일본 메이지 시대 양명학과 근대화

Abstract

In Japan, Youmeigaku is generally talked about as an idea that supported the Meiji Restoration, that is, in connection with ‘modernization’. In that understanding, the perception that it is ‘Japanese’ thought rather than Confucianism is clearly revealed. Modern Japanese intellectuals such as Miyake Setsurei and inoue tetsujiro positioned Confucianism as ‘philosophy’, especially discussed the relationship between Youmeigaku and Western philosophy. They also tried to utilize Youmeigaku to improve national morality. Therefore, that Confucianism was denied as a feudal ideology, but it was ‘rediscovered’ to foster national consciousness. The Imperial Rescript on Education had a great effect on that. In addition, such as Uchimura Kanzo and Nitobe Inazo, connected Christianity with Youmeigaku, or insisted on the revival of Youmeigaku as being friendly to Bushido as a Japanese ideology. We should pay attention that in such context, obedience and loyalty to the emperor, the great monarch, tended to be accepted consistently. Higashi Keiji founded the Yangming Society and published the Youmeigaku, which lead the boom of Youmeigaku in the latter half of the Meiji era. In the magazine, the purpose of the revival of Youmeigaku in the recognition of the era of empire Japan, which is the lord of Asia after the victory of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and is comparable to the Western powers, could be clearly seen. The main direction of the Youmeigaku award was developed by the logic that Japan had a Yangmingist background rather than China or Korea. At the same time, we can see the transformation of the logic that connects the Confucian characteristics of Japan and Youmeigaku by regarding ‘practice’ as the racial characteristics of the Japanese. Moreover, such ‘execution’ of Youmeigaku leaded to the legitimacy that it must be expanded to Korea and China. The perception that links Japan’s Youmeigaku and modernization once appeared in Korea. Even though such perceptions were created in Japan’s modern nationalism, the process those perceptions were derived to China and Korea inform us of the fact that it is a separate subject of research. In that respect, the fact that Park Eun-sik and Choe Nam-seon visited the Yangming Society of Japan should be noted as a big ‘incident’ in the history of Yangmingism in Korea.