Chapter 119 Zhu Xi's Japanese Disciple

The time when Confucianism was introduced to Japan was actually very early. In 284, an envoy from the Baekje Kingdom of Korea came to Japan and brought Confucianism to the upper echelons of Japanese society.The following year, the envoy recommended another Confucian scholar—Wang Ren—to Japan.Wang Ren presented Confucian classics such as "Thousand Characters" and "Thousand Characters", and became the teacher of the Japanese crown prince. At the beginning of the 6th century, the Emperor of Japan hoped that the King of Baekje would regularly send five classics doctors to Japan to teach "Poetry", "Li", "Yi", and "Spring and Autumn".

After Confucianism entered Japan, it was immediately accepted by the Japanese ruling group.Moreover, in the process of acceptance, Confucianism was increasingly integrated with Japanese local culture, and became the basic cultural norms for the Japanese to implement policies, cultivate talents, and change customs.Prince Shotoku's political reforms all took the Confucian classics as their sect.Prince Shotoku also sent overseas students to China many times to actively absorb mainland culture, making Confucianism a compulsory course for nobles and bureaucrats. The most widely spread and most influential Confucianism in Japan is the theory of Zhu Xi in the Song Dynasty, namely "Zhu Zixue".In Japanese history, the scholars who believed in and admired Zhu Zixue were the "Zhu Zi School" in Japan.Fujiwara Shobo (1561-1615) was the founder of Japanese Zhu Zixue.

Fujiwara was a monk in his early years and practiced Zen.Later, under the influence of others, especially the students of Li Tuixi, the "Zhuzi of North Korea", Fujiwara gradually stopped believing in the Buddhist scriptures, and more recognized Zhu Xi's statements about the Four Books and Five Classics. Although Japan has had Confucianism for a long time, and Zhu Zi’s thoughts have been spread for a long time, but it is thanks to Fujiwara Shiwo that Confucianism is independent from Zen, freed from textual exegesis, and combined with Japanese Shinto.It is in this sense that he is considered the "ancestor of Japanese Zhuzixue".

There are many disciples of Fujiwara, among which Hayashi Luoshan and Matsunaga Shakugo are famous scholars of Zhu Zi.After Tokugawa Ieyasu unified the world, he planned to use thought control as an important means to maintain the shogunate system.He hired Fujiwara Xingwo to explain, appointed Lin Luoshan to serve as the general's lecturer, and participated in political leaders.Later General Tokugawa also built the Confucius Temple.Feudal lords everywhere also promoted Confucianism, hired scholars, published Confucian books, and set up feudal schools. The reason why the Japanese Zhuzi school was valued by the Edo shogunate is actually because his theory emphasized "righteousness" and "honorability".To put it bluntly, it emphasizes social order and requires people to abide by the ranks of superiority and inferiority. If you think about it far away, it's just for farmers to work hard to protect themselves; if it's reversed, the world will be uneven for the small and chaotic for the big."

A theory like this is of course very consistent with the shogunate system and strict status system.Therefore, it is not surprising that Japanese Confucianism was widely permeated into all social strata and became the official ideology of the shogunate and the ethical and moral norms of the whole society under the coercive promotion of the shogunate. Attached are Japanese Confucian readings during the Tokugawa period: 1. Children's books: "Dahe Elementary School", "The Three Character Classic of the Dynasty", "Hesu Tongzi Xun" and "Minjia Tongmengjie", etc.

2.Women's books: "The Analects of Women", "Women's University", "Women's Doctrine of the Mean", "Women's Five Constant Training", "The Story of Women's Benevolence", "Biography of Women of the Dynasty", etc. 3.Samurai reading materials: "Samurai Training", "Wujiao Elementary School", "Shido Essentials", etc. 4.Agricultural and business reading materials: There are "Yamato Customs", "The Weight of Folk Houses", "Instructions for Businessmen", etc.