이토 진사이(伊藤仁齋)의 修辭學的 經典解釋― 《孟子古義》를 중심으로

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the universality and speciality of the rhetorically oriented exegeses centering on Itō Jinsai 伊藤仁齋’s the Mōshi kogi 孟子古義. Rhetorically oriented exegeses aim to interpret the Classics based on the textual features such as lexis, sentence structure, literary embellishment. and etc. Also, regardless of philosopher or literary figure, Confucian scholars regarded the Classics a writing model. The Mōshi kogi shows that Itō Jinsai had these two perspectives. Itō Jinsai’s rhetorically oriented exegeses on the Mencius also implies the characteristics of his thought on the study of the Classics. He explained the rhetoric of Mencius in relation to the rhetoric of Analects, and presented different views from orthodox scholars such as Zhu Xi based on the original text. In addition, his rhetorical interpretation also reflected his purpose of writing a commentary that “the original intention of Confucius” should be revealed through textual features: in details, the author’s intention or thought was mentioned more than grammar or the mood of the text. Among the Japanese rhetorical interpretations of the Classics, Itō Jinsai’s the Mōshi kogi is a stepping stone. Although he emphasized and explained the summary method or metaphor used by Mencius, it is rarely discussed high-dimensional rhetoric such as the parentheses method or the information waiting method. However, the rhetorical interpretation of the Mencius made by Itō Jinsai is meaningful in itself. His interpretation contributed to the reading of the Classics of later Japanese scholars, and as a result, it served as a priming water for the emergence of the rhetoric-centered commentaries such as Doku Mōshi written by Hirose Tansō in the late Edō period.