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Les diagrammes sulvants illustrent le mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hlmliersitj of ^otma Mnbits LIGHT FROM THE EAST STUDIES IN JAPANESE CONFUCIANISM Confucius UGHT FROM THE E ^T STUDIES IN JAPANESE CONFUCIANISM ^ ROBERT CORNELL ARMSTRONG. M.A., P«.D. KWAMm Gt^JIN, KOM, JMAH ( ' UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PUBLISHED BY THE LIBRARIAN MCMXIV TORONTO. FORWARD MOVEMENT DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF THE METHODIST CHURCH .' I. ' \ v^^w, ?;""•. BJBLIOTflECA Copyriffht, Caiuuia. 1»U. by Um Ubrariu of th* Uaivw^dty of Toronto* /9/y DcMcateO to l.fl Ml :i ^ ' PREFACE it rH'^u'^'^r u°* '^ ^"^^^ *° ^'^^ P"bHc in the hope that It will throw hght on some of the formative elemSts of Japanese civihzation, and lead to a better understanding of Japanese character and life. »i.uiumg oi When I first came to Japan, a Japanese asked me to explain what we of the West had which they had noT The f^l that if I were to be of any real service to Japan, I must become familiar with their thought and history. This led me rtn Jn f '^t'^^'- strenuous way the religious history and thought of Japan. In this present work I have endeavoured to give an outline of the history of Japanese Confucianism, f h». ;«^ te^^u *^.°"'' "«8hbours. It is very important that neighboure should understand each other: that sofar as possible suspicion and misunderstanding should be removed ^ P°»nts of contact established. It is very important that we should look at the Japanese from a broad human stand- point and endeavour to discover their real nature. The studies which have made this book possible have led me to feel that, in spite of their differences in custom, the Japanese ^^ntiallythesameasweare. They are interested in tlS^ sXr^TnH "8'\t^"f «V"d truth: many of them have thSv^JT f T "^'^J^l ^^'' convictions. It is my hope that these studies, which were not primarily intended for publication, may lead others to the conviction that East and West are fundamentally one. The title "Light from the East" is given to this book or less knowledge of Korea, China and India. The schools of C-nfucianism. which originated in China in the Sung and Mmg dynasties, assimilated much from Northern Buddhism which comes from India. vn u m In the preparation of this work I am indebted to many Japanese teachers. Professors Hayashi and Komai of the fourth High School, Kanazawa; Professor Murakami, of Kwansei Gakuin, Kobe; Mr. K. Shiraishi, of Kofu; Mr. Hatano, of Shizuoka, and Mr. S. Takatsu of the Gu-ls' Normal School, Yokohama, have been especially helpful to me. In addition to these Japanese friends I received invalu- able assistance from the suggestions of Dr. A. H. Abbott of the University of Toronto. In reading and revising the manu- script I have been greatly assisted by Dr. A. H. Reynar of Victoria College, Mrs. Armstrong and others. R. C. A. Kobe, Japan, June, 1914. VIII FOREWORD Before the introduction of Confucianism and Buddhism there was almost no philosophy in Japan, although the peculiar teachmg of the Japanese spirit which was already in process of development cannot be entirely overlooked. What Con- fucianism taught was already in practice in Japan, but it was thenceforth authorized and corroborated by the precepts of the great Chinese sage. The influence of Confucianism which has been eag rly studied by the Japanese scholars for more than a thousand years since its first introduction, is really mimense and incalculable, especially in the sphere of moral culture. But before the Tokugawa age the influence of Buddhism was very great, spiritually far greater than that of Con- fucianism, producing several illustrious reformer§and religious thinkere. From the beginning of the Tokugawa age, how- wer, Confuaanism took a more prominent position than Buddhism. Since the education of all the provinces at that time was based on Confucian principles, its teach- ing was more widely propagated than ever. Several eminent philosophers arose among the Confucian scholars who rontnbuted a great deal to intellectual development as well as moral culture before the Reformation. For those foreigners who do not understand the gradual preparation made by Confucianism and Buddhism, the sudden upnse of Japan since the Restoration will appear to be but a miracle or at least an inexplicable wonder. But if they understand thoroughly well what Confucianism has taught, then the sudden uprise of Japan will be held no more as a nau^de but as a natural and necessary transition. Since the Restoration Confucianism seems to be almost extinguished, but it is only apparently so. The teaching of the great Chinese sage is so widely diffused and deeply rooted in Japan that it must be considered to be part and parcel of t:l( \t i () Japanese culture itaef Besides that, we must not foreet that the Japanese spmt began from earlier times to assimilate ConfuoHnisn to itself, that is to say, to Japanize it. As a wnsequence of that process Confucianism was, during the rokugawa age, almost entirely Japanized. and in that way it was made far more vigorous and efficacious than in China and elsewhere. To understand well Confucianism of the Toku- gawa age is, therefore, at the same time to understand oartlv Japanese culture itself. *^ ' r? ^ I.*.'"'' *•"?* *« publication of "Light from the East which contains laiigely the Confucian philosophy of the Tokugawa age, written by Mr. R. C. Armstrong, who has devoted many years to the study of intellectual develop- ment in Japan, will serve for the promotion of the knowledge of Japanese culture, and disperse also. I hope, the doubt about the miraculous u: -«8e of the Japanese nation. Tetsujiro Inouye, Professor of Philosophy in the Imperial University. Tokyo, Japan, January 31, 1913. Ill BIBLIOGRAPHY ^^^ A. GENERAL Bacon Sdvbiutsii- r*- p.- _ .. """• = »^.c.k., i»ii. Count O^vuTpifly":!^;!,'''*:"' ^"''""'ingCo.. 1908. Lond.. Long^^XtSia^ *** ^*°^«'^ 'f ^^ "> non-CkruUan bZ. Gibson: Murion Prohkms and Methods in 9««/4 r,.- Mbdhuhst: rfe Tao.Tek.Kint ^^^^I^T , n"°*°' '^^«"' ^SM- P»P*rs on Inter.Racial ProbUms C^' T''~~P'"<^«' Book Concern. 1906. «««. July ^.iS^KyZ"^ f'" ^'"' '""'^"^ «^<- Con- 1911. "■• ^™- *"«:•. for International Conciliation AmtSAEi: Xditioui History of Japan R,vi-^ r • T™.aj:n/i.&i'£a^ri">«- N.V Scribe, im. B. SHINTOISM 2^" '*'S!^a^T^:i-''---of t.e Ja^nSociet^Su^ ASTON: 5»»»ite, the Way of the Gad, " i „ j , T... ZBNNos.^: ^^.i:2S.,%"^2T*::i,'- ^„ p„, e„ 1908. '»^^<'"~ea. Tokyo. Foreign and Domertic Pub. Co.. or P^tSlSe" '"'*' °" ""''^" ^'«'»- -" « transUtion of Dha»™ap«U *Publithed in JapuMM. TAMAXAGtDO-.HiralaAUiUttn*. Tokyodo Pub. Co., 1900. E. M. Satow: TIu Stviial qf Puri Shinlo. (TnuiMctioBi of Ariatk SodMy «f Japan, vol III., pt. I., appeiidix). C. CONFUCIANISM Lmoqx: Life and Ttackinis «/ Confucius. Lend., Kegan Paul, 1806. Lbcgb: Life and Teackint' ofUeneius. Lond., Kegan Paul, 1875. *D>. iHOinrs Tbtsujibo: Sutki-Gaku-Ha. Tokyo, Funmbo Pub. Co., lOOS. •D«. iKOimt TnsujiKO: Yomei-Gaku-Ba. Tokyo, Fuxambo Pub. Co., 1011. •Da. Inoutb Tctsujiro: Ko-Ccku-Ha. Tokyo, Fuxambo Pub. Co., 1007. UcBiHURA : RipresenbMee lien of Japan. Tokyo, KeiKiiha, 1008. *KuBO: Confucian Teachers in Japan. Hakubunkwan Pub. Co., 1006. Arika: 'listary of Japanese Plulosophy. Japan Book Co., 1908. Kudo: Ethics <^ Confucius. Tokyo, Metho'Jikt Publuhing Houm, 1004. Lbogb: Texts of Confucianism. (Sacret'. boolrs of the Eait, VoU. Ill, XVI, XXVII, XXVIII.) Lond., CUrendon Prew, 1899. 'Vamaii Auan: DetOopment of Chineu Ideals. Tolqro, Kanao Bun-endo Pub. Co., 1004. D. BUDDHISM Kukoda: OuOine of Uahayana Buddhism. Tokyo, The Bukkyo Gakukai AiiO- ciation, 1893. Kvboda: The Light of Buddha. Oiaka, Dairoku Kyoku Kyomudio, 1008. MoNiBB Williams: Buddhism. Lond., Murray, 1889. Rhys Davids: Buddhism. I ^d., i3.P.C.K., 1000. Rhys Davids: Buddhist Texts and SuUras. (Sacred Booka of the East, XI, XXXV, XXXVI.) Lond., CUrendon Pre-, 1000. Lloyd: I.1'< of Sninran. Tokyo, Methodist Pub. Houw, 1907. Lloyd: Wheat amonf Tares. Lond., MacMiUan, 1906. Lloyd: Praises of Amida. Tokyo, Methodiit Pub. Houw, 1907. Vkbjixd: The Awakening of Faith {MtivsigoAj.). Shanghai Chriitian Litcratuic Society, 1007. *Sasaki Gbssho: Shinran Shonin. Tokyo, Mura Sambo Pub. Co., 1910. Suzuki: The AwtJienint of Faith (Aihvagoiha). Chicago, Open Court Pub. Co.. 1900. Nanjo: History o/ Tueke Japanese Sects of Buddhism. Tokyo, Buddhiat Pub. Houie, 1886. *Mubakaiii: History of Japanese Buddhism. Kinkodo Pub. Co., 1910. *ElU Suiin: Famous Priests of Japanese Buddhism. Hakubunkwan, 19&03. SuBHAOBA Bhiksbu: Buddhist Catechism Lond., George Redway, 1890. Bbal: A Catena of Buddhist Scripture for thi Chinest. Lond., Trflbner Co., 1871. Wabbbn: Buddhism in Translations. (Oriental Ser., vol. III. Publidied by Harvard University.) N.Y., Ginn, 1906. BiGBLOW: Buddhism and Immortality. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1908. Edmunds: Buddhist and Christian Gospels. The Yokohama Pub. House, lOOS. 'Published in Japanese. za CONTENTS Preface '*°* Foreword, by Professor Tetaujiro Inouye. 7J BiBUOGRAFHY "f n ^*^h7^^^^ ™ ™^ ^*'^^ "'"°"'' OF Confucianism Chapter I— Early Nature Worship i „ n— Early Relations with Korea n III— Buddhism and Confucianism Con- tribute to Japanese Learning. . . 16' -Japanese Confucianism from a.d. 750 to 1260 24 V— Revival of Confucianism 28 ' IV ''*™ /!;7J^'''"^* '** ™^ ^^"^«' -'^^«°OL OF Confucianism 11 japan Chapter I— Introduction to the Shushi School of Confucianism II— Fujiwara Seikwa Ill — Hayashi Razan IV— Amenomori Hoshu and Ando Seian V — Muro Ksoiso IV— Nakaniura Tekisai. VII— Kaibara Ekiken ^IU~y^'"*^''' ^"1^ an«J Asami Keisai. IX— The Mito School X— Shushi Scholars after Kwansei Era. 34 39 48 67 65 78 84 102 111 114 Part III.-Studies in the 0-Yomei School of Confucianism in Japan Chapter I-TheO-Yomei School of Confucianism 119 i,i~\r^ Tojiu and his School 127 III — Kumazawa Banzan 142 ' t| ' l.'« XIII PAGB Cbaftek IV — Kitajitna Setsiuan and othetB 161 " V — Miwa Shitsusai 166 " VI— Nakane Tori and Hayashi Shihei. . 162 " VII— Sato Iseai and Ohiwo Chusai 167 " VIII— Several Yomei KholarB 176 IX— Fujita Toko 180 X— Saigo Takamori 184 " XI — Yoehida Shoin, Sakuma Shozan an ' other scholars at the time of the Restoration 188 Past IV.— Studies in the Classical School of Confucianism in Japan Chaptek I— The Classical School 196 II- /amaga Soko 198 " III— Ito Jinsai 217 IV-Ogiu Sorai 241 V— Ito Togai 261 " VI— Dazai Shundai and others 269 Part ^' —The Eclectic School of Confucianism in Japan Chapter I — Hosoi Heishu and Uesugi Yoz.in. .. 277 " II — Katayama Kenzan and others — '- i Conclusion Chapter I — An Appreciation of Confucianism, by the Rev. Danjo Ebina 287 II— Author's Conclusion 294 Appendix: Buddhism in Japan 808 Index 827 XIV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Coi 'ucius - . *'*G= Sugawara Miduzane '.'.'... ^rontwpiece Hayashi Razan r* Muro Kyuso ** Kaibara Ekiken JJ Yamazaki Ansai ** Tokugawa Milsukuni. J?? Nakae Tojiu J" Kumazawa Banzan. ......!. J „ Sato Issai **2 Yoehida Shoin '.'.'.'.[''''. )5J Itojinsai ^°^ 217 zv PART I STUDIES IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF CONFUCIANISM IN JAPAN Chapter I Early Nature Worship In ancient times Japan had no written lanniaffe, m he eariie«t stones were handed down orally from generation' to generation It was not until a.T). 712 that any of the records which are now available were completed. These records were therefore written long after the introduction of Chmese Ideas, and it is vct difficult to say what the indiw- nous, religious manifestations of Japan were. NeverthelMs. JapancM historians claim that the imperial line dated back to B.C. 660. Foreign scholars date the earliest n cords from Japanese sources at about the dose of the futh century, and the earliest records from Korean sources back to about tne end of th<. fourth century. The eariiest form of religion in Japan was an unsyste- matized worship of nafire and of the dead. Like other primitive peoples, they associated the mysterious with the Idea of dmnity. Spirits were supposed to reside everywhere —in the heavens, m natural objects and events, in lower oi^anic life, and in man. Anything of an extraordinary character was ascribed to a god. Gods were born in most remarkable ways. Some sprang from the eye or the nose of a parent god. Crushed jewels blown from the mouth became gods. The ethical ideas revealed in these myths were crude and undeveloped. The earliest gods are associated with the powers of crea- tion, or, possibly better, procreation. The earliest of all was ^f'J^^-ja^'-J'^^^^^'i-r^o-kami (literally, Heaven's-August- Middle-God). To h.m no shrine has ever been erect«i in Japan. In very modem times he has been regarded by some as the father of all gods and goddesses, invisible, eternal, i!i| ii i * AufSTKONo: Light rwou thb East omnipment and omniident. When to coniidered, he it •ometimet confuie?! with the greit ancwtor of the imperid line, "AmaterMU-O-Mi-Kami" (Hcavcnly-Shinlng-Great- God, via., the Sun GoddeM). Anociated with thii god are two othen,' "Taka-mi-musubi-No-lcami" (The High-Produc- ing), and "Kami-mi-muiubi-no-Kami" (Thr "^ivine-Produc- ing), •ometimes designated as the "Divine \ er" and the "Divine Mother". The names of these god« as associated with early events are significant— the two "Producing" gods •ssociatui with the " Etenial-Ruling-Hf >venly God". After these many independent pairs of gods (male and fen> ) originated in the same independent way. The last anii some respects, the most important pair were Iianagi (MaleVVho-Invites) and Izanami (Female- Who-Invites). They ga\« birth to the islands of Japan and to several deities, but in so doing Izanami died and became the spirit of death. After her death Izanagi gave birth to two important deities, one of whom was Amaterasu-u-Mi-Kami (the Sun Goddess), who ruled over "Takaraa-no-Hara" (High-Heavenly-Fields). The other was " Haya-Susa-No-Wo" (The-Swift-Impetuous), the god of darkness and outrage. The latter went to Izumo province and freed it from all disturbing elements. A story is told of how he destroyed a great dragon which was malJng a yearly visit to a certain home, in order to devour one of the maklens. He placed wine near where the dragon was accus- tomed to appear. Then, disguised as a maiden, he lay in wait. When the d r:\gon had come ind drunk freely of the wine, he fell asleep. Then "The-S\/ift-Impetuous One' fell ..pon hinri and destroyed him with his trusty sword,* the edge of which was badly injured by a sword which lay concealed in the dragon's back. Having accomplished this feaf, he presented this sword to his sister, the Sun Goddess. There is a legend that the Sun Goddess, having at one ume been insulied by this same brother, hid herself in a great cave, and darkness < .vered the face of the earth.* All the deities gathered and allured her from her hicing-place, after which they banished Haya-Susa-No-Wo, and, lest she should again enter, t hey stretched a straw rope across the mouth of the „niZ '"-Pfc?^ *'™' *^.*'^ «°«!* •" thought by wme to be a trinity in unity. Thii ii nuat probably due to forelcn influence. . &?, '•* '^°'"" ^y Chamberlain, oase 7j. ' Tbia may be a primitive method o( dcKribinc an ecUpee of tlie nut. AuitnoNo: Light rton rat Ea. " J protperout" She nn.«„, i l^ ". *"'^''' ■"<* eternally telling him thaThe "J " k 'i: /.k"** ^ J**''' ""'' " '"J^r. that whenever he ,tS be o^ it°h "" '"'"^:." ''''^ "«"'• «"d In her pr«ence" aidS>w tk ^*'" '? *'''"'* °^ himself a. betweeS^Hdea and tkeLr ".P'"»«Wy a connection The« three Zl.Tri h^Z^"Z '" T'^L^'''"*" 'h""'^- generation to generatfoihv^ " *'*"****' ^°*^" '">" .till retained aftS"! °s^„t S'^r^yK'^er' ^T^""^'' ^"^ of Chinese leamimr maH* tV»^ royal power. The influence and benevoleSThTrnfr^ •ymbolical of virtue, courage first divine a "^'tof^f^nnSS^^h*'^ ""'^^ ^' ^« *ing courage, and the jell Ki'"' *''%»*°^d .ymboli- e8timatethflucnc^fo?^.K '''"''''• ^* '» '''^"''t to the people of Ja^"'°"^ '^ ♦'«^""^ have had on Sun '^^!"wh^;';:;s?is:si''i°^^^^^^^^^^ consultation with h.. brothSs Jt ou^Tr,.^'T"' "^**' jugate the eastern tribes wh.Cl !?.• r » • '"""^Kiushu to sub- to the Sun G<3de«^d th?^"~ i"l- " ""^ ""**'^"'* preparatfonsjSti^fSr * e '3?k' ''"*• .^^*" '^"'^f"' chieftain of Yameto mJ X J^f^ '. ^^7, ''^^''''^^ ^^^ «»«** brother was -C T?enTt^h ko t'L' 'i^**?' ^u"* *'''' ^''^'^^ the Sun Goddess by attacki^ h°' ?'"'""«.'*^''*^ «"«««d determined to go around KvTk *"'""y' '**=^"K ^^e sun, the enemy fromVe^^t Lh' ""?"** °, ^" ^^^ «»"»<* on the to'p of his tew indXct^ hfs '™ "" ''*^ ^'«''*«* attack proved successful ^mJ^k ? movements. Thia .ubiugjed. InTm't of h^^rnTX' ."T^^^ "" founded the decoration of " THp n«i? J^ - ^5* emperor {1890). to be conferred on V nZ^ *° ^*f ' '" ^"J' ^3 themselves on the filw Afw^- ^arnors who distinguish il 1 i 4 Armstrong: Light from the East In these eariy records we distinguish at least two> fairly distinct classes of myths. The first deals with the primitive powers of production and certain developments of thought from that poi..t of view. These probably represent some of the theories selected by the historians from the traditions at their disposal. The second, which is very closely related to the former traditions, exalts the history and authority of the imperial rulers of Japan. It is not impossible that the historian was doing for the authority of the rulers of Japan what the theory of the divine right of kings tended to do for the kings of England. Such a record would strengthen the hands of the government very much, especially as some of the leaders of the people were somewhat dissatisfied with the Great Reform" of a.d. 645. WTiether that was the intention or not, it is evident that from eariy times Shintoism has been very closely related to Japanese patriotism, «nd the worship of the Sun Goddess has exalted her to a supreme place in Japanese life. In these eariy times ideas about the soul and its future were not cleariy defined. There was a land of gloom, where Izanami reigned as the spirit of death, and there was Takama- No-Hara (literally, High-Heavcniy-Fields). where the Sun Goddess ruled supreme. There was little thought of the soul going to either region, until after Buddhism came with her doctrines of heaven and hell. One of the best Japanese scholars' of to-day says: "The soul was believed to be com- posed of two parts, one mild, refined and happy, and the other wild, raw and raging." Each part acted independently of the person who possessed it, to his own surprise. But whether every one possessed these two -arts is not known. The connection of the early idea of soul with the breath of life is indicated by the fact that it was called the "ball of wind" and the word "to die" means "thedepartureof the breath"' It IS neither necessary nor possible to treat Shintoism exhaustively in this present work. Information regarding the myths and legends of Shintoism may be had from the works o f Aston and Chamberiain. Hlff.™^°'f"°' Chamberlain, who translated the Kojild, draws attention to three • Aneaaki Ma«haru of the Imperial University, Tokyo, Japan. Armstrong: Light from the East simple and naive bS thev ,- ' ''^- ^^P'*"^*'^"^ "av be mayV possiSrtoXlaS^ ^^^ ^^ '"^ical after a fashion"^ It Rods from the obse^atfon S na?^" 2!^°"^'" ?' ^ ""^"^ swarm; maggotssDrini^.m Jn .? 5 • Se«Jsgermmate; bees are bom. tCZIVSZ?"'^"'^^'''^'^^^ primitive venera don ?or^thJ '^°"*''P « an evidence of the stones^hich represented thrreS..rH' "^^'^ **° *'«=•«"* relics of the remote oast wht^i'-^i."'^ ?■■«*""• These are origin of primitirjaSeseia,'"'^''' '^'"^ "^'^^ °" the It is interesting rn^^ethaVZTr^^^^^ «°^^- worship can be accoJnt^ for hvth ""^^ of this eariy nature the Chinese pantheon Whe„''"-i''"''^*'^^t^''P'ain« of eariy nature worsWp ii^Iao Jl'""'"^"" *'?^* '^' '^'^^'^^^ eighth century afte Christ-^'i;^%^!;7°5 ^ until the scholars had been ass^jat ^rtl .t ^uT^ ^"^ J^P^n^^e about three hundred yl^Jst is oT^'!; ^\°'' '^^' ^ate for themythsandlcgenlTlaDan °h '^^ f '° '°""'"^'^ *hat Chinese ideas, akhoughi/KisslWe't '^^\^ <^°'°"'-«l by mfluence actually was if for n^?i '° ^^^ ^ow great that written language wS ciL^e ''"^" ''^"" '^^' *heir dcmo^s^se^rter^uir's^td! T""*?? '°^t '""^'^ «°^« -<1 worship. There were tw^Jn ,*°.^^P'*'" Japanese nature Yang and Yb. The YanT r' '" ^'^^ ""'^^^^e- known as productivity and life also th! hT''"".*"^ ''«'^'' ^^""^h, things emaiate The Y^n ','"'• ^'T ^'''^^ all good cold, death and the earth 7h? v .^* ,- **" ^^'™"^' indefinite number of goo^ ,2! Jang is subd vided into an Yin. into evil spirit ..Both of 4^^^''' '^"^ ^'^^"^ ^« madeupof little DartirIof« • , P°'*'^''^ °'' ^ouls are of becoming a t^o' an ;tn7 'T'"'" °^ ^'^'^'^ '« ^^^P^ble consoquentfy nf iti To th ' SbiSro?"''^- •'^''^'^ '^ In addition to this, at death^f^ 7 ?l P'"^^"""? gods. The Reliirinna nf >l.. r^u.' . .. * t'sJm»i5*'''i?'"°"'' ?' "" Chinese", page i Some ol ihe anc.ent Japanese w^r^uril buned in such mounds. 6 Armstrong: Light from the East the right walked round it, howling three times, and then ex- claimed: 'That the bones and flesh shall return to the earth 18 ordained by fate, but the breath can then go everywhere. It can go everywhere!' With this he went on his way. "> The striking similarity to some of our ideas is interesting. This Chinese theory harmonizes with the older nature worship of Japan. Takama-No-Hara (the Shinto heaven) would correspond to the sky where the gods (Shen) are found. The location of Takama-No-Hara is a matter of dispute. The Japanese try to locate it in Japan. In a recent report of the Asiatic Society, Aston locates it in the sky. The place of darkness where Izanami reigned would correspond to the darkness of Yin. That there were so many gods which sprang from such unexpected places is quite natural, if one assumes that every particle of air represents the possibility of a god; even that the island of Japan ccj'.d be produced by the co-operation of Izanami and Izanagi is not unnatural. That Izanami should become the deity of the "Land of Gloom" is in harmony with the Chinese idea that the earth is associated with the darkness of Yin. ^ The theory is also in harmony with the ideas of the soul, which we have already outlined. The mild, refined and happy elements correspond to Yang, and the raw, wild and raging elements correspond to Yin. That each part would act independently of the person who possessed it is to be ex- pected from the Chinese theory, that each particle was capable of becoming a god. That the souls of the dead should be worshipped as gods is also quite natural. That the Japanese have been aware of some ideas resembling the Chinese theory of the gods is very evident to one who is familiar with their customs and superstitions. Take one incident in the writer's experience. One morning his Japanese cook was missing. A search was made. He was discovered in a friend's house with an ugly wound in his cheek. He said his cheek had suddenly, without pain, broken out, and that it was the work of an evil spirit. A Jap. lese who had been in America said that the cook was telling ihe truth, but that his explanation was wrong. There were vacuums in the air, and the cook's cheek had unfortunately come in contact with one of them, ' Cf. "Religious System* of China", V,. • Gen. ii. 7. • Amistrong: Light from the East gradual movement in history of the Japanese seat of irov*.m ment from the South, through Kiushu'^So tS^'Z Kyoto mdicates. to say the least, the direction from wwJh^e early Japan«« came. That it was possible for them to come across from Asm. and that Kiushu wS not be an unnatuS place for them to arrive is suggested by the MongS [n vasions whjch afterwards occurred in thai same^S JapiS Thed.fficultyof concludlngthat the eariy nature woE of Japan came from China is complicated by the 1^^ 7ha? ever since the dawn of history Japan hP3 been Si^in^ supemitions. thought, languagVaid'SStur^^fr^cEu jsd.fficulttod«coverwhathasnotc3mefromCh°naJ^^^^^^^ thmg IS coloured more or less by Chinese civilizktinn !^ ChTeS^sienV^!^ T. 'IS'^'"'' " '^ ^^^J^P-- "- orii^n f.1, . , ' **"* *''*' P™^es nothing as to the ongm of the early elements of Shintoism. because the namei! "nSf- ^^';^^""^^°^''^^S^ comSdr7.o" ''' „-.^ • -I '''^'^^ *^'^ question, itiswelltokeepin mind the very sipiificant fact, that at least two mediaevS scholars of Japan. Hayashi and Chugen, traced the Milrado to a cSnei ongm. but lest it might tend to injure the divfnky aS mfluence of the imperial family, they destroyed thX wo A and with It the evidenceon which they based such a th^n^' JaZ.r •^ ""'' ^^"'^*' ''°^^^^'-' *hat orSnally t?e Japanese came across the sea. and the conflicting element! were finally fu^ under the sovereign influence of The mSo We should be disposed to conclude accordingly that the £r„ ^^?^ ^^ J*P^^ ^'^^^ °f the god! anS of Se human soul have a common source manifested in the funda! menta views m each, and that the points of difference are due to thefact. that the Japanese ideasdevelopedforthemostoar^ J^TT'^'f'' °'u*''" ^^^^- These \dews were not re garded as d«jgma hence all sorts of minor different wouTd na urally arise through the free use of the imaginatSn We was written m Chinese characters, and that the record of thdr ^''^"«^ ^e^s was not written till the eighth century ' "Fifty Yean of New Japan", by Count Okuma, Amistrong: Light from the East -iM^s^^Sie^ ^ ^ ^- Ke nS hands and mou h as a sym Jof ^'^'P'?"'' i'*"^ ^^^'''^K his before the shrine wTthclShlnT'^''""' ^^' --everently as if to call the god's atte^n^ sometimes ringing a bell into the box whiS A"Se to "ceiv? o? • ''" ^i??" ~'"« three great festivals every year th?i, °'^*""8«: There are festivals for purification thr^'K-.T^f'* ^''^*'^«' and two only to purify'rS S to'Z^iS'Llt'X ^i^-l "°* to say just when these customs or^SfaS tJ^' ^"l'"'* before worship indicates that r^.i^f • ^"^ washmg worship, and 'is signSLt' of Z "relation"?"' 'V^' bears to purity of life. Dr. Nitobe' exnTain^iK ™^ ^^ '«'°" shnne thus: "It tyoifies th^ h,.!r ^f^*''^*"^ '^^^ mirror in the fectly pj. d and clear r-fl-^^^^^^ "When^.u stanVJre^^f e' r ftt'Tth? T' '"*^-" see your jwn image reflected rs\.lu u- ■ ®''""^' yo" the act of worshiD U i^n. ^^ ^^"""8 « '^^ace- and injunction. 'K^ow ?h;Llf'^"Tur2lf 1° *'L°'' ^^'p*^'- imply, either in the Greek „ "* ^'^-^^owledge does not ledge of the physfcaT "trt o/^aT ''2'^ "^' '^"°"- nor hs psychophysics; knowlSgeTa's to b^'^f^"^'"™^ kind, the introspection of our moral natul *'"°''^ reflection brought into nrnm.'nL nature; ... our as the national LnsciouZrnfVr-'^-"!"*^'^ '^^ '""r^ eyer may have beertheeaSwltr '"^-^'dual." What- to stand for patriotism and foyarytS f^TT ^^ '^^'"^ ancestral worship. 'oyaity, and is closely related to lore.'^An^i'^^^o^^^^^^^^^^ the first time in a stor7 H. th T!^J^° '^* ^ "i'-^r for face of his dead Tather H^b^uS'^LTnT^'"' '" '' '""^ treasure. His wife watched Wm Lh ^ '"'' " ^^^^ ^^ * when she saw that he had hSJ^ ' ^ ^^""^ ^^H^ Jealous about her own^e. R was rather\T 'k' ™"«.^ °' ^ *°'"'^" The origin of reverlnce for fh ^.'"^'•'■f ^ng situation. ieweMs di4ult to^Sli^ tTs'-^bt^a'^i^ ' See "Buihido", page la. 1 » m 10 s f AuisntoNo: Light from thb East pnmitive Animism. The reverence for the mirror' may be acrounted for in two ways. It may be due to the influence of Chinese tradition which associated the Yang, or celestial spirits, with light. The mirror reflecting light would easUy be regarded as particularly divine. It is more probable, however, that men saw their own image reflected in the polished surface of the mirror, and in a very naive but not unnatural way associated it with the soul, just as in some instances pnmitive races associated the soul with their shadow. At a much later date the mirror became symbolical of wisdom, the sword of courage, and the shining gem of benevolence. This was due to Confucian influence. ■ s Ih il -.irri,^ *^^ l^^^u"^ explain the reverence for the •word, wfakh Ulce the mirror was nude of poUihedmetu. "»«." •»« me I ■ Chapter II Early Relations with Korea Taoan 'IndKnf^ ""^ p " I*"" ^"* intercourse occurred between J^Knrlfo aT -^"u^ **'~""*" »^« Ki^e° '» the records Thi^T^^'' ^''^ "* ^'^^^ ^^''y traditions of the Japane^ These tradmons represent the brother, the nephew andX grandson of the Sun Goddess as holding intercouS whh the thl? th. P^"^ "^Tcu"^ '^^ ^''' •''"« °^ Shiragi in Korea, aS that the Pnnce of Shirag. came to Japan as early as B.C. V^ S>w , tT*^ °^ ^''^ ^""r'^" ^"•"•"- Another rL,rd re at^ how a Japanese general, at the request of the King of Shirajri went to Korea to assist in subjugating the peopfe of KoS This general changed the name of the country to Mimana and m recogmtion of his work Japan was givZi a guS ship over the whole country, receiving tribute from Korea r J^T ^^^' ^*^ °" t^e writing of a Chinaman who lived about B c 219, tells of a man nam^ Jofuku, Th^ t^k one thousand boys and giris, and went to a certS^ J^J gland on the east coast of Asia, to gather mediShSS He never returned, but settled in Danshin and Isshin, certain y f^l countries. Some suppose that the place here [n rZl. rif- ^^P^U- ^"'^ *^?* J^^""'" ^^ t'*^ fi"t 'nan to introduce Chinese ideas mto Japan. In spite of the fact that his grave has been located m many places in Japan, very little credence can be given to the story. •» f > J- "«-"c Another story tells that when the Empress Jineo (a d 201-269) set out from Kiushu to conquer Korea, a ^ea^stom arose, and the waves became so high thatagreat fish came and drove the ship to the shores of Shiragi. The King of Shiragi feared that such an event might portend the destruction of his land,soheandhis soldiers went to the ship, and offered to pay tribute to Japan, borne of the Japanese wanted to kill the king, but the empress refused permission. On her return to Japan, the King of Shiragi presented her with copies of all the books of his country But even if it were true that she r«:eived books from Korea at this early date, it is generally admitted that there were none in Japan who could read them '• ,!■ f I ta AuisTRONG: Light from the East In the fifteenth year of the Emperor Ojin (a.d. aU according to Japanese records, but about 384 according to Korean records), the King of Kudara sent Achiki to Japan with a span of horses. Achiki was well able to read, and became teacher to the Crown Prince. Walcairatsuko. The emperor inquired whether there were any wiser men than he m Korea. He recommended Wani, a naturalized Chinese as being a very superior scholar. The emperor immediately dispatched messengers to Korea to bring this scholar to Japan. In the sixteenth year of the Emperor Ojin's reign. Wani came to Japan, bringing with him a number of books, including the Confucian classics. Wani was appointed teacher to the Crown Prince, and from that time learning gradually increased, although it was several centuries before it could be said to have made much progress. That same year the King of Kudara died, and Achiki returned home, but Wani remained in Japan A famous Japanese historian, Rai San-yo. speaking of the keen interest taken by the emperor in learning, says: "The Emperor of Japan loves his people as his own children, and does not take second place to Yaou and Shun of China." Even these eariy records reveal the spirit of Japan. In the twenty-eighth year of the Emperor Ojin (a.d. 297 or W7) a letter came from the King of Koma. in which he u^ the sentence. The King of Koma teaches Japan". When the Crown Pnnce read these words he became angry, and scolded the messenger, tearing up the letter before his face The emperor was very proud of the ability of his son to detect the insult. The first noted converts to Confucianism were the two sons of the Emperor Ojin. These princes became very earnest believers in Confucianism, and were greatly benefited by the teaching of the Korean scholars. The emperor contran. to custom, favoured the younger prince, and wished him to be his successor. When the emperor died, the younger one, who was the rightful heir, went to his brother and urged him to accept the crown. For three years neither would accept the honour. Finally, when th.- younger prince threat- ened to commit suicide, or, as some say, when he actually did so. the older pnnce became the Emperor Nintoku. There are some who beUeve that Nintoku was not kind to his brother ( \ A.MSTRONG: Light from the East ,3 teaching of Confucianism JtS^'f^^^'y^r^""' by thf wrote of Nintoku thuT' " In N,„? ""' °' V**'* ^"'^ ^ani He dug trenches, built dyrc7?nH*^r'*'^^ '"''^' '^'^ P^"P'e- took a personal and thnn^Kf f ' 1 • ^^'^""ed waste land. He he wenPup on a 4'h & com^"'T' '" ^'.' ^"^j"^'^" Once homes. He was ^vXcauS "f /h V ''' -^ °^ ^''^ P«°P'*'- visible. He said " If vn., 1 if .''^ ^"""^ ''8"« "^ prosperity - smoke sta";tg p.Toutlo^rth"'" *'^ ^'^'^ P'^' -^ busy.". At this time he s^wnoTm 1^ ^^^^ ^ ^"'""^'^^^ «« that they were in hard ci^L.? ^^ '^?'"«' «» be concluded be remit'ted fo^atricS" yetT^At t£e°1"^l^" ^^^'^ agam looked out over the cnttL j ^"J* °^ *bat time he rich man". The empre^ wK'' *"'' "^'aimed. "I am a asked, " How can you Sv such. th^P^'"?' *° °^^^bear him. !» leaking and theSSr^'s fSlfneoT^ ' n^vV' ""^^"^ ^°«^ in words that indicate r!^nf"^^*^^ *"*"'' He replied prosperity is m;"pt:Sri?;.')'"'^^^^^ "My peopled his subjects to repair his oalirI^^^'■^^"'^*°^"°^ assured himself of tSjLpeliy ''°'' '"' "^"^ ""*« ^'^ in thetimeofthe Emnprnr »:.lu- / houses were built for iSf and '.T ^^•°- 400-405). store- prepared by \VaT ^S:^t \1^°^'''''J'^ '^^ ^^^ ^ere classics. VvLiis^^^yShw,,''^ '^if^ scholars of Chinese describes him as coSacrossTthT ^J 't J^P^"^^^- ^"^ to bring learning tTjf iT h, H ^^"^ ^''''^-'^^PP^d ^«ves and other scholars of hisTme ^' '^''''"''^"*f' ^'^b Shinson Japan, and were made the officii Srf ".^'"*d subjects of The Emperors Kens?. (4?. is?*""","!?/ \^' ^™P'^«- were very muVh influenced by ci!li •^"'^ ^mkcn (488-498) ilji 14 Abmstiong: Licbt rnou tbx East haf^inew. In the Mventh year of the Emperor K^' - i (513), Danyoji, a acholar of the five hooka of Chh clawici, came by special invitation of the emperor to teau the ancient clawic of philosophy. In the fifteenth year of the Emperor Kimmei (554), Oshinji, a great-grandson of Oshinson, was recommended as a scholar of the five books. Oshinji lived and taught in Japan durinK the remainder of the reign of the Emperor Kimmei (540-572), and coatinuer during the reign of the Emperor Bidatou (572-585). In 553. the King of Kudara introduced Buddhism to the Emperor of Japan. He recommended it as a charm, to open to man the treasure he desires, viz. happiness and good fortune. Its first introduction was followed by a long struggle for supremacy, but with the details of that struggle this present discussion need not concern itself, except in so far as its entr\ ' ito Japan plays an important part in the development of panese thought. Up to about the close of the sixth century the Japanese had no calendar, and did not divide the year into four seasons . They reckoned time by seed sowing and harvest. About 600, Prince Shotoku Taishi (a Buddhist saint) sent a scholar to Korea to Jtudy the calendar. He returned with the lunar calendar, and brought a teacher of astronomy, geography and the art of distinguishing the active and passive forces of nature itccording to Chinese philosophy.^ But learning was still very limited, because at this time only one or two men could read the letters that came from Kudara. In the twelfth year of the Emperor Bidatsu (583), Nichira, a brave and clever man, was invited from Kudara. He said to the emperor: "I was formerly a Japanese. My father was sent to Korea in the reign of the Emperor Senkwa (536-539); now by your august invitation I am happy to return."' Theemperor asked, "How can I best govern the country ? ' ' Nichira repi ied : " Nourish the people ; give them plenty of food; make the soldiers strong, and the people obedient. If the soldiers are strong, foreigners will fear them, and you will be able to govern the country." Nichira was « De Groot in " The Retigioui Syitems of China", explains the impoitance of thia art to the early Chineie. Geomancere were Bupposed to be able to tell by looking at a plot of ground whether the male and female principles wet* found there in proper proportions. <^l A«M»TW>No: Light piom thb East t. helped ma very substantial way to devSsome of thi M^ charactenst csof Japaneie civilization "^ °^ *'"' ^^ poiieT. th'^f bXTr °/ *""* ^^^"*" '°^ °"' P^«^nt pur. educational deuartment « HI. J! u ^^^Partments— an C«.w„°wSl:"„,„jTai.r '"""*'"' » ""-y the CiiAmR III Buddhism and Confucianism contkibuti TO Japanese Learning' Both Buddhism and Confucianinm have contributed largely to the civilization of Japan. The Buddhist priests were •cholara, artists and philanthropists ; they did much to open up the country. In the reign of the Emperor Keitai (507-531), Danyoji, a doctor of the live classical books, came to Japan, and in the tenth year (516) Dr. Koammo came from Korea. In the fifteenth year of the Emperor Kimmei (554), Dr. Odoryo, a scholar of Chinese philosophy and divination, along with Ohoson, a physician, a musician and several other scholars of Chinese learning, came from China. Gradually the wisdom of the people increased, and scholars in Chinese literat -re arose. In the reign of the Emperor Sushun (588-592), temple and castle builders, tile makers and painters came from Kudara. We have already been introduced to Shotoku Taishi (573-631) as an earnest Buddhist saint. He was one of the greatest men of his day. He strove to improve legislation, to open up communication with China, to spread learning and to develop public institutions. In the twelfth year of the Empress Suiko (604), Shotoku issued seventeen laws, basing them mostly on Buddhism and Confucianism. The second of these laws exhorts the people to worship earnestly the three treasures— Buddha, the Law and the Priesthood— as the great refuge of the four forms of being and the fundamental truths of all people. The general intention of these laws was to bring harmony and order among the people, to exalt the good, banish the evil and encourage industry. The strong Confucian influence appears in such expressions as "The lords resemble heaven; the people, the earth"; "Loyalty is the b£»is of righteousness"; "The fundamental thing in governing the people is propriety." There was also an attempt to strengthen the central ruler and weaken the influence of the provincial governors. ' 7*5 "«'«"»' '<»• *•>» chapter is mostly cleaned from a work by Kubo Tcasui, B.A., 00 " Japanese Confucian Teachers . 1 '• p Awistkong: Light rtoii the East 17 the 'Ri«ng Sun- S,SetteTtofK'"^'°' '" '^ '^"^ «' of the 'ScttinK Sun- •• TKJ. ! the Emperor in the land He did not Thow Ji, reJnt ' nT^*^ u ^'l'"'^'^ '•'"»^'°'-- done, had he noThearJThaS rfn '""'^^"^''«^ *""« have Loo-Choo Inlands bit he in -n^T^ '''"' ^n^"*-"^ the fifteen men to vilitlair^ 1"^^^^ '^''"'PO'"' o' about following y"artK meram"?1 ^""« ^^''^Z '^P°« The receotion rr.m™!»» C "^ *° J*'"'"' and were met bv a of conti'nuou. coS^catfon^"^^^^ VH- *^'/''" *^'""'"» went to China, but 1 the rulL ni » "^. ^^ *^'^ °''»^" they did not remaiL long Ve?f ^H^ '''"' ^""* '^''«"««'' of the new dynasty cam'e JZ.Tm^'^::,'':^^'''^'' - -P^ial .tudy'^rChilet.lrre 'SfLr^H'^^'^ learn ng and custom. K^I-, " a ^ . * *"at Chuiest Korean^ learninTS 'd.tX.'trf ' ,j"urit?ur' '^"^ wS "had^iraSoarh:/"^ T^^^ «ivi»ed thaTthey K'tcX^n."? ^'^"*"^'«'- "« This was accordingly dTeanH .1 '^ JT*" "'^'^ "* °"«^- the wor. of or,J:,^:':^rsi^i:s,^^ *° ^^"^^ p- ••" the power'to the mSl S The wh'l T^ ^^*"''^«"^"K and rented out to thlZ. T^' ^ **'°'^ 'and was divided various SniL° te^t^^'^Tn^" 'V""' '"' '' '^^ proportion of the grain beclmptl ''" °/ *^"'= ('> * (2) the people gaveTeeirb^urn^tT'^'^l? '^' '"'^'°'' tax was levied on ^hepr^u^^^^^ ""''J'" '°*^«= (3) a U I |; If ^ 1 V i 1 ii i ts AufSTRONG: Light fsom the East But now the emperor was recognired head over all. These reforms of the Taikwa era were largely instigated by the Crown Prince, acting on the advice of several of the men who had returned from China. It was an attempt to apply what they had learned. Shortly before this, two companies of 121 scholars each were sent to China to study the laws and literature of the ruling dynasty. About the same time, temple builders, Buddha image makers and many skilful image painters came from Korea. Then in the eighteenth year of Suiko, a.d. 6lo, Doncho, a Korean priest, who was a famous artist, introduced the art of making colours, India ink and paper. Among the many temples which were built, Horyuji, near Nara, is the only one that still remains as a monument of these early times. In this temple there is a bronze image made by Kuratsukuri-no-Tori, and an interest- ing box containing statues of three Buddhas. The interior of this box was decorated with the wings of insects by famous artists. In the reign of the Emperor Kogyoku (642-645) occurred the downfall of the great S It reached its greatest period of prosperity during the t nth cen* ury, when men like Sugawara Michizane, Oe Otondo, F"'!;:wara Arihira and others lived. Some of these were among Japan's greatest men. After the tenth century the examinations gradually became corrupted so that the sons of the most influential families could, with very inadequate preparation, become officials, even under twenty years of age. Some one said of the time: "The sons of the noble class could mount to a high place without wings, but those without rank could not attain high ofhce, no matter how they studied." Such corruption resulted in the schools being neglected. After the Ocho ^e (about 131 1), when the Fujiwara family became powerful, no matter how talented a man was he was kept beneath that family in rank. Even the great Sugawara Michizane suffered in this way, while others who were very inferior attained high rank. Another event of some importance was the edict in the Engi era {circa 900), recommending the pronunciation of Chinese characters of the Kan dynasty in China. Shortly after this a Korean came to Tsushima, and taught the pronunciation of the Go dynasty of China in certain Buddhist sermons. Finally, an imperial decree proclaimed in favour of the Kan pronunciation. About 900 the Emperor Daigo made out a programme for the ceremony of worshipping Confucius. This ceremony was frequently observed after its introduction in 701. In addition to the government schools there were many private schools. One of these was even made a department of the University in 964. Among the most famous were the Kobunin, founded by Wake-no-Kiyomaro, a very great and liberal educationist; the Sogei-Shuchi-iin, founded by the famous Buddhist priest Kukai; and the Kangakuin, founded by Fuyutsugi. There is an old proverb, " In the Kangakuin even the sparrows sing well". In later years many great doctors arose, and private schools were established all over Japan. * The (ounder of the Han djniMty in China etrtabliihed tile eyitem of com • pctitive fwminitinni (or public offidali alxtut b.c aai. TT«H AwisTKONO: Light fbom the East aj m^aif 17 °"' '"^^"Ke" c«««l to go to China, and the only SauTpTrSr "" *'~"^'* ™*"'**°*™'^'' ^^"^^ K^JlT-?^ ^.u^^'^^ *'*"?5 >nto power in China, the uSl ^.T.^"^*^,''''" ^^ ^^^'"^ t''^ Chinese characters were abohshed m favour of the So pronunciation. After the tenth century the Chinese language gave place to the Japanese. In the time of GoshiraLwa. aboui ,156 the pnme minister, Fujiwara-no-Koremichi, wrote seventeen practical suggestions for the emperor. He said: "The em- hf,r'iTi,"°* ""^'"^ '*^'"« '"'-~'^'y ">»* »»« "ay write poetry, mi J u '"*yK°^e."' tJ>e people well. The man who T^Wnf h^%^V " "f '!""• '^^^ >"•"«*" who thinks th^:^ ^r ' ^"'^.""^ °' ^''^ P""'*= 8;°«1' « a criminal in SSlaTeTVi^Sig^lsd'ylig'"^ ^^"*"^ ^^^^^ -"« 1, ! ll '#!' !. I. «,. It .f 'I i mi ifll I V ;, K'!:i Chapter IV Japanese Confucianism from a.d. 750 to 1250 In the reign of the Emperor Koken (749-758), an edict was issued ordering every house to provide itself with a copy of the Chinese classic on "Filial Piety". The government encouraged men to cultivate filial piety, and women to cul- tivate chastity, by offering prizes to those who excelled in these virtues. Such methods would naturally influence people who had not yet acquired the power of keen introspection. There were many active men in this age. One of these was Shirai- i.o-Fuhito. Once he was sent to meet the messenger from the King of Shiragi in Korea. He was so annoyed at the impolite language of the letter, that, acting on instructions from the government, he sent the messenger home. When he returned and reported to the emperor what he had done, he was promoted to high rank, given the name Fujii Hironari, and appointed lord of Bingo province. The emperor used to visit him and drink wine with him. Awada Mabito was sent to China as an ambassador. Once a Chinese said to him: " I have heard that east of the sea there is a country called Yamato, noted for its superior men. I have also heard that the people there are very polite. Now that I have seen you I know that what I have heard is true." In 704, Awada returned to Japan, where he held high office until his death in 719. Makibi (692-775), a high official, in charge of the national defence, who had been greatly honoured by the Emperor Shotoku, was also a messenger to China. He was one earnest Confucianist, who rose in power when Buddhism had the dominating influence in the imperial court, but he is open to censure for not openly opposing the Buddhist priest, Dokyo, in his attempt to become Emperor of Japan. Sugawara-no-Michizane, an earnest and cultured Confu- cianist who lived in the reign of the Emperor Daigo (898-930) , has been called the literary crown of the age, because he was skilled in Japanese as well as Chinese literature. He taught that loyalty and filial piety are identical; from the home where filial piety reigns come the most loyal sons. The duty of a subject and that of a son are not different. He held iil 'it 1:1 SrUAWARA MUHIZANE ■■-■, 1' X.^U ' ^ Wm ^^^^i ' i n AsMSTRONC: Light fkom thb East as • high place in the favour of tht emperor and of the ex- emperor. A plan was formulated to malte him regent in place of the existing regent, Fujiwara. Michizane refused to be a party to 'he scheme, but Fujiwara, hearing of it, planned hjs downfall. He sent a messenger to the emperor to say that his favourite minister, Michizane, was plotting to depose him and put one of his favourite princes on the throne The emperor believed the falsehood and banished Michizane to a distant part of the empire, where, after spending two years as a petty official, he died. Before leaving Kyoto he composed a verse which reveals his feelings: "As flowing water, I gradually flow from the long grass to the moss on the stones. I wish the ex-imperor would become as a row of poles driven down to stop the current, and hinder me from going. In his banishment he gathered poor children and taught them to make Chinese characters in the sand. Although unjustly banished, his loyalty was unquenched. On September 9th, the last of the five great festivals, he put on the garment he had received from the emperor wh n he was in favour, and in memory of his kindness wrote: "When I remember that last year on this same night I waited at the imperial palace, my heart becomes very sad. The robe I received from the emperor is now here. I hold it up in the attitude of one receiving a gift, and think every day of His Majesty's kindness." Tradition says that he wrote a very significant saying: "If the true way is in one's heart, even if he does not worship the gods, they will protect him." Although this saying is usually assigned to Michizane, it is more hkely that it was composed as a protest against Buddhist ceremony and form, and merely attributed to Michizane m order to give it weight and influence. Tradition also says, that after his death Michizane worked evils on the head of his enemy, that he took the form of thunder, and persecuted his enemy to such an extent that he longed for death. This tradition reflects the spirit of the age, but not the spirit of this great man. After his death the emperor discovered his mistake, and reinstated him in his former standing. In the reign of the following emperor a shrine was erected to Michizane's memory in Kyoto. He is worshipped as the patron saint of learning, in some- what the same way as Ojin, because of his skill in war, li ! I n i i at AtMTioNo: Light raou nu Eait U worshipped as Hachiman, the god of war. StudenU who fait in their examinations worship at Michizane's shrine, that they may become great scholars. As he was fond of the plum blossom, plum trees are planted round his shrine. Besides these scholars there were many others of whom Sugawara-no-Tamenaga, who defended Confucianism against the famous Buddhist priest, Benyen, is one of the most noted. Kiyohara-no-Yorinari was also a noted Confucian scholar and adviser to the emperor. He advised the emperor to give the people good government, if he wished to control them. He died in the fifth year of Bunji (1189), and received the posthumous name, Kuruma-ore-Daimyojin, from the tradition that some one who had refused to dismount from his carr ■ befoie his shrine had his carriage broken. It was customary for every one, after that event became noised abroad, to dismount as they passed his shrine. Yorinari's method of teaching was to choose the best selections from the Confucian classics and bind them together in a booklet as a text-book for his atudents. This wr<» a new method of creating interest in 'c Confucian classics. Some one praised Yorinari, say.ac : ' \Vhen pubUc and private schools were neglected, and the site of the government univer- sity was overgrown with grass, and the sparrows of Kangakuin were no longer heard, then Yorinari arose, and gave forth his new system of study." He has been criticized as deceiving the people by selecting only the best portions of the Chmese classics, but by others his method is considered to be prophetic of the revival of interest in Confucian learning, which very shortly afterwards took place. The following is a list of the leading scholars oi this age. with dates where possible : Awada Mahito (d. 719); Ki Kiyohito (d. 753): Yamada Nagaoka (d. 769) ; Kibi Makibi; Narabara Azumabito; Sakai Minomaro; Isonokami Ytatsugu (729-781); Omi Mibune (722-785) ; Sugahara Furuhito (750-819) ; Sugahara Kiyokimi (770-842); Sugahara Koreyoshi (812-880); Sugahara Michi- zane (845-903) ; Sugahara Atsushige; Sugahara Fumitoki (898- 981); Sugahara Sukemasa (925-1009) Sugahara Tamenaga (1158-1246); Sugano Mamichi (737-810); Kaya Toyotoshi (751-815); Yoshimichi Sanesada; Fujiwara Seiko ;Ono Taka- mura (799-849); Haruzumi Yoshitada (797-870); Toyohaahi V, AlMSTSONC: LlOST PROM TSB BaST »f Yatuhito (797-86i); Ki Yaiuno (8aa.886); Miyako Yo«hlk« (842-879;; Tachibana Hiromi (837-890); Shimada Taaaomi; Okura Yoshiyuki; Fujiwara Sukeyo (d. 898); Ki Ha»eo (845- 913); Miyoshi Kiyoyuki (847-918); Ko8e Fumio; Yoshibuchi Nagaaada (813-885); Mimune Ma»ahire (853-936); Mimune Motonatsu; Mimune Atsunobu; Koremune Kinkata; Kore- muneMaaaauke; OeOtondo (809-875); Oe TomoUuna (886- 957); Oe Koretoki (888-963); Oe Koretoki (955-1010); Oe Mawhira (953-ioia); Oe Sadamoto (959-1035, died in China); Oe Tokimune; Oe Masafusa (1041-1111); Tachi- bana Naomoto; Minamoto Shitago (911-983); Tachibana Masamichi; Minamoto Tamenori; Fujiwara Tametoki; Yoshishige Yaautane (d. 997); Ki Tokina; Fujiwara Yoshitada (1004-1041); Fujiwara Akihira; Fujiwara Auu- moto; Oe Masafusa (1041-1111); Kiyohara Yorinari (1122-1189). f a ^'^ Chapter V Revival or Confucianism During the age immediately preceding the Tokugawa age, there were stormy times in Japan, and learning was compara- tively neglected. The learning of the imperial court was entirely abandoned. An indication of this is seen in the fact, that even Confucian scholars did not in many cases know the outstanding facts in the history of their own system. In the midst of all this neglect the Cozan temple became a rendezvous for scholars. The priests of the Zen sect were respected by the military rulers of Japan. From this temple learning spread over the country. There were two such temples. The one in Kamakura was of no special importance, but that in Kyoto was very influential with the shoguns; so much so that her priests were sent to China as messengers of the government. The Zen priests at this time were not priests of the usual pessimistic type. They were men who, because of political ambition or literary ability, congregated in the Gozan temple. In this way many excellent men gathered, and as they went to Chiia, Buddhism and even Confucianism became prosperous. They were not dead to the world . They had a controlling influence in political, social and military aflFairs, and by their influence the declining national spirit was revived. Although civil war continued they encouraged learning, and laid the foundation for prosperity of learning in the Tokugawa age. Communications with China were easy. The Ashikaga shogun sent messengers to China. The people from the sea- coast of Japan made marauding raids on the coasts of China, and then fled home with the spoils. The shogun once sent some of these men to China, in order to appease the anger of the Chinese rulers. Once the Chinese emperor addressed the shogun as King of Japan. The shogun should have resented this suggestion, and sent the Chinese messenger home, to show he did not receive the communication, but by his silence he virtually admitted that he was king. To this day Japanese regret what they regard as treason on the shogun's part. Medical science, drawing and sculpture came to Japan with li AiMSTRONr.: Light prom the East 99 the learning of the Sung dynatty. The philoiophy and tnought of the Confucian acholani of the Sung age in China wa« not unlike Buddhiwn. and finit entered Japan through the prie.t»of the Zvn «ct of Kyoto, from which place it wa> earned to the Kamakura temple. During the Onin era, about 1467, Kyoto wao disturbed J***"' u" '*"" P""** *•■"" »catterwl in all directions. and in this way learning .spread ov.r the country. In 77a 'ne first book, a part of the Buddhist canon, was printed. In the ShOhci era (1346-1369), the Confucian analects were first printed, and from that time printing became common among the scholars at the Gozan temple in Kyoto. I wo Chmcse Buddhist scholars introduced the Shushi philosophy of Confucianism into Japan. One of these was Sogen, a virtuous and scholariy Buddhist, who, in the second year of Koan {circa 1278), at the request of Hojo Tokimune, came to Japan as high priest. The other was Ichizan (1247- 1317 . a Chinese priest, who, after visiting all the famous Buddhist leachers in China, came over to Japan in the first year of Shoan, 1299, to spy out the land. Both of these men died in Japan. Ichizan received posthumous honours from the emperor. A disciple of Iihizan, Kokwan, whose real name was Shiren, was the son of a high official. In boyhood he was in a delicate state of health, and for this reason his mother used to hide his books, but he was so anxious to read that he would search till he found them. At eight years of age a priest noticed his unusual ability and took him to a temple, where in a couple of years he became a priest, and taught the Confucian analects every day. At fourteen he could enter into a discussion with his teachers, and surprise them by his wisdom. Hokaku. the head of Sansci temple, said: "This b)y will become my successor, but as I am old, I shall not see him become a man I am very sorry."' At seventeen he studied from Sugawara Ansuke. who showed him a book of the great Sugawara Michizane, which no one but the emperor was supposed to see. At twenty he met Minamote Arifusa, who allowed him ^""•^^ a book of philosophy which had been handed down f|,l ' Holuku's prophecy is not new. •eyeiml great men in mncient japtn. Luke ii. 25. In effect the tame thing is recorded of It IS not unlike the prophecy of Simeon, ii fi 30 AutsTsoNG: Light fkoii thb East •\i''. ta for generations. In 1299, when he was twenty-two yean of age, he met Ichizan who had just come from China, and was so much impressed by him that he planned to go to China, but his mother, being old, fell sick, and he was obliged to give up the idea. This was a great disappointment to him, but to make up for his loss, he studied with Ichizan, and refusing a high position offered him by the shogun, he spent twenty years wandering about, visiting the high priests all over Japan. In the third year of Teikwa, 1347, he died, at the age of sixty-nine. Having learned the Confucian philosophy of Teishi school from Ichizan, he wrote many books. He held that in a broad sense the philosophy of Shushi school was the foundation of metaphysics, and was practically the same as Buddhism, being quite different from historical Confucianism. Although not one of the founders of the modern school of Confucianism, he did not prevent it from spreading, but rather, by his knowledge of it, increased its influence. A man named Chugan, of Kamakura, a descendant of the Tsuchiya family, entered a temple at eight years of age, and at twelve studied the Confucian analects and a work on filial piety. At the age of twenty-six he went to China, called on many priests, and met many learned scholars of Japan, who were then in China. On his return he wrote several books, one of which, on the origin of the imperial house, so annoyed the emperor that it was ordered to be burned. In the last year of Koei, 1343, he again went to China. After his death he received some posthumous honours from the shogun.' Hayashi Razan, a later scholar, wrote almost the same thing about the origin of the imperial house, but on the advice of Mito Mitsukuni, changed it. However, their opinion seemed to be that the early emperors of Japan were related to the Chinese, but as all evidence is destroyed, we cannot speak of it in any definite way. In »peculation, Chugan was great and original. In some respects the greatest representative of Confu- cianism in this age was a Buddhist priest, named Keian, who was bom in 1427 at Suo. At eight years of age he went to Kyoto, and became a disciple of a Buddhist priest, Isho, > H* U Mid to haw btCB tb* Snt to writ* SbuaU phikMophy to J«pa». Armstrong: Light from the East 3, from whom he first learned Shushi philosophy. At sixteen years of age he was ordained a priest^nd short y af er^Ss be^e mtimate wkh two scholars of Chinese phKS S of the F7 P'^?- A* ^ '^»«'- d^t« he b^aTe th'i »l.«. I ^.''"'"^ ^^'"P'^ •" Shimono-seki (Bakwan) where he contmued his studies in Shushi philSv' retumS to Ian«; • ^^^ ?'/.""« ""^"y ^^•"O"^ places. TtSr of t^u- .'" '^7^' ^""y determined to become a teacher of Shushi learning. But since Shushi philosoohv hadas yet no official recognition, he encountered much 3,^ :"rcrrc^Sn^r.rat^Wor^^^^^^ L"o7s'a\^^"^'"T-^^^^^^^^^^ lord of Satsuma and several of his retainers- and in i;«r ;^ Tushrf "" "'*' ^ '^^''"^ ^^^--^ offici:rhe e"ve "pu JS h^" Shush, s commentary on "The Great Learning of Confudus" if^ A t\**' appointed by the lord of Satsuma head of the Ankoku temple at Obi. in Hyuga provSS^ Here he g^ht many disciples among whom VmostTa ous were G^ho^ Ichiwo and Bunshi. who, after his du -^ in i^ST followed h.m m quick succession as head of the temple Like many other priests of the Zen sect Keian wa« .„ Se STnt" • °^?"f--'-. who va'e^^Shuriear .in'g and the Confucian classics qu te as hiehlv as he HiH R„!wh: mercy of Buddhism were essentially the same. He was a sin! oooK IS written on the heart, and even f men have no other books, they may become learned by following this one Con fucusand Mencius were like other men. but the r hearts we?e true. In this way Shushi philosophy was fiStin?SlZ^ TtieTo?" Buddhist priLs, wEoi rnfluenS wastu'^J to the banning of the Tokugawa age (about i6o^f wh^en Buddhism and ConfucianisiS practTalirX S scatte^tT'' °' *?* Ashikaga age thescholarsof Japan were sS^rl'n^T ""* °^ '"*'™^' *'^"- At that time YamagS SatBma «,d Tosa were rendezvous for men of a schSj t.\u U- tl r i i! 3* Armstrong: Light from the East and peaceful turn of mind. It is not necessary to enter further into the details of their lives. The following list will give some idea of the transmission of Shushi doctrines through the Buddhist priests at Gozan and other temples: Ichizan (1247-1317); Kokwan (1296-1364); Muso (1276-1351); Chugan (1300-1375); Gido (132S-1388); Mugan (died in 1374); Giyo (1363-1424); Ikkei (1386-1463); Isho; Keijo (1440-1518); Ranha(died in 1501); Keigo (1425-1514); Keian (1427-1508); Minamimura Baiken; Shunden (died in 1364); Ikuho;Gessho (died in 1541); Kwojoken (1515-1587); Ichi-o (1507-1592); Bunshi' (1555-1620); Jochiku (1570- 1655); Aiko Kishin (bom in 1605); Ninsho; Tenshitsu; Shinsaido. Up to this time Confucianism in Japan had been largely a literary study, an exegesis of the sacred books. Scholars spent much enei^y and time discussing the meaning of some word or sentence of the sacred books, and neglected the fundamental principles which lay hidden behind the letter. Up to the twelfth or thirteenth centuries Confucianism was crippled by this quibbling method, and it was not until about 1600 that any other system became universal in Japan, although, as we have seen, it was introduced much eariier than that by the priests of the Zen sect of Buddhism. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries there was a decided change in the nature of Confucian teaching in China. The two Cheng brothers put new life into the dead literature of the classics. These two men were followed by other and perhaps greater men, who carried their teaching to completion. One of these is Choo-he, known in Japan as Shushi. This man was influenced by the younger Cheng or Tei, as he is called in Japan, and the combination is known as the philosophy of Teishi. These men were influenced by Buddhism and Taoism, and undertook to systematize the Confucian sayings. Their work, although labelled Confucianism, is in reality a new system, as Kokwan pointed out. It is very different from historical Confucianism, and is almost an entirely new system, based on metaphysics. The philosophy contains many Bud- dhist words, which helped to account for its popularity with Buddhist priests, who did so much to introduce it in Japan. > Bundii wrote the lylUbuy into Sbuihi't booki and corrected Kciaa't work. Amistrokg: Light from the East 33 Jt^H"^ three main gehools of modem Confucianism in fcn rthe1?u°h" *^^/^!!>°« °f the Teishi phiJoph^ wZ^lSne mIh^ nl Py^^'P^y; °°! based on the teaching wang Yang-Mmg of Chma, known in Japan as the Yomel S^i iS TlK?» ?' r',*'°" *°^^^^ ^'^^ °"Ki"^' teaching o thesage. Thwlastschool seems to have originated in Japan.' Ml that \tt?^. f^**" ?!