40 Buddhist theory was consistent with the principles of modern phi-losophy. He further examined the Buddhist scriptures and concluded that Buddhism is the philosophy of the East, saying, “Why didn’t I know that the truth obtained through thousands of years of study in Europe already existed in ancient times in the East three thousand years ago?” He had rediscovered Buddhism as a modern philosophy. He explained that this was in 1885 when he was in his fourth year at university. Thus, Enryō became convinced that “philosophy exists in both the East and the West.” It is said that philosophy means “having the desire to learn.” Enryō had challenged himself to achieve this goal and he never let go of philosophy throughout his life. Consequently, in 1884 he founded Japan’s first “Philosophical So-ciety” while still a student along with forerunning leaders in philoso-pher such as NISHI Amane, KATŌ Hiroyuki, and INOUE Tetsujirō. The society, which also included senior students such as MIYAKE Set-surei and TANAHASHI Ichirō, still exists today as the University of Tokyo Society of Philosophy. Reflecting on his own student days Enryō said, “In my whole life, nothing ever compared to the joy I felt during my time as a student. I cannot even begin to express in words that blessedness and joy.” The collection of Chinese-style writings from his school days was titled Bent Caterpillar Poems. According to a specialist, the characters for bent caterpillar (屈蠖), refer to an inchworm/looper caterpillar bending up its body. Caterpillars bend their bodies in preparation for extending forward. Persevering in the meantime before fulfilling one’s aspirations means patiently looking forward to a day in the fu-
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