Confucius in East Asia: Confucianism’s History in China, Korea, Japan, and Viêt Nam by Jeffrey L. Richey (review)

Abstract

JEFFREY L. RICHEY, Confucius in East Asia: Confucianism’s History in China, Korea, Japan, and Viêt Nam. Key Issues in Asian Studies, no. 13. Ann Arbor: Association for Asian Studies, 2013. xviii, 99 pp. US$10 (pb). ISBN 978-0924304 -73-6 It is commonly recognized how difficult it is to write an introduction about entire cultural traditions, and even more difficult to write a truly fine short introduction. But this is just what Jeffrey Richey has accomplished in his study of Confucianism in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. It begins with a short introduction that outlines how the author intends to proceed. Each of the following chapters contains a discussion and analysis (1) of the origin and foundations of Confucianism in each country, (2) followed by a description of the process of self-cultivation, (3) the historical impact of Confucianism on ‘‘. . . social ideas, institutions, and practices of the featured country’’ (pp. 2–3), (4) and finally an examination of the close ties that Confucianism always had with the governing institutions of each country. The four countries, as one would expect, are China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The study concludes with reflections on the current state of Confucianism. The inclusion of the process of self-cultivation in each country is particularly welcome for two reasons. First, self-cultivation was critical to the formation of a person dedicated to the Confucian Way, especially during the long Neo-Confucian epoch. But since there is no single format for self-cultivation there is the need to examine self-cultivation separately in all four countries. Second, the inclusion of self-cultivation allows for examination of what Confucians would recognize as the inner and outer dimensions of the tradition—the inner cultivation of the moral life of the self in service outward towards the world. The inner life and self-cultivation of the person were just as important as was outward service to family, community, the state, and society at large. In the chapter on Confucianism in China, Richey has an excellent way of summarizing some of the key elements of the process of self-cultivation. In a compelling paraphrase of Analects 1.1 he writes ‘‘. . . dedication to learning a lifelong spiritual calling, emphasis on social relationships, and moral integrity despite the temptations of fame, power, and wealth . . . ’’ (p. 11) and hence provides insight into a series of key Confucian virtues. One of the points remaining somewhat controversial is that Richey interprets the Confucian Way as having a religious or spiritual dimension. For instance, there is never any doubt, and Richey amply demonstrates this, that Confucianism has always been a social ethics. But as is often the case, personal and social ethics can shade off into spiritual paths with very little nudging—though there are scholars who remain skeptical about the spiritual overtures of the Confucian Way. Another strong feature of Richey’s presentation is the discussion of Confucianism in the modern era. This discussion often includes reflections not only on the personal dimensions of the tradition but also its relationship to governments. For instance, in China, while the PRC has by no stretch of the imagination become Confucian, the government has helped to fund a variety of positive programs involving Confucianism in order to fill the space left by the decline of the legacy of Marxism and Mao. Some things never really seem to change about the relationship of Confucians and the Chinese state. 246 BOOK REVIEWS The author also uses the four countries to introduce some of the diverse elements of the tradition. For instance, it is in the chapter on Korea that we are presented with an account of the basic philosophical structure of Neo-Confucianism. After beginning with the launch of Confucianism in Korea, Richey introduces us to the set of remarkable Chosŏn dynasty 朝鮮 masters, including the remarkably erudite and committed Yi Yulgok 李栗谷 (1536–1584). It is here that we meet with the key cosmological theory of the relationship of vital energy or material force and principle or cosmic pattern, the famous qi-li 氣理 dyad. In a few short pages Richey does a masterful job of explaining the role of Neo-Confucian cosmology in the spread of the Confucian...