A Study on the Enlightenment in "Lectures in the Constitution": Review of previous studies

 With Meiji reforms (started in 1868), debates flared up among Japanese thinkers about the suitable form of the new political system in Japan. This debate continued even after the promulgation of Meiji continuation in 1889.
The famous scholar Minobe Tatsukichi (1873-1948) is one of the few Japanese thinkers who worked to spread the constitutional knowledge in Modern Japan. In his book, "Lectures on the Constitution” (1911), which was subsequently banned from publication, Minobe explained and simplified the essence of the political system, sovereignty, rights, and obligations of the governor and citizens.
In this study, the author analyzes Minobe's vision of enlightening Japanese people with constitutional concepts and knowledge. Moreover, he reveals Minobe's expectations for the future of Japanese state, and lack of people's awareness and ignorance which were exploited by politicians and thinkers. The importance of this study lies in revealing a new side of Minobe's thought. Minobe was considered only as law and constitutional scholar, but the author here introduces him for the first time as a thinker of Enlightenment. 
The research is divided into two chapters. In the first one, the author reviews the previous studies about Minobe's thought. Then, in the second chapter, the author deals with the content of his book, focusing on the paths of enlightenment followed by Minobe in introducing the constitutional knowledge to the ordinary people in Japan. Then, he analyzes Minobe's thought criticizing his attitude's contradiction and ambiguity towards the Emperor. The author thinks that this ambiguous attitude is a due to the traditional cultural environment and education, which sometimes obliged Minobe to reject the contents, and values of Western civilization.