^*«' '" Chin, about the Jinni was influenced by any Chineie Kholar. •ame time, but it it not clear PART II STUDIES IN THE SHUSHI SCHOOL OF CONFUCIANISM IN JAPAN Chapter I Introduction to the Shushi School of Confucianism From A.D. 1300 to 1600 Japan had been so occupied with internal strife that education was partially neglected. After that she entered upon one of the most progressive periods of her history. The Genroku' age, which began about I595 anc] ended about 1750, was to Japan what the tlizabeth au age was to nngland. It is the brightest age of Japant =.: learning during the feudal system. Many great scholars arose: Fujiwara Seikwa, Hayashi Kazan, Ishikawa Jozan, Nakae Toju, Kaibara Ekiken, Ito Jinsai, Ito Togai, Ogiu Sorai, and others. Besides these, many famous scholars cam- from China. In this age, also, industry made great progress. New industries were introduced from China, such as the art of making lime by burning oyster shells, building stone bridges, and putting gold and silver designs on porce- lain and lacquer. The thatched roofs of Yedo were changed to shingles and tiles. A popular song of the time reveals the fact that methods of communication were improving In the song is the sentence, "I wish to be a comb, a comb of Satsuma, because I could then touch the hands of giris in many countries". Up to this time sugar had been obtained from persimmons only. Now several million pounds were unported yeariy at the port of Nagasaki. The Genroku age was thus one of unusual activity and progress. This progress in learning and industry was largely due to the wise policy of Japan's greatest military ruler, Tokugawa lyeyasu. lyeyasu was a statesman, a strong organizer, a name' I^^^^l^ ^T7^J:^'1^'''''^'' *°"' "" '' ■"' «*-» «» Armstrong: Light from the East 33 probabirthat th^sltth^iSt^'^' outside world. It i: time. It is difficult to antSte whf. ^°J°u "^^P^" ^* ^^at BUchanattitudenotbeentS rll^* '"?''* ''^''^ ^"' ^ad in consolidating th^ emnlr; 1^7^?"' 'jo^ever. succeeded foundations thaf it £aZ^tr "*^, '" '^^'"8 «"ch sure Japan for two iSu'^d^ed Id slxTfiv^^ Penod Japanese civilization advane3 CV ^"""« ^''^^ an intellectual and moral trainjZ t^'u ^ J^P^" received fucianism the authorize t 1^ f ^''"^'" School of Con- ing suited thepurpoTeoftSTov^'^"'^"*^- This teach- emphasis on obedfence It h! '"!' ^*=^"^ «' >*» thatonewhoventuStohin'?^?'"^!" '^'"'"'y established wa3.ndan,erorb*ein?,*l^S^ ^^^ own Wad^aki o??he?n^tiarUni^eStr?r' ""' ^^°^^- ' L»fe is like unto a long journey with a hi'^ T ^ ^°"°^ = thy step be slow and steadv tLTli^ ^'^. ''""^«"- Let suade thyself tharLtSi^ L^"- '*"'"^'? "°*- P^^" naturallotofmortals a^S° f"l '"convenience is the tent, neither for dSoairm/n ""k-*^ "° '"^"^ ^'"^ discon- heart. recall theTaW ex^^ir.K^'^u'^^'^^""^^ Forbearance is the Lt 3 'u?.f °"^.''* P^^ *»"-°"«h Look upon wrath ls7y eneJ^TTth^.^'r"^^^^ ^°^^^^^- •t is to conquer, and kLwes7not wStuT^^^^^ "^^* woe unto thee; it will fare ill w"th thi Fi'V? "f. ^^-^f^'^' self rather than with others " ^ ^*"'* '^'^'^ t^^y- ShusS''(SrHe;''7chir"'^^^ was established by and died in ,",S' sh„ch? ' ''''? *^' '^^ i" "30 historian an3 a philosopher H?' "'f^J •^*^*^^'"«"' «" system of though Xh ciS^^'^'^k'^ ^ organizing a was in reality a new systeni S *^ Confucian, but Confucian classics. ^^^^yZZiT^^^:^^^, m' t! 36 Armstrong: Light from the East wi Shusht teught that tie "limitlesB" was without form or location, but self-moving. What he calls the "limitless" may be called the Infinite, or the Absolute. It probably repre- sents the idea of the pure sky or ether which was regarded as containing within itself the possibility of all creation, including nature and law.' In the infinite, one element, Ki (literally breath), crystallizes, and by combination with law or order forms the "Great Limit", which is co-equal with the Infinite, and is not thought of as actually subsequent to it in time. For the most part, the Infinite and the "Great Limit" may be regarded as merely a distinction without a real difference. The two terms probably arose because of the Chinese dis- tinction between the finer material of the air and heavens. And the coarser, darker material of body. In modem terms all that was meant might probably be included in what we call the universe, nature and the heavens. Confucianists commonly speak of this as heaven. In doing so they have added an anthropic element, which gives it moye the force of what western writers mean by God. A study of the Chinese classics will lead one to conclude, that the word heaven is a development from original teaching about God. It is an interesting fact, that in the ancient Chinese odes there is frequent reference made to a Supreme Being. "Great is God beholding the lower worid in majesty. He surveyed the four quarters of the Kingdom, seekingr for some one to give rest to the people. Thus what Heaven has at heart is the settlement of the people. When they have rest given to them, then Heaven is at rest."' "How beautiful are the wheat and barley! The bright and glorious God will in them give us a good year."* "With penetrating Wisdom thou didst play the man; a sovereign with gifts both of peace and war giving rest even to Great Heaven."* ■ See also " The Middle Kingdom", Vol. II, page 138: "Order wa« fint pro- duced in the pure ether and out of it the Univene came forth; the univerae pro- duced air, and the air the Milky Way. When the pure male principle Yang nad been dilut^ it formed the heavens; the heavy and thick parts coagulated and formed the earth", etc. See also " Chinese Repository", Vol. Ill, page 55. ' Major Odes of the Kingdom, No. i . •Sacrificial Odea, No. I. • IWd, No. 7- lis -Ml Armstrong: Light from the East yj In the analects of Confucius we find no reference to th^ fsToh > f ""? ^"^^^^^^' '■^^^'•-^^^ t° Heave? The reason cX^f ^' ''.?* ^^^ r^'^'P °^ the Supreme Being hi S" come the privilege only of the ruler, and that the u^ of Ii?;i"' °"«'"?"y a P°"te way of avoiding the Deit/snLe A s!^''"!,'^'"-' l'"*"^"* ^'"^"K the scholars and pSSe' MlH '■^i''"^ " '"""'^ ^ the Japanese use of thHord f o°f ^rcf ?;t ^T-"'-^ V-1 of the emplr^rTsI wh^e .rSla^X^Xron SJ^He^ Sd" alwaj; pts:SnSJiTre^fRT.??„r"^2i.^ *.^i^.'^'"-*^ Snr&*°i?L^;t -rf andXbetnsK £?o^llX.^^ ;? c^^ti^Lt'^X: a^d-Tt^wS Sble w^HH • °''^"'-, ^t " the constantly moving Sih n, T 1 ^'^"""P""^ °^ '^^^ elements-wcKKl. fire earth, metal and water. The relation of "Ri" and "£" SLTT/v^' ~"«tant dispute. The Shush" school S evei n th.'^r" « v"' ^ .absolutely separated, b^t ''r'\ pidomta^tid "'^-"^ " 7"' *'*'^°"«'» *he law. ^entiS wS f :'^:aSli. ?£! t^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^r^^i^ri-tShrSro^r-^SSX a«of *"""?* **"^''.* ^^t when tile universe began to move the great male pnncple, sometimes called the active or ZitivP prmap e, was formed. When it rested the greatTSe wi" fotl^^l^hT f l^ '""^ P"^'^^ ornSativrprii:S was formed. Through these powers heaven, earth and al «»ngs were formed, and by them the work of creation once beg^s constantly sustained. They may be illustrated b^ Cf. RelWouiSyfteiii.ofChina".byDegroot.Vol.IV. ■'r\ 1:1 3» Akmstronc: Light from the East the active and passive forces, that which acts and that which is acted upon, or by the movement and the ultimate some- thing which moves. While these may help us to grasp the idea, as modem Japanese would interpret it, there can be no doubt from what has been said of the Chinese thought about these principles, that they were first conceived of as resem- bling the idea of male and female, employed so generally to account for the creation. Thev are consequently not unlike the Hindu and other attempi to explain creation by an analogy from procreation. Degroot points out that every part of the earth had this female element hidden in its bosom, awaiting the power from the male or celestial breath to produce life. By the co- operation of these two powers all nature lives and grows. He quotes Shushi as saying: "The two breaths, by uniting and exciting each other, produce and reproduce everything."' Degroot says: "'Yang' (male principle) and 'Yin' (female principle), absolutely bearing sway in nature and blending their influences together, are the causes of constant growth and decay, life and death, of the annual rotation of pro- duction and destruction. The Book of Rites explicitly states 'everything which exists is engendered after heaven and earth have joined together', and 'When in the first month of the vernal season the celestial breath descends and the terres- trial breath ascends, heaven and earth unite harmoniously, and the vegetable kingdom is disclosed and set in motion '• "• In Japanese Confucianism the distinction between a celestial and a terrestrial "Ki" is not emphasized as two separate breaths or souls. The male and female principles are principles of all "Ki" which can no longer be adequately represented by the word breath or soul, but may be more adequately represented as the changing, sensible world. This change in theory, as well as the prominence given to "Ri", is reasonably accounted for by the influence of Taoism and Buddhism on the development of Confucianism. There may also be more or less influence from science. The influence of Buddhism on this teaching becomes very clear, if we substitute the "world of illusion" for "Ki", and the words "spiritual body of Buddha or law" for "Ri". The change of name would show the resemblance between this school of Confucianism and Northern Buddhism. > " Religioui Syrtemi of China", Vol. Ill, page 949. •Ibid. Chapter II FujiwARA Seikwa The first scholar of the Shushi school in Japan was born «n A.D. 1561 at Hosokawa village in Harima province. He belonged to the great and well-known Fujiwara family. r^f", n^'Tl!? ^■'"'^^ **" ^'«^^ ye«" of age. he began to study Buddhism, and made such unusual progress that in a remarlwbly short time he was ordained a priest of the Zen sect. Shortly after his ordination he went to Kyoto, where he contmued to study with redoubled zeal in a Buddhist tem- ple, and soon gained a reputation for profundity of learning and finish of scholarship. Hidetsugu, the adopted son of Mideyoshi, used to arrange contests among the poetical pnests. He gathered them together, and each composed a poem. Whoever composed the best poem received his special commendation. Seikwa went once, but could never be p^^uadedto go again. When asked the reason, he said: Those who like it may do so, but if my poetry should be coupled with that of these men [i.e. who feel glad to partake in pleasing a noble] I should degrade myself. I cannot have a straw sandal on one foot and a wooden clog on the other " Hidetsugu, hearing this remark, was very angry, and Seikwa had to leave Kyoto. He took up his residence in Hizen, where Hideyoshi was making preparations to send his army to Korea. At Nagoya, Seikwa met Tokugawa lyeyasu, and was entertained by him. Once lyeyasu asked him to lecture at Fushimi. When the hour for the lecture came, lyeyasu appeared in a common kimono. Fujiwara refused to !ffiV''^U lyeyasu asked him for his reasons. He replied: The Great Learning' is intended for the rulers, to govern their country; and for ordinary people to regulate their homes and bodies; since this is the nature of the book, those who hear it must dress in ceremonial robes." lyeyasu changed his clothes. Shortly after this Seikwa returned to Kyoto, and resumed his studies in Confucianism. He abandoned Buddhism, and became an earnest Confucianist. But he was so dissatisfied with the teachmg he received in Japan that he resolved to go to If 1^ if f 4 liii 40 AtMSTKOMC: Light fkom tbb East China. On hit way thither the aea waa ao rough that the ship had to take shelter at the little island of Kikai, where it re- mained for some length of time. On reaching a small port near Kagoshima, he landed, and in walking about the place he happened to pass a Buddhist temple where to his delight he heaiYl a priest teaching his pupils Confucianism. Fuji- wara was so struck with the profundity and depth of the lecture, that he inquired where the priest had acquired such learning. The priest then showed him a commentary in Japanese on the four books. Looking over this, SeUcwa decided that he might derive as much benefit from it as if he had gone to China to study. This commentary furnished him with the foundation on which he afterwards built his system.' The Buddhist priests did not like his renunciation of Bud- dhism in favour of Confucianism. One of them asked him for his reasons. Seikwa rq)lied that the Buddhists drew too sharp a line between the priests and the laymen, the religious and the secular, and that he was convinced there was no good distinction between them. Laymen were under as much obligation to be virtuous, and were open to as many privileges as priests. No one could afford to slight the responsibility of being virtuous on the plea of being a layman. Many priests should be called laymen rather than priests, so far as their virtue was concerned. If the duties and privileges of both priests and laymen were equally great, he could see no real advantage in being a priest, or trying to eticape from t>ie world. Sages would never consent to retire from the world. Ill this last remark he probably referred to Confucius, who was rather despised by the recluses of his day, because he would not retire from the world. Hayashi Kazan quotes Seikwa as saying, that he had long believed in Buddhism, but had been unable to satisfy his inmost longing. He had read the sages of China, and liked their teaching from the first. He found ^ruth in what they said about man's relation to humanity. Buddhism, on the other hand, did not pay any f ' "-^ntion to the desires of human nature, benevolence and righ >usness. He even went so far > There is a difference of opinion ai to the exact detail* of this itory. One account tells that the priest was teaching the works of Keian and Bunt*>i on Shushi and that Fujiwara received these and returned home satisfied. Another story tells that he recdvcd a book which had been brought from China by Niahin. AufSTtONG: LiGBT FROM THE EaST 41 M to affirm that Buddha could not be excused from the charge of having done harm to human nature. Thus, it is evident that the secret of Seikwa's conversion lay in his discovery that man's life is bound up with society. But though he had broken loose completely from Bud- dhism, he did not do as some men of smaller minds sometimes do under similar circumstances. He did not speak ill of it or abuse its advocates. On the contrary, his attitude shows the greatness of his own character and life. He was evidently fully convinced that Buddhism was harmful. He said that as the sovereign existed to rule the land, and great teachers were living who could be trusted to mould the people in virtue, they need fear no harm from Buddhism. Should it demoralize the ignorant, and were there no ruler to check it by force, if necessary, and were there no learned men to save the ignorant populace from deception, then it might be necessary for him to do what he could to suppress it. He refrained from criti- cizmg It, because he did not wish to pick flaws, and thus perhaps expose his own ignorance of the subject. He there- fore let it alone, and spent his energy in study and in the effort to make himself virtuous. The following are some of his teachings: "To obey the heavenly reason is becoming t( - -^nn of integrity. To be self-indulgent is to forfeit his own high destiny." It was characteristic of Scikwa that in many ways he saw beyond the mere externals, and succeeded in grasping the inner nature of things. He said: "In times past every sage had his own principle by which his disciples might take hold of the truth, which is one and the same. For example, both the older ana younger Tei called it modesty; Shu called It reason; Shozan, intuition; and Yomei called it conscience. All the teaching of the sages had this one supreme object in view, viz. to state the truth in such a way that any one could understand it and incorporate it into his own life. In regard to terms and method they are all indifferent. The ultimate object in each case being the same, it is only natural that the bliss of sagehood may be obtained by beginning either with contemplation, according to ShO-shi (Chou-tzu), or with modesty, according to Tei, or with teas.. n, according to Chin- Koho (or Chin-Kensho), or with conbcience, according to Yomei; all of these will ultimately lead us to virtue." u i' m k h. r(l 4* AufsnoNO: UoHT rioM thb Ea«t One of his letters reveals his broadmindedness in being •bte to appreciate the opinions of another who did not agree with him. He says: "May I Jceep Vomel's works? ! have read his prow. I have also read his poems, and found them all chaste. I like them." It is the general impression that Nakae Toju, who lived about one hund- ; years after Fujiwara Seikwa, was the first to intrrviuce Yomei s teaching into Japan, but while thaf HHy h- true it IS evident from the above that Seikwa kncv /" th*: school and Its teaching. Seikwa was a great reader. He raad the teach- ings of the scholars of the So and Min H vnasties, and was ever willmg to adopt anything good from any of them. Conse- quently, though he is one of the greatest Shushi teachers, he i» somewhat wider in his point of view than many of his followers. He assimilated mudi of the best in Buddhism, as may be leame.! f»om his own words: "The way of life according t'. onfucius and that according to Buddhism are very d- M .