Kutheni Simele Sibe Nengqondo Ephangaleleyo Yokwamkela Iimbono Ezintsha?
NJENGOKO ingqumba yomsi yayinyuka ngokuthe ngcembe, umphathi wenqanawa waseMerika uMatthew C. Perry wayekhangele kuloo Ntaba iFuji eme kumgangatho wenqanawa yakhe yemfazwe, iSusquehanna. Wayelangazelela ukubona iJapan ibe ekugqibeleni wafika kuyo ngoJulayi 8, 1853, emva kohambo lwaselwandle lweenyanga ezingaphezu kwesixhenxe. Lo mphathi wenqanawa wayenze uphengululo ngayo yonke ingxelo eyayifumaneka ngeli lizwe. Ngoba? Ngenxa yokuba wayenethemba lokuvulela obu “bukumkani buzahluleyo” iindlela zonxibelelwano nehlabathi.
Eneneni, yayizahlule! Ngaphezu kweminyaka engama-200 ngaphambili, iJapan yayiqhawule amaqhina ezorhwebo nempucuko kuwo onke amazwe ngaphandle kweTshayina, iKorea neHolani. Ngoko eli lizwe laliphumle lingaphazamiseki ngendlela eyanelisayo. Kuloo meko, lafanekisela abantu abaninzi abazichasayo iimbono ezintsha baze bangafuni ukuphulaphula kwizimvo ezahlukileyo kwezabo. Kwezinye iimeko, ukwenjenjalo kunokwanelisa, ngenxa yokuba iimbono ezintsha zinokuphazamisa, zide zibangele noloyiko. Kodwa ngaba ukuzichasa ngaloo ndlela kububulumko? Khawuqwalasele imiphumo yenkqubo yokuzahlula kwaseJapan.
Yintoni Eyakhokelela Ekuzahluleni KweJapan?
IJapan ayizange izahlule ngaphandle kwesizathu. Ngowe-1549, umvangeli uFrancis Xavier ongumJesuit wafika eJapan ngenjongo yokusasaza unqulo lwakhe. Ngethutyana elingephi, unqulo lwamaRoma Katolika lwaba lolubalulekileyo kwelo lizwe. Abalawuli belo xesha babenamava emvukelo yonqulo eyayibangelwa lihlelo lamaBhuda ibe babona into efanayo phakathi kwamaKatolika. Ngoko, ubuKatolika bapheliswa, nangona ukupheliswa kwabo kungazange kunyanzeliswe ngokungqongqo.
Bebanga ukuba iJapan ‘yayililizwe lobuthixo,’ abalawuli babengenanjongo yokuvumela unqulo ‘lobuKristu’ lusongele inkqubo yabo. Ngoko, kwakutheni, ukuze bangakunyanzelisi ngamandla ukupheliswa kobuKatolika? Kungenxa yokuba abavangeli basemazweni bamaKatolika babesiza ngeenqanawa zorhwebo zasePortugal, ibe urhulumente wayeyifuna ingeniso eyayisiziswa kuye zezo nqanawa. Sekunjalo, uloyiko lokuba amaKatolika ayeya kuphembelela abantu baseJapan ngokuthe ngcembe lwawodlula ngokugqithiseleyo umnqweno wabalawuli worhwebo. Ngaloo ndlela, bakhupha imithetho enolawulo olunamandla kurhwebo lwangaphandle, kwimfuduko yabemi “namaKristu.”
Xa “amaKristu” awayetshutshiswa ibe ecinezelwa athi avukela nxamnye nenkosi yasekuhlaleni, eso yayisisibakala esasibonisa isiganeko esizayo. Elujonga olu dushe njengomphumo ongqalileyo wenkqubo yamaKatolika, urhulumente okummandla kaShogun owayelawula apho wawagxotha amaPhuthukezi waza wabalela abantu baseJapan ukuba bawelele ngaphaya kwemida yelizwe labo. Ekukhutshweni kwalo mthetho ngowe-1639, ukuzahlula kweJapan kwaba yinto yokwenene.
Ekuphela kwabantu baseNtshona abavunyelwayo ukuqhubeka berhweba neJapan yayingamaDatshi, awayexinaniselene eDejima, eyayisisiqithi esincinane kwizibuko laseNagasaki ngoko. Kangangeminyaka engama-200, impucuko yasempuma yayingena kwelaseJapan kuphela ukuya kutsho ngeDejima ngoku ebangwayo ukuba ibuyiselwe. Nyaka ngamnye, umalathisi weposi yorhwebo kweso siqithi wavelisa ngokusemthethweni iphepha elithi “Ingxelo YamaDatshi,” elenza ukuba urhulumente akwazi oko kwakuqhubeka kumazwe angaphandle. Kodwa inkqubo yoburhulumente obukummandla kaShogun yayiqinisekisa ukuba akukho mntu wumbi owayezibona ezi ngxelo. Ngoko abantu baseJapan bahlala bezahlulile de uMphathi Weenqanawa uPerry wathi cakatha unyawo lwakhe apho ngowe-1853.
