Kungani Kufanele Wamukele Imiqondo Emisha?
NJENGOBA inkungu evimbanisile yayinyamalala kancane kancane, ukaputeni waseMelika uMatthew C. Perry wabuka iNtaba iFuji esemkhunjini wakhe, iSusquehanna. Wayelokhu elangazelela ukubona iJapane futhi ekugcineni wayesefikile khona ngoJuly 8, 1853, ngemva kohambo lwezinyanga eziyisikhombisa ngomkhumbi. Lokaputeni wayetadishe yonke imibiko etholakalayo ngalelozwe. Ngani? Ngoba wayenethemba lokwenza ‘lombuso ozihlukanisile’ uvulekele wonke umhlaba.
Ozihlukanisile ngempela! Eminyakeni engaphezu kwama-200 ngaphambili, iJapane yayinqamule ubudlelwano bezentengiselwano nempucuko nawo wonke amazwe ngaphandle kweChina, iKorea, neHolland. Khona-ke lesizwe saba sesimweni sokunganaki singaphazanyiswa. Sikulesosimo, sasifana nabantu abaningi abamelana nemiqondo emisha nabenqaba ukulalela imibono ehlukile kweyabo. Ngezinye izindlela, lokhu kungakwenza unethezeke, ngoba imiqondo emisha ingase iphazamise, yethuse ngisho nokwethusa. Kodwa ingabe isimo esinjalo singesihlakaniphile? Nokho, cabangela imiphumela yesimiso saseJapane sokuzihlukanisa.
Yini Eyaholela Ekuzihlukaniseni KweJapane?
IJapane ayizange izihlukanise ngaphandle kwesizathu. Ngo-1549, umvangeli ongumJesuit uFrancis Xavier wafika eJapane ukuba asakaze inkolo yakhe. Ngesikhathi esifushane, inkolo yamaRoma Katolika yavelela ezweni. Ababusi bangalesosikhathi babebone ukuvukela kwenkolo okwenziwa ihlelo lobuBuddha futhi babona ukuthi kungenzeka okufanayo nangamaKatolika. Ngakho-ke, ubuKatolika benqatshelwa, nakuba ukunqatshelwa kwabo kungenziwanga ngokuqinile.
Bethi iJapane “isizwe saphezulu,” ababusi babengafuni ukuvumela inkolo “yobuKristu” ukuba isongele isimiso sabo. Khona-ke, kungani bengabunqabelanga ngokuqine ngokwengeziwe ubuKatolika? Ngoba abavangeli bamaKatolika babefika ngemikhumbi yohwebo yamaPutukezi, futhi uhulumeni wayehahela inzuzo ayengayithola kuleyomikhumbi. Nakuba kunjalo, ukwesaba ukuthi amaKatolika ayeyothonya amaJapane kancane kancane kwaba ngaphezu kwesifiso sababusi sokuhweba. Ngakho-ke, bakhipha izimemezelo eziqinisa ukulawulwa kokuthengwe kwamanye amazwe, kokufuduka, “namaKristu.”
Lapho “amaKristu” ashushiswayo nacindezelekile ngokwezimali evukela umphathi wendawo, kwaba ayinyathele emsileni. Ubheka lokho kuvukela njengomphumela oqondile wenkulumo-ze yamaKatolika, uhulumeni ophethe woMbusi Wezempi waxosha amaPutukezi futhi wanqabela amaJapane ukuba aye kwamanye amazwe. Ngokukhishwa kwalesimemezelo ngo-1639, ukuzihlukanisa kweJapane kwaba yinto engokoqobo.
Okuwukuphela kwabantu baseNtshonalanga ababevunyelwe ukuba baqhubeke behweba neJapane kwakungamaDashi, ayeminyaniswe eDejima, ngalesosikhathi okwakuyisiqhingi esincane esikhumulweni semikhumbi saseNagasaki. Iminyaka engama-200, impucuko yaseNtshonalanga yangena eJapane kuphela ngeDejima manje eyayisithonyiwe. Unyaka ngamunye, umqondisi wesikhumulo sezohwebo wakulesiqhingi wayeletha “Umbiko WamaDashi,” owawazisa uhulumeni ngalokho okwenzeka emazweni angaphandle. Kodwa umbuso woMbusi Wezempi wawuqikelela ukuba kungabikho omunye obona lemibiko. Ngakho amaJapane ahlala ezehlukanisile kwaze kwaba yilapho uKaputeni uPerry engqongqoza emnyango wawo ngo-1853.
