本文介紹西田幾多郎的文明橋樑模式,以泰戈爾的文明橋樑模式作爲對照,並透過推論將西田模式具體聯繫到滿洲國的建立。文明橋樑的自喻是弱者提升自尊的一種方法,藉由個人化的修養來匯合東西文明,是泰戈爾超越西方展現自信的途徑。與泰戈爾的模式相比,西田幾多郎的模式替日本整體找到一個無的場所,也是無所不包的場所。這樣的場所沒有尚未完成的追求者,因此不存在任何行動的指導,反而欣賞沉默的靜態,既然沒有爲個體能動性提供思想準備,則個體行動者由不動到動的過程只能是動員的,因而是依附的。這樣由見者回到動者,從無的場所進入有的場所,似乎是一種退出,可是中國的滿洲提供了一次進取的機會。中國的滿蒙是白鳥理論中的東、西洋的共同源起之地,與西田哲學的無的場所若合符節,當無的場所做爲八紘一宇的神道境界以後,中國的滿洲成就了文明橋樑的自況。
Bridging is a metaphor used by colonized people torn between traditional indigenous culture and the intruding Western civilization to transcend material weakness and provide spiritual remedy to the materialist West. This paper introduces Nishda Kitaro's model of bridging, with a note on Rabinfranath Tagore's model as a reference. The Nishida model, embedded in the philosophy of nothingness, takes away individual agency for transcendence. The paper engages Shiratori Kurakichi and his notion of Manchuria as the origin of world civilizations, which later reifies the place of nothingness. The resultant enthusiasm toward the establishment of Manchukuo was both a form of bridging and a twist toward imperialism. Overall, our paper reinterprets the meaning of bridging in the context of modern Japanese political thought.