Idealism, Protest, and the Tale of Genji: The Confucianism of Kumazawa Banzan (1619-91)

Abstract

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.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 112 citations exist upstream.