Ukuphela Kokuzehlukanisa
Njengoba imikhumbi emikhulu emnyama kaPerry yayiphafuza intuthu, yayifika eThekwini lase-Edo, idida abadobi basendaweni, ababecabanga ukuthi lezi kwakuyizintabamlilo ezihambayo. Izakhamuzi zase-Edo (manje eyiTokyo) zangenwa ingebhe, futhi abaningi babaleka kulelidolobha nempahla yabo yasendlini. Lokhu kufuduka kwakukukhulu kangangokuba kwadingeka ukuba uhulumeni akhiphe isaziso esingokomthetho ukuze ehlise uvalo kubantu.
Labantu abazihlukanisile abamangazwanga nje kuphela imikhumbi yamalahle eyayiqondiswa uKaputeni uPerry kodwa futhi nayizipho afika nazo. Bashaqiswa umbukiso wezigijimi ezithunyelwa ezakhiweni ezihlukene. INarrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, eyahlelwa ngaphansi kokuqondisa kukaPerry, ilandisa ngezikhulu zaseJapane ezazingenakuzibamba zamane zagxumela esitimeleni saseLilliput “esasingenakuthwala ngisho nengane eneminyaka eyisithupha ubudala.” Ngisho nesiphathimandla esihloniphekayo sabambelela ophahleni lwaso “izambatho zaso ezingaboshiwe zintaza emoyeni.”
Ekugcineni umnyango ongena eJapane wavuleka gengelezi ngokuhambela kwesibili kukaPerry ngonyaka olandelayo. Uhulumeni ehlulwa ukucindezela, walivula lelizwe. Abashisekeli bokuzehlukanisa abanenkani ababefuna ukulondoloza ukuzehlukanisa kweJapane baphendukela ebuphekuleni, babulala undunankulu kahulumeni, bahlasela abavela kwamanye amazwe. Abanye abashisekela ukuzehlukanisa badubula imikhumbi yakwamanye amazwe. Nokho, ekugcineni, ukuhlasela kwabo kwanqamuka futhi inkosi yathatha uhulumeni kuMbusi Wezempi waseTokugawa.
Ngesikhathi uPerry evula iminyango engena eJapane, amazwe aseNtshonalanga ayesedlulile kakade eNguqukweni Yezomnotho. Ngenxa yokuzehlukanisa kweJapane, yayishiywe emuva le. Amazwe athuthukile kwezezimboni ayeseqalile ukusebenzisa amandla omusi. Ngawo-1830, izinjini zomusi nemishini esebenza ngomusi kwase kusetshenziswa ngokuvamile. Isimiso saseJapane sokuzehlukanisa sasiyibangele ukuba isilele kakhulu kwezentuthuko. Lokhu kwezwiwa ngokujulile amanxusa okuqala aseJapane eYurophu. Embukisweni owawuqhutshelwa eLondon ngo-1862, imibukiso yaseJapane yayenziwe ngephepha nangokhuni sengathi “yayizobukiswa esitolo sezinto zakudala,” ngokusho kwelinye inxusa elidumazekile.
Amanxusa aseJapane eYurophu naseUnited States ezwa isidingo esiphuthumayo sokuphucula izwe lawo futhi angenisa ngentshiseko izinto nemiqondo yamuva. Eminyakeni engamashumi ayisithupha nane ngemva kokuhambela kokuqala kukaPerry, ilungu lokugcina elalisaphila leqembu lakhe lavakashela eJapane lase lithi: “Intuthuko yeJapane eminyakeni nje engaphezu kwamashumi ayisithupha ingishaqisile.”
Ngakho-ke, isimiso saseJapane sokuzehlukanisa sawanciphisa kakhulu amandla ayo entuthuko. Ukuvula iminyango yayo ukuba yamukele imiqondo emisha kwabonakala kunenzuzo esizweni ngezindlela eziningi. Nokho, namuhla abanye eJapane bakhomba “ukuzehlukanisa ngengqondo” futhi bathi kuyinkinga okumelwe ixazululwe. Ngempela, ukunqoba ukuthambekela kokumelana nemiqondo emisha akuyona inselele yamaJapane anamuhla kuphela kodwa eyabo bonke abantu. Kuthiwani ngawe nendaba “yokuzehlukanisa ngengqondo”? Ubungazuza yini ngokuvula ingqondo yakho ukuze yamukele imiqondo emisha, njengoba kwenza iJapane emuva le ngawo-1850?