Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: English This study examines the process through which Wang Yangming’s philosophy, originating in Ming China, was transmitted to Japan and reconstructed as a unique “philosophy of action.” The research first traces the genealogy of practice in Japanese Yangming Studies, focusing on the contributions of three representative thinkers—Nakae Tōju, Kumazawa Banzan, and Ōshio Heihachirō—who expanded its application from personal ethics to political reform and revolutionary action. It then analyzes the distinctive features of Japanese Yangming Studies: the emphasis on practical ethics over speculative thought, its integration with indigenous values such as Shintō and Bushidō, and its dynamic relationship of opposition and synthesis with Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism. Furthermore, the principles of “the unity of knowledge and action” (知行合一) and “innate knowledge” (致良知) remain significant for addressing the contemporary problem of the gap between knowledge and practice. Through this analysis, the study demonstrates that Japanese Yangming Studies not only exemplifies the localization and creative transformation of an imported philosophy but also retains universal value as an ethical guide in the modern world. 日本語: 本研究は、中国で誕生した陽明心学が日本に伝播し、独自の「行動の哲学」として展開された過程を考察するものである。まず、日本における受容の初期段階において、中江藤樹・熊沢蕃山・大塩平八郎といった思想家が、それぞれ個人倫理・政治改革・革命的行動へと実践領域を拡張した系譜を明らかにした。次に、日本陽明学の特質として、思弁よりも実践倫理を重視する傾向、神道や武士道との融合、そして朱子学との対立および折衷を整理した。さらに、陽明学の「知行合一」や「致良知」の理念は、知識と行動の乖離という問題を克服しようとする点で、現代社会にも重要な示唆を与える。以上の分析を通じて、日本陽明学は異文化思想の在地化と創造的転用の典型例であると同時に、現代においても有効な行動規範を提供し得る普遍的価値を持つことが明らかとなった。
Author: Fang Chen
Institution: Asia University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4414984508
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: