【Special issue: Confucian ethos: Etiguette & Vernacular life】The Formation of Confucian and Shinto:Concepts of “Mind” in Yamazaki Ansai and Suika Shinto

Author: Michiaki Fujii(Department of East Asian Studies, National Taiwan Normal University)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 58, No. 2
Date：September 2013
Pages：1-24
DOI：10.6210/JNTNULL.2013.58(2).01

Abstract：

Yamazaki Ansai (1618-1682) was a famous scholar of Zhu Xi philosophy (Chinese Confucianism) who lived during the Japanese Tokugawa period. His strong belief in Zhu Xi led him to inquire profoundly into the philosophy and create the Kimon school. In addition, his historical research on the Shinto and Suika Shinto philosophies reveals that he was a believer in Japanese Shinto. Zhu Xi and Japanese Shinto are distinct with respect to their systems of philosophy and religion. However, the two coexist in the mind of Yamazaki Ansai and merely represent different explanations of the same essential truth. How did this unity come about? Many studies have been conducted on Yamazaki Ansai, but none have provided clear and reasonable explanations concerning the unity of Shinto and Confucianism. Therefore, this thesis aims to reconcile the apparent conflicts between the Zhu Xi Philosophy and Shinto and examine Ansai’s ideas concerning the non-contradictory coexistence of the two.

Keywords：Yamazaki Ansai, mind, Zhu Xi philosophy, Suika Shinto, unity of Shinto and Confucianism

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