Abstract
This paper discusses the ideological significance of the activities of Motoda Nagazane who, in the latter half of his life, became an attendant of Emperor Meiji as a member of the Kumamoto school of practical science. Whilst there were trends towards modernisation and Westernisation, Motoda Nagazane led a conservative reaction attempting to restore Confucianist politics/policies. I scrutinise the theories of revolution and lineage considering the history of East Asian Confucianism and comparing Motoda's assertions to the views expressed by Kumazawa Banzan. In doing so, I assert that Motoda's consistent attitude shows that he does not approve of the theory of revolution and that he regards the theory of lineage as an established fact. Thus, he highlights the cultivation of virtues in rulers, adopting the stance typically taken by Confucian scholars in the history of Japanese ideology. In 'Lessons of the Emperor's Way', Motoda attempts to support the meaning of 'The Three Sacred Treasures' through Confucian texts. My evaluation of this text results in the view that in this discourse, Motoda transcends the significance of harmonising the deep and difficult 'Lessons of the Emperor's Way' with Confucianism, which is easy to impart. I deduce that Confucianism was positioned above all else as the absolute/comprehensive standard in Motoda's thought and that his endorsement of the Emperor's way was proscribed within the ideological boundaries of Confucianism. Through the above analysis, I conclude that Motoda was an anachronistic Confucian scholar who truly endeavored to realise the kingship politics of Yao and Shun in the early Meiji era. While it is acknowledged that he was lagging behind his contemporaries, it is shown that this seemingly backward stance emanated from his serious Confucian scholarship. Further, his assertions differ from the plain-spoken Confucianist Emperor centralism that emerged in later years.
Highlights
要旨 本稿は、熊本実学派の一員として人生の後半期に明治天皇の側近となり、 当時の⻄洋近代化の流れにあって、いわゆる保守反動の儒教主義的な政治 ・政策の復活を主導した、元田永孚の活動の思想的意義を論じたものであ る。革命論と血統論の検討においては、元田の主張を熊沢蕃山との比較、 さらに東アジア儒学史に照らしてみることで、革命論を是認せず血統論を 既定の事実として、君主の君徳培養に強調したのが元田の一貫した姿勢で あり、それは日本思想史における典型的な儒学者の立場を示すものであっ たことを論じた。「皇道の訓解」の検討では、「三種の神器」の意味を儒 教テキストによって裏付けようとする元田の言説を対象として、それは奥 深くて知り難い皇道を教えやすい儒教によって補完するという意味を越え て、元田の思考では第一に儒教という絶対的・包括的なスタンダードがあ り、その限りにおいて皇道の意義づけを行っていた、という見解を提示し た。以上の検討を通して、元田は堯舜の王道政治を明治前期において本気 で実現しようと臨んだ時代錯誤的な儒学者であり、また時勢に手遅れの認 識もみられるが、それは彼が誰よりもまじめな儒学者であったことに起因 するものであり、さらに彼の主張は後日の露骨な儒教的皇道主義とは違う ものがあることを論じた。 Abstract This paper discusses the ideological significance of the activities of Motoda Nagazane who, in the latter half of his life, became an attendant of Emperor Meiji as a member of the Kumamoto school of practical science
I assert that Motoda’s consistent attitude shows that he does not approve of the theory of revolution and that he regards the theory of lineage as an established fact
He highlights the cultivation of virtues in rulers, adopting the stance typically taken by Confucian scholars in the history of Japanese ideology
Summary
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibakaki, Japan v1 First published: 06 Apr 2021, 10:272 https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.51001.1 Latest published: 07 May 2021, 10:272 https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.51001.2
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