Drift and Modernity: On Mid-Twentieth Century Japanese Intellectual Discourses

This article explores the subject of drifting (hyōryū) at sea and its relationship with modernity in mid-twentieth century Japanese intellectual discourse. During this period, castaway stories and the figure of the castaway or drifter (hyōryūsha) drew the attention of key Japanese intellectuals as an important subject in the formation of the modern world and society. This article focuses on the discourses of three radical and progressive Japanese intellectuals influential in the mid-twentieth century, namely Fukumoto Kazuo (1894–1983), Tsurumi Shunsuke (1922–2015), and Hanada Kiyoteru (1909–1974), whose works engage extensively with the subject of those adrift at sea. While paying attention to the different methodological perspectives of the three intellectuals, this article argues that their discussions of the drift addressed a shared interest in a re-examination of modernity. By addressing the ways in which the sinuous passage of the drift inspired a critical examination of modernity, this article helps expand the discussion of modernity in Japanese intellectual history.