In 1903, Japanese scholar Okakura Tenshin proposed the idea of 'Asia as One'.
This pan-Asianism was based on the idea of a civilizational unity between China, India, and Japan.
This pan-Asianism was based on the idea of a civilizational unity between China, India, and Japan.
Rabindranath Thakur was, too, an active proponent of the pan-Asian concept, and met Okakura twice before the latter's death in 1913. Tagore was initially receptive, but then grew concerned about the Japan-centric vision that Okakura was promoting.
In 1907, inspired by Okakura's ideology, Chinese scholar Zhang Taiyan asked rhetorically, "Are not our three countries like a folding fan? India is the paper; China is the bamboo frame, and Japan is the pivot linking these two handles".
In the 1930s, Okakura's ideas were ultimately integrated into the militaristic concept known as the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
While Tagore rejected the military leadership of Japan, another Bengali SC Bose not only welcomed the idea but went on to join them.
While Tagore rejected the military leadership of Japan, another Bengali SC Bose not only welcomed the idea but went on to join them.
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