Ukupheliswa Kokuzahlula
Njengoko iinqanawa ezinkulu ezimnyama zikaPerry zazikhuph’ umphunga zijongise imibombo kwiChweba iEdo, zibenza bamayamayaze abalobi basekuhlaleni, ababecinga ukuba zaziziintaba-mlilo ezihambayo. Abemi base-Edo (ngoku eyiTokyo) babegubha, ibe abaninzi basaba esixekweni nefanitshala yabo. Le mfuduko yayinkulu kangangokuba urhulumente kwanyanzeleka ukuba akhuphe isaziso esingokwaseburhulumenteni ukuze kuzoliswe abantu.
Asizonqanawa ezazikhupha umphunga kuphela nezazilawulwa nguMphathi Weenqanawa uPerry ezakhwankqisa aba bantu babezahlulile kodwa kwakhona bamangaliswa zizipho awayebaphathele zona. Bamangaliswa kukubona umboniso wezigidimi ezazithunyelwa ngeengcingo zeposi ukusuka kwesinye isakhiwo ukuya kwesinye. INarrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, eyabhalwa phantsi kolwalathiso lukaPerry, ithetha ngamagosa aseJapan awayengenakukuchasa ukutsibela kwinqwelwana ebaleka kumgaqo kaloliwe wamaLilliputi “ekwakungenkankulu ukuba ikhwelise umntwana oneminyaka emithandathu ubudala.” ‘Kwanomphathi oyindwalutho’ wayebambelela eluphahleni lwayo “enxibe isiwunduwundu sakhe esiphetshezeliswa ngumoya.”
Ekugqibeleni iingcango zaseJapan zophulwa zivulwa genge lutyelelo lwesibini lukaPerry kunyaka olandelayo. Esoyiswa kukucinezelwa, urhulumente waluvula unxibelelwano kwelo lizwe. Iqela likaDiehard elalixhasa ukuzahlula kwelo lizwe nelalifuna ukulondoloza ukuzahlula kweJapan labhenela kubugrogrisi, lagwinta inkulu-baphathiswa yaseburhulumenteni, laza lahlasela abantu bamazwe angaphandle. Ezinye iinkosi ezazingabaxhasi boku kuzahlula zatshisa abo babesabela kumazwe angaphandle. Noko ke, uhlaselo lwabo, ekugqibeleni lwadamba, ibe umlawuli wabuthabatha uburhulumente obukummandla kaShogun oseTokugawa.
Ngethuba laxa uPerry wayevula unxibelelwano eJapan, amazwe aseNtshona ayesele ehambele phambili ukuya kutsho kwiNguquko Yamashishini Ekwenzeni Izinto. Ngenxa yokuzahlula kwayo iJapan, yayishiywe kude lee. Amazwe anamashishini ayesebenzisa amandla omphunga. Ngeminyaka yee-1830, iinjini zomphunga noomatshini abasebenzisa amandla omphunga babesetyenziswa ngokubanzi. Inkqubo yaseJapan yokuzahlula yayibangela ukuba ishiyeke emva kakhulu kwezoshishino. Oku kwaviwa ngokunzulu ligqiza lokuqala elalimela iJapan eYurophu. Kwiphulo lokubonisa izinto elaliqhutyelwa eLondon ngowe-1862, izinto ezaziboniswa ngabaseJapan zaziyimveliso yephepha nomthi ezinjengezo “zaziya kuboniswa kwiivenkile zamandulo,” ngokutsho komnye ummeli walapho owaziva ephoxekile.
Abameli belizwe laseJapan eYurophu naseUnited States baziwa benenkxalabo yokwenene yemfuneko yokuveliswa kwamashishini kwilizwe labo yaye balangazelela ukuvelisa izinto ezintsha neembono zanamhla. Kwiminyaka engamashumi amathandathu anesine emva kotyelelo lokuqala lukaPerry, ilungu lokugqibela elalisaphila kwiqela labaqhubi bakhe beenqanawa latyelela eJapan laze lathi: “Inkqubela yaseJapan phakathi nje kweminyaka engaphezu kwamashumi amathandathu yandenza ndabamb’ ongezantsi.”
Ngoko, inkqubo yaseJapan yokuzahlula ngokugqithiseleyo yabangela ukuba amandla ayo enkqubela asebenze ngokulinganiselweyo. Ukwamkela kwayo iimbono ezintsha kwangqineka kuyingenelo kubantu bayo ngeendlela ezininzi. Noko ke, namhlanje, bambi kwabaseJapan balatha ‘ukuzahlula ngokwasengqondweni okukhoyo phakathi kwabantu ibe oku bakuchaza njengengxaki emele iconjululwe. Eneneni, ukoyisa utyekelo lokuchasa iimbono ezintsha kulucelo-mngeni kungekuphela nje kubantu baseJapan banamhla kodwa kubo bonk’ abantu. Kuthekani ngawe nomcimbi ‘wokuzahlula ngokwasengqondweni’? Ngaba uya kufumana iingenelo ngokwamkela iimbono ezintsha, njengoko elaseJapan lenzayo emva phayaa ngeminyaka yee-1850?