Welcome to the website of
A Discourse on the theory of Japanese constitution and Real Socialism

 (Kokutairon oyobi Junsei Shakaishugi)
 

This website publishes English version of Kokutairon oyobi Junsei Shakaishugi (A Discourse on the theory of Japanese constitution and Real Socialism) by Kita Ikki (Terujiro).

Kokutairon is his maiden work and chief work which shows his starting point (you would know it to some extent because you would not find this website unless you consciously search to investigate Kita Ikki or Kokutairon). When we understand him, we must read this book. It was praised by many famous socialists and is regarded as one of masterpieces of modern Japan. Kishi Nobusuke, who got the prime minister, read it when young and was greatly influenced.
　This book is the most important one to understand what he thought and acted. But the Japanese original text is written in literary language and its argument was not always logically. So, it is very difficult for even Japanese to read, much less for other countries’ people. If it is too difficult for you to read, you cannot know what he thought and acted. Leaving this situation as this is means our Japanese negligence to the intellectual world.
 　That is why I feel the duty to offer you materials to think what he thought and acted as the same Japanese and tried to translate it into English. I’m happy if my English version enables you to find a clue to understand his thought and actions.

　Higuchi Shinya

BEFORE READING   Translator’s Note

I’m not a scholar of English literature or a bilingual but a mere Japanese man. I made efforts to convey meanings of the original text rightly in English but I’m afraid that my English was often Japanese-English, that is, I often failed to convey the meanings rightly.
　Expressions are not always consistent because it took me three years to translate into and I cannot enough reconsider the translation. So, please overlook faults of my English version and read this as a temporary one until a student being versed Japanese history, especially modern history, translates into good English.   

About Kita Ikki (Terujiro)

  KITA IKKI (TERUJIRO) was born in 1883, published A Discourse on the theory of Japanese constitution and Real Socialism in 1906, and shocked in the intellectual world in Japan. Katayama Sen, Kawakami Hajime, or Fukuda Tokuzo, who were Japanese socialists, spoke very highly his book but conservative attacked it disrespectful and it was banned in a week.
With this book publishing, he began to associate with Kotoku Shusui or Sakai Toshihiko, who were Japanese influential socialists, was invited Kakumei Hyoronsha (A association of criticizing revolutions), and joined a Union of Chinese Revolution.
　In 1911, when the Chinese Revolution broke out, he went to China and acted uniting a group of Song Jiaoren. In 1919, he accepted an invitation by Okawa Shumei and went back Japan taking General principles of the National Reorganization. He joined Yuzonsha and trained many pupils. On the other side, he engaged in secret maneuvers in the political world.
He was followed youth military officers through Nishida Mitsugi, who was his pupil, and was regarded the head of movement of the national reorganization. When the coup d’état broke out in 1936, he was arrested as the ringleader and was executed by a firing squad in 1937.

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