^nt, but the results attained by earnest followers of either -vhool, after years of effort, are by no means dis- similar. We Confucianists speak of attaining wisdom, and Buddhists speak of enlightenment. However they may differ in unimportant points, the two systems have much in cou.mon, when one comes to consider the final state of mind in which the followers of either find themselves." But in spite of his unusual liberality, the two systems were so antagonUtic that he was quite ready to abandon Buddhism, in order to accept and propagate Confucian teaching. He considered Confucianism superior to either Buddl ism or Christianity. He said: "Some of the feudal lords ar > quite pleased to offer undue homage to Buddhism, and others lose their self-respect under the foul witchcraft of Christianity yet none are to be found among them who have sense enough to appreaate what Confucius teaches, and to follow it earn- estly. Who but one deprived of the power of knowing good and evil can pass over this state of affairs, and not see the result which is as plain as day?" But although he believed Confucian thought was superior he advised his pupils to read Buddhism, in order to gain suffiaent knowledge of it to protect them from being deluded by Its advocates. He said: "You need not read Buddhism. ^KunoKo: Lumr nm m Eait 4. Our met hm cautioiMd ui a«>liul It. But It mliht be ..II bnght and pure as when he wa. fint endowed with it iS S^ i^r^:^'"^' "f"" '" p"'"" •* " bright « it L Sr mJ;T ^* ^**'7 ''^'*' "'^ """^^ t^o oft^n with men Vha^ M«toku 1. deplorably dimmed by indulgence in loi d«S and pa«.on. which they inherited when thly Sme i„t* iT^ Such people are no better than beasts. Meitoku mal £ ~uT.!^ '° \"El^'^ clear mirror, and the dim"m?ng'i^ nuence of man s passions may be compared to the dust that accumulates on ts surface. Beware of this dust! for f you do not continually keep your shining virtue free from it tZ mirror w. I become dim. and you will certain? faHo fulfil your m««on There must be no compromis^ be ween theS two; If one fails, the other will conquer." Heaven (literally, the true heart of heaven] isessentiallv merciful to all things between the earth and sli^^3 Aem prosper. So man ought to show mercy to hTfeU^w? Inthe matter of charity, however, man must be guided by good sense and sound judgment, lest his kindred who happen treated with undue benevolence. You ought first to le^ whether those who are of the same flesh and WooS^ ° ^^ then having provided for them, you may turn the heS hand to others who need your care. It often happens K TAT'' ^""^ '^""" '° ^^' '"^^^^ We mustTmemt «t»„.l 1,^ "°' '^"*''"^"^'- I^'«>«^er must be^' stantly guarded aga nst in your exercise of the way of heaven. This same warning holds good throughout life You must provide for your own family beforeTefpingotheS v«ll feel any ill-will towards you. Remember also, that thoueh chanty has ,ts reward, yet it ceases to be chart^ if itfsZ-- fonned for the sake of gain. Neither can liberal tv o^e nch be called charity. Such things are an abomnat^^n to 44 Armstrong: Light from the East heaven. You should not offer charitable help to strangers without first providing for your own household, and also for those who are connected with you by blood. Benevolence consists in being compassionate to the poor and needy, and not in offering costly gifts to your betters, in order to please them and obtain profit." Seikwa has here emphasized a principle that is as wide as humanity, viz. "Charity begins at home". He has also emphasized the very important idea, that not the act of helping, but the motive which prompts the act, can be acceptable to heaven. " ' Man's heart is daily in danger, and the heart of the way daily threatens to die, therefore the ruler must concentrate all his effort to guide his people in the right path.' It was in this way that Yaou, Shun and Yu, the three typiral kings of China, succeeded in making their reigns golden. The great things done by all the sages are largely due to their steady obedience to this golden rule. "By 'man's heart' is meant his lower nature, and by the 'heart of the way' is meant his higher nature, implant«il by heaven. When man first comes into existence he is as divine as heaven, but in course of time he gradually acquires more or less of carnal desire. Even the wise are not free from this, but in them the struggle between the two hearts is more severe than in the ignorant. If one does not know how to get the better of his lower nature, then his higher nature will be overcome. We cannot be too careful as to how we distinguish the one from the other, so that a constant check may be put on the lower and a perfect development given to the higher. The former resembles a common weed, and the latter may be compared to very valuable flowers or plants. The former is very rapid in its growth, but the latter is very delicate. This accounts for the sad fact that there are so many bad people and so few really good men. In short, the four books and the five classics are nothing more than so many attempts on the part of the sages to expound the significance of the saying quoted. The import of the passage is too deep for full expression, and its application covers the whole sphere of human life, but if you fix it deeply in your minds, and spare no pains to live up to it, sagehood will never be out of your reach." Armstrong: Light from the East 45 hut ir**** ^'erwho not only has no compassion for his people *{. ur J . °** motive in acquiring knowledee is to Min the blind applause of the vulgar Lef ming iW val^e lust 111 proportion as it makes character. Nor if he leJ culnable rXtSr 'VhT'"^ '^'■"^l^ -erelyfromaiirnSSo excel others. That a man should bend all his enenrv to develop his ability in a disinterested spirit is nothhig^ore thanordinaryduty. The samurai who sets his heart uw"S coming skilful in military duties, that he may be weffp^ken ei'slavS OnS' °^*"" V"T^ '^^ ^^'^ »>» lord.TaS enslaved. On the contrary, he should feel it to be his bounden t!SJ° T^ ^''. ' ^^ ^'"'"«'y f°^ h« feudal lord wSrer occasion demands it. Look at the birds and the b^JItsTthey ?h. o^". °''" ^^y ^^^* '^^y ^'^ appointed to do We said -^t''?h^;*'' '''^''°" °' Shintoism to Confucianism, he ^„ ^."""^ Shintoism aims at giving men a right h. t, knd «m.l'"*t"^ them sympathetic and merciful to all. The same may be said of Confucianism. In China it is called way of the gods) ; but in reality they are the same." ^speaking on the subjects, "The Honest Pnnr" "xi,«> VVJcked Rich". "Why the Wicked Pros^S'. ^k^a s^5 The honest ^e generally more or less jusV and do no? tWnk wl™L^ ^'■°'^V°' themselves by foul means, violating tie poor On the other hand, the wicked are wholly given up to covetousness, and desire nothing but to make monev not i;S m^ntir "'^ " '"^"V -"-ingTth'e d"n ana mire. Hence they are generally rich." One of his disciples asked him for some preceots about foreign trade. He said : "Trade consists in seK wha? you have an abundance of, and buying what you lack ks supreme ol^ect is to give advantage fo both partie ?a„d no to give profit o one at the expense of the other. If you act vSu wirfi"^J'' ' °['""':i^ ^^''^^ *^ *^" ^ y°"rself reap gain you will find m the end that you have taken a wise course On the other hand, double-dealing does not pjy JhereJsTn I* 46 AsifSTSONG: LiGBT FKOlf THE EAST old adage that says, 'Justice carries profit in her train'. >^^_and holiest merchants do not chai^ge the buyer more than is just; only foolish and wicked merchants overchai^. These things should be observed, There is a great difference b the habits and customs of foreign countries and those of our own, but all have the same nature as we have. If you magnify the external differences, and think foreigners are inferior to you, and if you fall into the evil practice of deceiving them it will result in your own ruin. You must not do to them what you would not have them do to you." Armstrovg: Light FROM THE East as 3-g IS I t s J I « T § fl I 1 s e u I I I I I n Jill I •1 J ji I I £ a! I I J I fit. I J t i J I I 47 ! f ■ . .f|j i ii ■ in . I i. m Chapter III Hayashi Razan Hayashi Razan (1583-1672) was a samurai, descended from the great Fujiwara family. In his boyhood he was considered exceptionally clever. When he was thirteen yearr of age he studied Chinese in a Buddhist temple in Kyoto. It is said that even the priests used to ask his advice about certain questions which they did not understand, and he was usually able to help them. They advised hin; to become a priest, suggesting that he would surely rise to the highest rank. He refused to listen to this suggestion, and returned home. He said : " Why should I become a Buddhist priest? Should I forget the blessings I have received from my parents? To be without progeny shows great lack of filial respect. I cannot act thus." He read all the books he could secure, making a specialty of the philosophy of the Sung dynasty in China. He said : " From the Han dynasty to the T'ang dynasty the teaching of ail schools is derived from former teaching. If we trace them back, we find them all based on the six sacred classics. We should therefore find the way in them. The Shushi school alone understands their principles, but at present the Shushi school is being polluted with false doctrine. We must make the true way of humanity clear." Hayashi began to teach the Shushi doctrine at the age of eighteen. His success caused some jealousy, and Kiyahara Hidekata, hoping for his downfall, reported to lyeyasu that Hayashi was using books that were not authorized by the government. But lyeyasu only laughed at the complaint, and said : " What a mean appeal ! Let every one study what he wishes." When Hayashi heard that Fujiwara Seikwa was teaching Shushi philosophy in Kyoto, he became very anxious to hear him. In the ninth year of Keicho, when he was twenty-two years of age, he became a disciple of Seikwa. He asked him many questions, and recorded the answers in the "Razan Bunshu". Seikwa said of him: "There are many clever men, but very few such strong wills. I am pleased not only ''' m Hayashi Kazan !lrli 1 fire 1 Jm 1 ii uB 1 '= .'Km 1 ' : '^^ I ' '' i»9H -i H ^^^■1 WB * '"HS 4 ' 18^1 ''' H k ipj iM iW '" !:^' i'^ Amsimto: Lkht fioh niB East 4, earnestly. ^* '*"*^*"*' *"<> ^ught him very ToCwa go^mrnrS;f e'^'^r^'^^ffi^^'o' the from public life 8havl;i huT ^^^^ f forwards he retired priestfnamedSi: T^swS^done^ joshed to have leisureforquietrt^dvZw^^^ his action very severely Hp iw p ^^ ^°^" criticized in two directions at Ae Lie timT ^*" "^ *^'"« *° K° silence. ™ « me same tmie. Razan took the reproof in and their ceremonies for ?L ^l I,^ ™*"y of their laws the shoguns. ^ ^^^''"^' '" *^« ancestral hall of Janu'^XtSeJXlolt^aiia^^^^^ ?">^ '^''^ °' lyeyasu. On his Sum hnm» n^ * ^* *^'"P''' »" •>°°o"«- of in Yedo. HisT^TZ^ll^Zy^JT"' '^J'™'^^ °"* only the storehouse of tookf 0„ th. ^^k^""*^' ''*^"« broke out all over Yedo Jl™ ? ^^ '?*** * P'^ater fire escaped to his X ^S°4 o" £k thfcht ^^^ "'^ to be reading. At the time of fhl fi i '** ^^ happened twenty-one historical bSs o %t" »>« was reading some the margin. When he iS tL. .l f"^,'naking notes on Jcept iTbooks w^d4™^^*i:Vdd^''°Ts''T^^^ *f'*^'' ''^ years is consumed in an iLtant aL. I • '!,'^"'" °' "^^^ died on the 2Hrt\ r.f*uJ ^^^- 't »s destiny." He name was Bun BbWiS'^.rT^^u ^^^» PosLmous ym>te over one hu„?rrvSur^ buftT^^^^^^ "'^ importance. He built the S ,* '^%^'^."°* °f '""^h education, in Yedo. which wasf^A,,^ mstitution of higher Tokugawa government rf. *?' ^"""^^ ^^^ ^'•ole of the darts were f StTbv hlV"'^"f "* educational stan- and sixty yea2ien?avt*,?5i* ^?' ^^^ ^wo hundred «Aool of Confucii^UmTn^aSl^' *'' ''"^^ °' *^« °'^'>°^°'' Seiki^i^nSciSsi'ttV^^^ delightofthepeopleofSjLTiJd'HST^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1^ l> i SO Akmstkong: Light from the East his work, collecting all the teachings of Fujiwara. But they were not so slavishly attached to these teachings as some of the later scholars. Some of their ideas came from other great Chinese scholars. Dr. Inouye holds that the teachings of these two fathers uf Shushi philosophy were not exactly the same. Hayashi took his ideas in regard to heaven, the male and female principles, the will of heaven and life, from Shushi, but the relation of "Ri" (reason) and "Ki" (the sensible world) was decidedly of the thought of Yomei. He said: "The great limit is reason, or law; the male and female principles are the sensible world. In the great limit lies the original male and female principles. Reason, or law, consists of the five virtues and the sensible world. 'Ki' consists of the five elements of nature — ^wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Therefore I hold that we cannot separate law and the sensible world."^ In coming to this decision Razan is more in accord with Yomei philosophy than he is with Shushi thought. He said : ' ' Reason and the sensible world are two in one, or one in two. . . . Briefly, they may be regarded either as one or two. It all depends on your point of view." Dr. Inouye says further, that Japanese scholars of this school do not agree in regard to the relation of reason and the sensible world. Shushi himself failed to illustrate this union clearly, and declared they were two. Yomei held that reason is the principle of the sensible world, and that the sensible world is in the employ of reason. He illustrates his monistic views very clearly. Here Razan follows Yomei rather than Shushi. He questions the intuitive knowledge of Yomei. Yomei emphasized intuitive knowledge, original nature and introspection, and hoped, by means of the introspection of the original nature, to reach the intuitive knowledge by which he hoped to reach the "Holy Place' . Fujiwara th'iks the word "S'jiki" differs from the one used by Shushi, meaning original reason (Kyu-Ri), but that the thought is the same. Razan, however, is not yet settled in his idea. In one of his books he opposed Yomei strongly, and took sides with Shushi in a way that left no doubt as to whom he wished to follow. He said : "In making the sacred teachings known, we have, first ■ The Abidiit*. A«mst»ong: Light from the East 3, well have ?emaS^i,en?' XZ°'^''""''' *''*>' ""^ht^ in his criticism of^y Solar Jho^H "'t'^ "*'™.