Local Expressions of Scientific Universality in Japan

In the 1930s, against the backdrop of the rising discourse of “Japanese spirit” (Nihon Seishin 日本精神), Japanese academia engaged in extensive debates over the relationship between science and national identity. The philosopher and historian of science and technology, Saigusa Hiroto (三枝博音), proposed the concept of “Japanese science” (Nihon kagaku 日本科学), seeking to demonstrate the existence of indigenous scientific thought in Japan through both historical and theoretical dimensions. On one hand, he redefined the concept of science by centering it on “shizen” (nature自然), aligning it with Japanese cultural characteristics to establish a theoretical foundation for “Japanese science”. On the other hand, by analyzing natural philosophy writings from the Edo period, particularly those of Miura Baien (三浦梅園), he argued that Japan had developed a unique scientific tradition in its early modern era, thereby providing historical substantiation for “Japanese science”. Saigusa's research integrated science into Japan's cultural genealogy, addressing the tension between scientific universality and national particularity while offering a novel approach to the study of scientific thought under wartime ideological control in Japan.