日本学界百余年来的德尼《清韩论》研究评述

Comments on the Study of Denny’s China and Korea in Japanese Academia

美国人德尼利用其担任朝鲜政府外交顾问之机,于19世纪80年代撰写了《清韩论》,首次从国际法的视角,诠释了中朝宗藩关系的特质,从法理上辨析、论证朝贡国与属国的不同,指陈朝鲜之于中国是属国而非藩属,强调属国自主,宣扬“清韩两国论”“清韩平等论”“朝鲜独立论”,揭批清朝中国干预朝鲜内政外交的无理性,肯定朝鲜追求独立自主的正当性。因其主张契合了当时日本侵朝政策的需要,故大受追捧,在日本出现了较为短暂的“德尼热”。随着中日甲午战争爆发、日本吞并韩国,德尼及《清韩论》研究在日本陷入低谷。直至21世纪初,德尼与《清韩论》再度成为日本学界的研究热点,且取得了丰硕的成果,但在研究领域、史学观点等方面存在深化、商榷的余地。

Owen Nickerson Denny,an American,wrote China and Korea in the 1880s,when he served as a diplomatic adviser to the Korean government.He is the first person to interpret qualities of the suzerain-vassal relation between China and Korea from the perspective of international law,discriminate and analyze the differences between tributary state and vassal state from jurisprudence,indicate that Korea is Chinese tributary rather than vassal,emphasize that the tributary state is independent,promote the theories that China and Korea are separate,China and Korea are equal,and Korea is independent,expose and criticize that Qing government has no rights to interfere in the internal and diplomatic affairs of Korea,and affirm the legitimacy of the Korean pursuit of independence.Because his ideas were in line with the needs of Japan’s policy to invade Korea at that time,it was greatly sought after.And there appeared a relatively short period of“Denny’s fever”in Japan.With the outbreak of 1894-1895 Sino-Japanese War and Japan’s annexation of Korea,the study of Denny and China and Korea fell into a low ebb in Japan.Since the beginning of the 21st century,Denny and his China and Korea have once again become the research focus of the Japanese academia,and have achieved fruitful results.But there is room for further discussion in the research field and viewpoints on history.