* *"^ ''«"'» criticized Uou-tszTLverelv wh,i K °***^^ He Baying: '"If you namrthlV "* ?* ''"°*«^ Laou-tsze as This Original way hZ'LT^' '* '" "°* '''^ ""'^ersal way. generation crnn^tdSerhlTeW ''•* "r*!' ^" P™'*'"* How can you put the h.f Jlli5 ^/""'"^ of the world was. world? SupX heaJen a„d^;;H^^°« ^''^ *^'""'"« o^ the there was "o Sought S^^^^^^^^^^^ and and there would be thni.ah/iw-.f**"°f'''e arise, animal; how can h^r^°^?fe'a d^ad"b^°y?^S' * ""7'^^ sages IS not separated from thl -!,*• r . T"® ''^^ °f the father and son. ma^a^d w^^ S °" °i '°"^ ^"'^ "tainer. friend and (M Ah^ tit R^'l^- ''°""«" ''~^«^- cardinal virtues. They orig.wS in i„ ^ "^^ ^\*.*''" «^« tained reason. This is thTlT^ k- u "^ '?^^'^' **»ich con- "Virtue. T.en^i:^:,:^^:'^^^ from the way of Laou-tszp ,Lhr!lu ^ ."^' ^^is differs and calls the'^bal^S^tS wL ° 'uTnZ^ '*"'"%" r'-^"*^ nor of Yaou and Shun." The do nt of rV ^^^- °' ^^^ ^^^«' to be. that he objects to seekrnC^h If*" ' ^^ritidsm seems tion regarding whS e^st^ hLT .^^^ by means of specula- ordin'S^ sociirStSlf'^fr '"' '^"'*""' "''^ "°* >" ^'^^ "NaSelilTe^^raou !^i '^ "^^f''' "ad known that the Limit" of the bu^k of PhtTLT "^^ ^^ ^ *^« "Great Shushi, he wouKt hav^^P'^^V-"'* **»* "Reason" of the book of 4he Mel ■" J^.^^T,t*^; ^.'-^ "im. I„ anger, sorrow or joy. the mSd m«v i -5^^ u"?° P'^**"™' equilibrium." This lut^^f ^^ ^.^^ to be in a state of Sought of Laou Ji in rLa H t!?H '"""!, '^'"^'^^ ^^e state More heaven Ld eSt o^nji^p^tm" ^' '''' CO .do nothing but oppose Lan^^«o £L t^' however, al' y made un In k!^ Laou-tsze, because his mind was folK ngtradvkei?hUteL?e;V''-- '" ^^ '^^^ »»« **' not to 4ad heSox llS.^ ^^^•^''^*'*^**'''*^"8hthi^ established. ""^"^°^ ^"^ ""til his own ideas were fairly n lO i i : • 1i , I 1 -,'"' 'U M (MM I'l tf !| P n If u t ! Sa Abmstkong: Light fkom the East li Kazan opposed Buddhism because he thought it de«troyed human morals, and was opposed to the way of the sages. He spoke to the priests in a loud voice, telling them their doc- trine destroys! natural love. He cited the case of a priest, named Myocho, who in his eariy days was an earnest student of Buddhism. He had a wife and children, but he wished to put away natural love and passion, so he sent his wife to buy wine. When he was left alone, he killed his two-year-old child and roasted its body on a spit. When his wife returned and saw hun eating meat, she suspected that he was eating his own child, so she cried out in a loud voice and fled from the house. Myocho followed her and thereupon deserted his home.' He afterwards became a priest of high rank. Kazan used this story with powerful effect, telling them that they destroyed not only morality and natural love, but justice. The authenticity of this story is questioned, but there is no doubt that Myocho lived for about twenty years, a beggar, under the Gojo bridge, "eating the wind and sleeping in the dew". Ikkyu, a famous Zen priest, wrote about him as follows: "As compared with other priests, who contend for popularity, Myocho, spending twenty years under the bridge, unknown to any one, eating the wind, sleeping in the dew, is like the brightly shining sun as compared with lamp- light." . . In another place he criticizes Buddhism for makmg nvers, mountains, the great earth, and all morality and justice mere illusions. "It seeks the way without the five relations. But I have not heard of any way apart from loyalty and filial piety." He criticized the mountain priests, who believed in Shin- toism and Buddhism. He described them in an interesting way : " There is a kind of Buddhist priest, who wears a bonnet, dresses in white, carries a sword, and uses a long stick. These priests are called together by the blowing of a lai^e shell. They are known as mountain priests. If any of them break the law and fall into sin, they all assemble to pass judgment. If found guilty, a deep hole is dug, and the culprit is buried alive. Stones are piled on him, and trees are planted to mark the spot, so that every one who passes that way knows that a mountain priest has sinned. The government is unable to ■ Thit itory in wme retpecti rejemble* the mediaeval story o( Saint Elinbeth deserting her family (or the church. li Am«5t«ong: Light nou the East Se'^v U?h- " ^l'*^^'*'''.'" ^*'"«' ^^' doctrine of not takine Hie, why IS this crue pract ce toI«raterf ?" H« »-C! ^""* that if Confucianism irtri^'?u?l, J^%«°!;^" »° 'fy. fall a pi"y He Irwf -i "' '"?'"r^''^y '° ^'''«^f' «"«" easily by the7rurts'^rv°PP°^.'° Christianity as introduced afterward^ wSto M ^°"'*' ^'. ^''''^ ^ missionary, and and^n^er TK °*" '"ipressions in the form of question " Rinfiir^M J^% ^""^ 'l"'*^ interesting. Razan wid- Bwu reasoning. Is there any good oroof for it?" m. Frois the missionary, was unable VanswS ^'• but whTcr7ate^d°S3^^^"' '"^^" ""' ^"^'^ ^"^ *" ^^ings. Szl™'^!!^ " '^"*'°"* beginning or end." Whi«"8ht, no idea, tnereissubstance. The substance is first, reason comes after." ! , I 1 ': ^ III AtrnnoNo: Light raoM trb East fUsaa— "It U not true. We cannot tay. 'no idea, no thought'. When there U no idea or thought, reawn exitU." Each man argued from his own point of view, and neither could Ke the standpoint of the other, but each expected the other to think aa he thought, and so the argument was a series of assertions and denials, which would never lead to any conclusion. Dr. Inouye says, that if reason is a philoso- phical principle, and God a personified philosophical principle, then there would be common ground between them. God is what Confucianism calls "Jotei" (above Emperor). Kazan went to another room. Frois said, in a self-satisfied way— "The Confucian 'Taikyoku' (The Infinite) cannot reach to God. God cannot know such an insignificant scholar as Razan. I know 'The Infinite' very well." Frois ridiculed Kazan's disdples, who, perceiving it, retorted: "You are crazy. You do not know 'Taikyoku'." Frois was too angry to reply. Juat then Kazan returned, and seeing that Frois was angry, said: "Generally the discussion of justice is not without advantage. Though one does not have it the other has; but if a man merely wishes to conquer in the dispute, anger and hatred appear in his face. This is inju- rious to his spirit. Beware of it." In another place he speaks of Christianity as having changed. " It is like the iox eating the king's daughter, and is therefore forbidden. Even though this evil thing changes its face, its heart remains wicked. Those who consult with Christians thoughtlessly, repeat the foreigner's learning. The Christian has stolen from the Confucian doctrine relating to 'Heaven's Way', but he speaks only the dregs of the teaching, secretly thinking he received it from God. Then he takes the Buddhist teaching about emptying oneself, and teaches it as the condition of the heart, and Uiinks this teach- ing also came from heaven. Again, he steals from Laou- tsze, saying, ' If there is no good, there is no evil. Do good, and overcome evil'. He is neither Confucian, Taoist, nor Buddhist, therefore he may be called the ' Three-legged-cat- Devil'. We must beware of him. He does not know one Chinese character, yet he calls himself a teacher of men. He does not cultivate himself, yet he calls himself the en- lightened one. He does not know a male crow from a female, yet he calls himself holy. Uneducated people hear the ill AuisTioNO: Light rion mt East 35 li^nuHf fu"^ '*'"°* '*• ^''' Among .tr«nge thing. Chri.- anHrf T''''^ •trange thing. Christianity, makes men disloyal, and destroys filial piety. It is a very terrible thing. Ifpjple consider it will they will guard against it." tom.^u"^'''"'*^ '' *" *''•' ***'=*'•"« «"«1 destroys good cus- hZ:. ^~"** " "*™"«*^ '"« °' * '^f^^i^ bird. We must hasten to stop its progress." He «v.""'r'*"' """''''' '* ^'■°'" ^'''^ standpoint of monogarv. ru^^ ' • ^°"""°f» ^omen are very jealous-minded. . ' S.m Zl*^ ^PP^'*'" *° *''!* 'P'"*' deceiving women, teaclu, g them that men must not have concubines, must not a.„uni? T\^,thU°J^TJl '^u-^- ^°'"*^" «'«"y believe Uas Thus this wicked teaching tempts all houses, by deceivina women These wicked Christians are silent ^hen tf^H 5 another. They teach masters to become misers. All these are the strange teachings of Christians, who are uncivilized!^ Ur. inouye says that monogamy is not taught in Con- fucianism, except that the common people oSt to h^ve but one wife. Christianity in this ^^Ject compements S, teach" nT' ^" '"*^' * '"'"^'^ '^"°* assSung uniXt c^J?^'"* these foreign religions. Razan isinclined to iTnTlf Shintoism. He said : "Japanese Shintuism is the way of kings, and the way of kings is Confucianism. There- fore there 18 no real diflference between Shintoism and Con- fucianism." Once when asked how they differed he saW: Reason is one. but it diflfers in its use. The way of kines once changed to Shintoism. which became the way! Tnd thU way IS Confucianism." Again he says: "\Vhen one gl to Ifn Jr. .""P^"^' Shmto shrine, to worship, both the outside no? Zt' """"' ^ r"- "" '""^^ "°' ^' >"««» or onions ™^f,t „ h t "°'' ""^.P ."""Pany with women. His body must not touch any evil thing. This is being clean outside It IS religious abstinence. The heart must be benevolent 3. T •''t ^""''^ ^°'' '^P"t-ti°"- This is making clean m^e Hpln" ^,f '^.P^?P*f^ti<'n- . The people of to-day do not make clean, either mside or outside, therefore they cannot yet ! »■ ;' Armstrong : Light from the East I unite with God . The heart is the house. God is the master. Reverence is also the master of the heart. If, therefore, there is reverence, God comes into the heart. If there is none he is destroyed, and the real nature becomes empty, and God does not come and dwell there. The great essential is rever- ence. It unites men with God." Hayashi's ethical teaching centres around filial piety and loyalty. On one occasion he gave two quotations from the " Chinese Classic on Filial Piety". "The care of the body is the beginning of filial piety." "If a man in battle has not courage, he has not filial piety." He attempts to show how these harmonize. He says filial piety requires a man not to wound his spirit. He does so if he is not courageous. Again — "A filial son plays near the house where his mother is." "Whenever a filial son goes away or returns, he greets his parents." He discusses the relation of these two quota- tions. "Wheu a filial son is near his parents he must make their hearts rejoice, and if he goes two hundred and forty miles away he must make their hearts rejoice. That is filial piety. It is his duty not to go far away, but if his master or teacher is far away, it becomes necessary. To do so is just. If parents are poor and old, and a boy is working to supj :( them, in so doing he is serving his master, and under su^L circumstances his service becomes filial piety." In the Chinese record of twenty-four instances of filial piety, one tells how Hakuga was whipped by his mother. Usually he did not cry, but on one occasion he did, and on being questioned as to the reason, said he cried because his mother was no longer able to hurt him, as her health was failing. Another story tells how Kakuyo, who was unable to support his aged parents, had one child whom he loved. He decided to take his child's life, because he could not support both the child and his parents. He dug a hole intending to bury the child alive, but as he dug he found a kettle of gold, on which was the inscription — "Heaven gives this to his filial sen." Razan opposed this teaching as not being true filial piety. " If one kills his child to support his mother, she be- comes in reality the murderess of her cjandchild. Filial piety does not merely give ease to the body, but to the mind, and to the spirit of our parents." Chapter IV Amenomori Hoshu Am> Ando Seun he refused to do 2 b^u^ he h^'T™? ^P'^y^'"^"' but physician of his time haTsl^ ''H ^"u *''** * '*'"°"'' in writing, he muTt u?™!^i " °"e wishes to be skilful skilful ph^siciaThernSt^H FT'' '^ °"^ ^'^^es to be a When Si was le^eSii^^^^^^^^^ °^ ««^«'--« "ves". Kyotoand enteS?h?Ste chSri^r^hV 'r'^ "^"^ *° soon recognized him as his bSt dSS '* ^""^"' ^'^^ to the Lord of Tsushima ^a gSfi,^J^T«=°S'"^"ded him charge of the educational svlt^^(% u- "^ ^'^^ K'^^" famous m all that Srt of r»n!.n u ^T'"'"*' ^^ became Chinese, and S^n ^S^l^o Su ^^^^ "^* ^°'"'*"' *"^ preter; and aThougH^ was lot ° hi "^ ^'*'^°"'. "" ^*«'-- PoetjjhehadwideLotjed'g^o^Jo^et^^ their -ess"o?4'oX ^an^trtJufe "d^'^^H'.^ "-•» one time he sent his Tn to h?, '• ? "^J^'^'ed virtue. At JapagSsSl^Sn^^ThTo^St^^^^^^^ o? Press^t-ti^LrKe^- t r^^t^ -■ precept and example. He w^La?tn .h ""P'''' '~*'' ''^ not fear to reprove Hakuiki^or T • ^ 5'"Pe^o'-, and did the Korean ambas^S" ^Jlt^^^^J"* '" th^presence of King of Japan. H^S ar th. ° J"^^** ^''^K"" ^^8 fifth yea'r If Hoe"' i''^a"ua^' ?f^1 e.ghty-eight. in the ardent advomfp nf ct,. v.- 7-. ^^70H). He was a verv the b^t t^r^ o' oS^r'^^ He claimed that I? in that of Shushi He wa, ^'""^\«^holars was included iiil \i i k.*m - ..'"i_ jf Armstrong: Light from the East call it ' Ri' (Reason). These three are essentially the same, although their teaching and their self-culture differ." He also said : " Laou-tsze is the s^e of emptiness, Buddha is the sage of mercy, Confucius is the sage of sages." He spoke of these three sages as being the " Fathers of fathers, whom we cannot oppose, but whom we must revere and obey". All three speak of the supernatural, and independently reach the same conclusions. He said he had discovered that "Heaven is only one way, that reason is not two, and that only teactiing and oilture differed. The law of Buddha is gloomy (pessi- misdc); the teaching of Confucius cheerful (optimistic). Some prefer the cheerful; others prefer the gloomy". The priest Kukai was the first man in Japan to claim that these three teachings were essentially the same. Hoshu was the first Confucian scholar to hold this view. Shushi scholars, as a rule, would not admit that they had received anything from Buddhism ; but Hoshu was liberal enough to distinguish between essential Buddhism and the sins of the priesthood. He wrote : " I saw a certain man's letter, in which he spoke ill of Buddhism. He pointed out many bad qualities in the priests, but did not speak ill of the way of Buddhism. We might say the same of some Confucian teachers whose conduct is not exemplary, and in this way speak ill of the way of the sages. Seeing the shadow, we mistake it for the sub- Aance. It is well to follow the stream and find the source, but it is a mistake to criticize the source without having first investigated it." "We cannot speak ill of the teaching of either Laou-tsze or Buddha, for what seem to be objectionable points to us arise from the difference in each man's mission to humanity." His ability to see the fundamental unity in these three teachings raised him above most scholars of his day. Scmetimes he appeared to make Buddhism superior to Confucianism. He said: "The supernatural (above shape) is the way, and was the teaching of Buddha and Laou-tsze. That is the first doctrine. Confucius teaches that the natural is the Ixniy of the supernatural. That is the second doctrine, called the law of kings." "Some one said to me, 'You speak kindly of Buddhism; do you think you will become a Buddhist?' I laughed and said, ' No, not at all'." "Shushi speaks ill of students of Buddhism. But it is because he judges their conduct rather than their doctrine." swmmsmjg^aM.