This book takes a fresh look at early modern Japanese Confucian thought through a study of Kumazawa Banzan (1619-91). It argues that, contrary to the often-held view that Confucianism was an ideological tool used to support the current regime, Banzan's thought suggests that the tradition contained elements subversive to the status quo: Banzan is presented as a figure of protest. The book explores his stormy relations with feudal authority and his remonstrations against contemporary maladministration. Banzan also criticized the historical militarization of Japanese society and high consumption, which he believed to cause deforestation and climatic warming. His thinking extended to metaphysics and the question of Japan's national identity. A remarkable feature of his thought was his identification of an arcadian society in the Tale of Genji, a book condemned by most of his fellow Confucian thinkers. This book is based on Banzan's written works, both published and in manuscript, his correspondence, and other contemporary sources.
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A major accomplishment, the book has much to say to anyone interested in Tokugawa intellectual history, or, more broadly, the intellectual history of East Asia and the intersection of different cultural traditions. Monumenta Nipponica Grasping accurately the nuances of Banzan's writings and untangling with great care their multiple implications, McMullen has succeeded in bringing out the complexities of Banzan's thought. The persistence and effort underlying this accomplishment deserve the utmost admiration and respect. As a reliable account of a challenging and important figure, McMullen's study is unquestionably a major contribution to our understanding of Tokugawa intellectual history. Monumenta Nipponica James McMullen's study of Kumazawa Banzan ... will become a monument in this field ... There is much here of interest for those who want to understand the diversity and complexity of intellectual and cultural life of the entire Tokugawa era from 1600 to 1868. Andrew Gerstle, Royal Asiatic Society This book is part of a new series, Oxford Oriental Monographs ... It has been produced to the highest standards, with notes at the foot of the page and Chinese and Japanese appearing in the body of the text, the footnotes and the bibliography, as well as a Glossary that defines the most frequently recurring specialized terminology encountered in the book. The full apparatus adds to the pleasure of reading this outstanding work of scholarship. English Historical Review
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Höhe: 216 mm
Breite: 138 mm
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ISBN-13
978-0-19-815251-4 (9780198152514)
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