In Kanetomo’s version of Shintō (‘Prime Shintō’ as he calls it) it is clear that this original kami is being equated with the Tao. Another Chinese tradition that had a strong impact on Japanese thought is Confucianism, or jukyoˉshugi in Japanese. This tradition grew out of the ideas of the sixth-century BCE philosopher Confucius and his followers, particularly Mencius. What distinguishes Confucianism from Taoism, is that while Taoism focuses on living in harmony with nature, Confucianism is mostly concerned with social ethics and the human being’s relation to others.

One of the leaders of the literary movement in the Meiji Era, Shōyō Tsubouchi (1859–1935), who hired Ohnishi at Tokyo Senmon Gakko, wrote on Ibsen twice in 1892 in Waseda bungaku (Waseda Literary Magazine). From his readings of Brandes’ works, Tsubouchi concluded that Ibsen was an angry pessimist and that individualism was the best protection against the malaise of society. In 1893 Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People and A Doll’s House were translated into Japanese by Gekko Takayasu, and in 1894 Chikusui Kaneko, a disciple of Ohnishi, gave a detailed introduction to Ibsen in his article ‘Shinbungo’ (‘New Great Man of Literature’) in Waseda Literary Magazine.

Lang (Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1963) p. 129. Further references to this edition are included in the text. 5. Kierkegaard, Begrebet Angest [The Concept of Anxiety] in Kierkegaards Samlede Værker, 6, p. 189. 6. Kierkegaard, Sygdommen til Døden [The Sickness unto Death] in Kierkegaards Samlede Værker, 15, pp. 113–14. 7. Kierkegaard, Enten-Eller [Either-Or] in Kierkegaards Samlede Værker, 2, pp. 171–2. 8. Kierkegaard, Frygt og Bævan [Fear and Trembling] in Kierkegaards Samlede Værker, 4, p. 189. 9. Kierkegaard, Synpunktet for min Forfatter-virksomhed, in Kierkegaards Samlede Værker, 18, p.