakunin as a good and innocent man who hopes only for peace and freedom. But with such description, it’s impossible to me to have feeling of affection towards Bakunin. I like better the texts which describe Bakunin as a man who disturbs even the peace and order among the anarchists and as a man who seemed even to the anarchists as a rebel within their relations. I like more the text which describes Bakunin as a natural born rebel, as anarchist who is not punctual, and lived so irresponsibly. When I read such descriptions of Bakunin, I always feel as if I am meeting an old friend. When I remember the life of Bakunin, I cannot help but smile to myself".

　Ōsugi portrayed Bakunin, also in other texts, not only as a revolutionary or as an anarchist, but as a human being who is hard to hate and who has many faults. Ōsugi published some biographies of Bakunin in magazines and newspapers from 1921 to 1923. Before the biography by E.H.Carr which was published in 1965, Ōsugi’s biographies were the only Japanese texts, which had detailed descriptions and were also readable and interesting.

 Before the 1920s, Ōsugi had written more biographies and texts on Pyotr Kropotkin, like his predecessor Kōtoku Shūsui (1871-1911). Like him and the socialists of the older generation, Ōsugi and younger generation also learned about anarchism mostly through Kropotkin’s texts.

 Here, I would like to indicate, why Ōsugi researched on Bakunin and wrote many essays and biographies of Bakunin. Firstly, it was because Ōsugi wanted to find in the life and thought of Bakunin some suggestions of how to successfully lead the revolution in Japan; secondly, it was because of his fighting with the Bolsheviks in Japan that he needed to learn about the experience of Bakunin, who fought with Marx and his supporters, the authoritarians in the First International.

 After 1968, 45 years after the death of Ōsugi, in the turbulence of the student revolt, there was growing interest in Bakunin. The reason why the students wanted to know about Bakunin’s life and thought seems to be almost the same as Ōsugi’s reasons. The students searched for successful revolution, and they struggled with authoritarian socialists.

 Then what about today? In these past 20 years, because of the neo-liberal policies of the Japanese government, the population of the working-poor has increased and the gap between poor and rich has expanded and become very clear.

 In this situation, in the past 10 years in Japan, the mass-movement of racists has emerged. This movement is supported by so many working poor people who have no hope for a better future. This movement especially target to the permanent resident Korean people who have been living in Japan for three to four generations

　On the other hand, in the past 10 years, younger people who show rebellious spirit by putting on various demonstrations against the government on the street like “Amateur Revolt,” are appearing. Especially after the disaster of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima on March 11 of 2011, in Japan, there are many younger people have begun to revolt against the government and bureaucracy with demonstrations on the street. These days, there are emerging the people amongst Japanese people, who prefer confusion and disorder, and rebelling against authority and social order. Younger Japanese were once characterized as obedient people to government or as people who easily accommodated themselves to the social order, but it seems like they are changing.

 In these past three years it seems that the population of rebellious people continues to grow. With direct actions on the streets, they show their feeling of protest against the attitudes of politicians, bureaucrats, and the executives of power companies and of global corporations.

  Japanese society is still very conservative, but something has changed after Fukushima disaster. We know the economic growth has been one of the central values of the Japanese people after 1945. But from the demonstration on the street against nuclear power is now emerging the words “Not money, but life” or “Life over money.” This expresses a very different values and ideals than before.

 I think it is possible to say that a “new anarchism” is emerging in a Japanese style. Even if we don’t call them “anarchist”, they are revolting against authority with direct action, like anarchists of past and present. And I think that they are the people who are in need now of the philosophy and attitudes embodied by Bakunin.
　I will conclude this presentation by citing with following words written by Ōsugi in1921. Here he tried to explain the reason why he was fascinated by Bakunin: 

 "Younger people who begin to learn about anarchism, they all suffer from “Bakunin-fever.” 20 years ago, I also suffered from this disease. But if people are wise, they will awake from this fever very soon. I was also not such a foolish guy, and after that, I became really fascinated by the scholarly life and attitude of Kropotkin. But in the last few years, I have been getting the feeling of becoming younger, and I have been caught up by the “Bakunin-fever” again. Bakunin lived in the age of disorder and instability. He lived in the age when the old regime of feudalism had broken, but the new capitalist system was not yet established. After that, Kropotkin lived in the age of capitalism, when so many people thought that capitalist system would never collapse and that this system would bring them peace, stability and prosperity forever. But, wouldn’t not seem the World War, the German revolution and Russian revolution take this capitalist world to an age of disorder and instability once again? To bring them, in the end, to a new system of justice and freedom?" 

 However, this prophecy of Ōsugi was not fulfilled. Two years later, he was killed as a victim of state repression. After that, Japan was going directly into the age of militarism and war of aggression, but I think in these words Ōsugi suggests one of the ways in which the thought and life of Bakunin can be understood with a sense of reality. Finding such a sense of reality in the thought and life of people who lived more than hundred years ago, it is depends on our imagination and sensibility. I think that this is something that Ōsugi has taught us.