*^ti :i i" Armstrong: Light prom the East 59 "Yamazaki Ansai was a Buddhist from boyhood At twenty years of age he wrote an essay and put iSSftemple gate became a layman, and let his hair grow long He was a great man. but it was a pity he did not understand^kuddhSm " gooa thoughts, but they are not essential to moral teachine The super.or man regrets the methods of heterodoxy.'' "Si (Chuang-Tzu) says: 'The morality of Laou-tsze has somevSl supenor points, but when he throws away juSe and destroys al? ..nTr V. u *^^<^*»"K of the sages is intended to rule ^B^ heaven but does not refer to that above heaved" earnestly all his life, but he did not excel the teaching of the Chinese sages who have included all his teaching in thdrs " Th. J u- ^"^t^tions reveal his libral attitude to Buddhism Jf BiddhiLm'^H^V^'""^ '"' the supermundane ck^-^tTr ot Buddhism and T*,,8m seem to him in perfect l«rmonv E-nep But Dr. Inouye thmks he exi^gerates when he savs SuS d'TT '"' "^'"'If'*^' ^"^'^^-- I^ has notin! cuded the four commandments, thr^ worfcte. tho twelve stages of transmigration, retribution, cause a»d effect and Nirvana, nor many odier thing., Hoshu proTably S that i^rn.Tr"t-"^^"^.^'''^'" ''''' •" CoLcianism Any earnest Confucianist might take such an attitude. ^ He had an exalted idea of the eastern sages. He said thev were "the heroes of heroes". "Men of thought arTa step higher than other people. But they again are separated from the sages by many degrees. We cannot estimate the d iS ence between them. Therefore the teaching of the sages [s passed down through several generations. The sages fre as anxious about a hundred ages as common people f re aS,ut one day, because wise men think far into the future Smal people are not so. If wise men have riches and honour itt unsought. Superior men delight in poverty, but at Ln honour and splendour. Sages are indifferVnt to^uch things^ "N^t"\r'T'' '^'' '"' ^°"^'^"* ^™P'>' ^" d« thU duty " Naturally there is advantage in righteousness 7nH benevolence. Righteousness and'advantaTetnnot L ^p arated. If you tell people that a certain course of action^ 111 ^ i :->-x>^^ mm <0 AunTBOMc ; Legst prom IBB East advantageous to ail. every one will listen- If you tell them it is right, they are not so anxious to hear. Superior men teach righteousness whether people like it or not. And even though people like gain, superior men do not take advantage of that in teaching them." "Offer men merit or gain and they all rejoice. Exhort them to morality and they are indifferent. The superior man does not cease to teach righteousness because people dislike it. Offer men gain, and human passion wiU grow daily, and calamity will surely follow. Exhort them to molality, and they will daily develop a good heart, and calamity will be averted. This is natural." Hoshu thinks that "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it". "When we make gain our object, we defeat our purpose ; when we make righteousness our object, gain naturally follows." "Holiness is the city of happiness. All must rejoice in the teachings of the sages; if a man desires mere pleasure he cannot get it. He must be faithful to duty and pleasure will naturally follow." Dr. Inouye here points out that Hoshu resembles T. H. Green, in that the object of moral conduct is not pleasure but self-realization. Not individual pleasure but general happiness, or public advan- tage, is the aim. The question as to the end of moral conduct is old. It is not necessary to discuss it here. Suffice it to say that if pleasure is made the sole object of moral conduct, we run the risk of losing that high moral standard of right that is above and beyond the individual. Some one who heard Hoshu say , ' ' Learning is the process of becoming a man", said : " Your words are not deep, every one knows your meani^." He replied : "Yes, that is it. That is it. People Imow it, and yet they do not know it." He said on one occa^n to bis disciples: " Becau.se people respect me, your teacher, you are very much exalted. When I teach you I may appear to belit^ you and exalt myself. Mv ambition is far from that. Tte difference between us is simply that I have read more boats, hence my position is greater than yours. Among wise nM:n, Chinese scholars like Ch'eng, Chu, Han-Yu, Sbushi of the Sung dynasty, have reached the highest attainments, but even they are not pertcct. Men wish to become wise. Wise men wish to become holy (sages), and sages' wish to become heaven. This is because righteous- ness and reason are unlimited." Dr. Inouye say<^ that in the Armstrong. Light from the East 6i men d..i„ ^o.^'Z'.'XJlLZL'Zl^rX'^. one fli V I • . "TP"*^ ■ " ^ "^e one day, I w read books yet with our minds. We must hear wUh ^r spirits^ ■Thl act .s the outward manifestation of the inner rea^n F r'aleTin 'detr «t^^^"^^^-- the'^cTnS oTfencin ^ of TaSn .'f it nIt''ir,e^^Tri^fur^"f ^^^"^^ ^^leam'in;^^" °^ ^'^ ^^^ '^ ^'-'- ^° ^^^^ s^lZtl mterpretat^on of the three treasures of Shintoism ° „ th mSor Th. T^u""^ '''' '^^ ^^'^' ^^e swore!, and the rnirror. 1 he jewel .s benevolence, the sword is couraee and w^ ' ; ■ ■• ft in 6a Auistkong: Light peom the East a mistake to try to interpret the meaning." Hoshu is probably referring to the ancient literature of Shintoism. He thinks if people reverence the book they will reverence the institutions. Here we have a mistake which is common to the whole race. Men are apt to base their reverence for religious institutions too largely on sentiment. The ancient records will not always stand the test uf rational criticism, and many men mistakenly fear the results of such investigation. Hoshu said: "Among the peoples of the world Japanese are the most simple-minded. They resemble the ancients." "At the present time Chinese and Koreans are not to be compared with the Japanese. This is truly due to the grace of the gods." Some of the Chinese scholars of Japan took a different attitude toward Shinto. They became so in- fatuated with things Chinese that they were scarcely loyal to Japan. Among Hoshu's rules lor governing conduct he has: " If the heart is right it will gov ;m the body. The man who does not forget this is a superior man." "When the speech is loyal and true and the conduct benevolent, my friends say it is a cure for all diseases. I consider it a very fine medicine." "We must read books, and thus by making the sages our teachers and wise men our companions, we will receive learn- ing. How can we give up the reading of books?" "Those who constantly associate with the vulgar become like them." " If we receive even r* itttle learning in life, a hundred years will pass quickly. 1: voi'v do not know the reason of things, even great men w'H hef ...le as dogs or insects. Oyoko' says: 'Man should reverence virtue, merit and words: if he fails in this, he becomes like grass or trees, animals or birds.' Is this not shameful?" " If we read books and understand the sages and rejoice, or if we fear, or if we are led to think about our conduct, we are near the way of the sages." " If we read carelessly, or sit and read as if we were listening to the gossip of country people, or sit with the book open before us, we may read all day without receiving any benefit. Much more, if we do not sit with the book before us at all, we will cer- tainly understand nothing." "Among good things there are surely evil things. Among evil things there are surely good things. If there is absolutely no good, there is rbsolutely no ' Ou-yang-kunf . im Armstrong: Light from the East 63 be foolish. ,„/£ «J^^l^^,:^^'^'#. far- *»,• .,, """^e^- , rrom ence between'Tsuf^rrrnTnd'-^e^tS''* T?^''''"- Autumn comi*^ This Ts whrT '"""''u ^T"'^'' ^'^^' Ando Seian Ando Seian was born in the province of Chitimr, u/u a young man he went to Yedo and stnH Wi T ,, ^^^^^ of age. A great Chmese scholar came vo NagaLki in the fim if'; I I :] I* *<-j«r-j^<^s t| AufSTxoKG: Light fsoii the East year of Meireki era (1655), and Seian became his disdple. He divided his income with this Chinese in order to help him. After a time, Shushunsui, as he was called, was invited to Mito, where he took a Japanese wife. He remained in Japan till he died. Ito Jinsai, writing to Ando, says: " I hear that a great scholar of the Min dynasty, being dissatisfied with the change in the government of China, came to Nagasaki, and that you, beii^ without wi" or family, divided your salary with him. That was a very good thing for you to do." Seian received much help from him, and by his aid became a great scholar of western Japan After Shushunsui went to Tokyo they still kept up a correspondence. Seian died October 20 of the 14th year of Genroku (1701) at the age of eighty. He had two sons, but the elder son died early, so the younger one succeeded his father. When dying, Seian said to his son: " I have no virtue or merit, do not write an account of my life nor an epitaph for me after my death. A truly superior man does not desire eulogy, which is mere flattery; I have tried to be a true man without deceiving myself. Therefore after death I do not wish to deceive others." Seian had three great principles on which he endeavoured to act, namely: "Strive after benevolence"; "Be careful of your speech"; "Be poor in spirit." Ml R<) Km so Chapihb V Mmo Kyuso Muro Kyuso's' father was a man of BIchiu province, but moved to Sctsu and later to Musaahi province and became a doctor. Here in the first year of Manji era (1658) ^lA'°t'l^i°'\ ^^ ^ '^y ^^ *" ''^ precocious; he wa. 5 i 1^""/ J"^ '^^*!^" y'^*'* °^ »«« ^^ *«<^ame a retainer of the lord of Kaga. One day he lectured on "The Great Leammg , explammg it so clearly that his lord, who was present, said: 'Truly he is an extraordinary boy; if he con- tmues to develop he will become world-famous." He there- fore sent him to Kinoshita Junan to study. If i.^ll^tf° '"**'®. ^^^ '^P**^ progress, and was respected by all his fellow-students as one of the most clever. He became well versed in Chinese literature. It U not known how long he remains with Junan. but before he was twenty-four yeanl old he made frequent trips from Kyoto to Yedo and back to naga. m Kyoto he worshipped at the shrine of Michizane. a famous Confuaan scholar who is regarded as the patron saint of leammg. On one occasion he spent a whole night in this shnne praying for success, and before leaving he made a soleinn vow in the following series of resolutions: '' I will arise every morning at six o'clock and retire each evening at twelve o'clock. "Except when prevented by guests, sickness or other unavoidable circumstances I will not be idle. " Every morning dressed in ceremonial robes, after bow- ing before my desk I will spend the day in study unless prevented by some other duty. "If tempted to be indolent, I will call forth my rieht spint to dnve away the lazy spirit. *' I will not speak falsehoods. "I will avoid useless words, even with inferiors. I will be temperate in eating and drinking, merely satisfying my hunger and thirst. I will eat at regular times If lustful desires arise, I will destroy them at once. withou t nounshbg them at all. »KyuioUhi»Uter«ryMme. HiipopuhriuuMVMNaekiyo. |m|' i i 66 Armstrong: Light from the East "Wanderii^ thought destroys the value of reading. I will be careful to guard against lack of concentration and over-haste. . • . u " I will seek self-culture, not allowing my mmd to be disturbed by the desire for fame or gain. "Engraving these rules on my heart I will attempt to follow them. The gods be my witness." In the first year of Shotoku (17") be became a teacher of Confucianism in the employ of the military ruler of Japan, and by command of the government wrote many boolra. He was recommended to this position by Aral Hakuseki. In the twelfth year of Kyoho (1727) he became ill and never fully recovered. He tendered his resignation to the govern- ment but it was not accepted. As he was unable to work, he retired to Suruga-Dai in Tokyo and lived quietly, receiving his salary as formerly from the government. Even his house was a gift from the government. He spoke to his many disciples from his sick-bed and they published his daily talks under the title "Suruga-Dai Conversations". The preface to this work is dated the seventeenth year of Kyoho (1732)- Kyuso was so modest that he tried to avoid taking pupils, but he was unable to refuse earnest souls who sought in- struction. He died in the nineteenth year of Kyoho (i734)- Muro Kyuso was a pure Shushi scholar. He worshipped Shushi only. He lived when Ito Togai and Ogiu Sorai were at the height of their fame. He was like an immovable rock in the waves of their success. His standpoint is clearly set forth in his books. He said: " In my youth I learned from a common Confucian scholar to recite words and sentences. I spent many years in this way. One day I suddenly per- ceived my mistake. I had earnestly studied the learning of the ancients, but unfortunately I had no good teacher or friend. I was tempted by the various opinions of many scholars, and half believed and half doubted Shushi. For many years I had no fixed opinion. But at forty years of age I came to a deep understanding of the learning of Teishi, and became immovable. Day and night I have read the books of Teishi, and for thirty years I have thought deeply and earnestly. In proportion as a man looks upward, he will gradually come to understand Shushi's highest thought. A true s^e will without doubt obey the words of Shushi. I i( Armstrong: Light from the East 67 In^lr '•'S'^^.y of heaven and earth is the way of Yaou letshi If we reject any of these great teachers we can3 reach the way of heaven and earth. ^ I am an dTtercher and Sence"''lf"?d""" believe my ^okIs. but I iJeStlTx' Sli • ^Z "°* ^P^^'' f™™ experience, let my hodv suddenly receive the punishment of heaVen and earthT ^ all Jj^ ^* "P *° ^^"^ '"'^dl« °f the Min dynasty almost wL nT7^' P"";"- "Leading and ConfucianTeachrne were not destroyed, but Yomei arose and exMundS wf hlTntaSn'JT "^T"^ '^"^•>'' thenlhtr^dSns'o worl2?i « ^T ^ u^^^^'^ «^''^^*'y- After Vomei's death the worlds scholars became infatuated with ' intuition' inv^ ^SevV .ffe?rf 1^" '''"?\^"^ ^^^^'^'^^ bj;ar,;opurr 1 he ev I effect of this was felt until the eras of Kasei and Banrek,;thescholarsof China became, positively dSksof Confucjamsm, and. negatively, discipi;s of Buddhism?' T«=t,:' ? ° ^^""^ °"'y °"e one-thousandth part of wu De a case of little birds laughing at bie birds or of m«. SX' Jw S."'T ""'^ ^•'^•"'= .° '•* wilf l^tiLlrn look small^Tr^'i °j?"^. ','"*"« •" * *^^"' «^«" the heavens look small . Useless disciples like to hear new teachine and to follow new Ideas. Many do this." leacning and "0"e hundred years later there came a long period of peace m Japan, and civilization advanced. ConfJSTteaSS^ ^ or bad"' w" "°' '"^^y "''^*'^- *»»«- STch inf;:^ good or bad. We commend them for one thine- thev wnr Jo^n^" ^r"''' \"^ ^? "°* '°^ *»^« °W pattern^StTra rfathirin" ^te"?*!.- "'°^ ^'^^ Propiated his o^tead; ing, gathering about him many useless discipler- and boldly carrying on many valueless discussions. It reminds o^e S dogs; when one howls he is answered by many ho^Sng Zs " That he opposed the school of Ito Jinsai and Ogiu SorS is clear from the following: "From ancient tim^ miSSen views which obscured the way have bee7 ma^"*t^5 th s ,s especially true at the present time. One calls h s St Old Learning'. He claims that 'The Great Ll.am.W does not belong to Confucius, and that Famr^urreX the on his literature. He says the way does not come from « '"oo"- compared with Shushi " *°"***y' ^''^y <»nnot be Ansai: " Yamazddf^k S^^V "^ ^^' °^ Yamazaki fucianist. HTrevered^uthi ^'''™ *^^ ^'^'^^ a Con- was a typicStSh? Id |i\°PP^!?« "^^^-^holars. He ^^dinrofS^^Zt^^^^^^T"^^'' *° * «^'«ar under! an excellent samuS^SJrii^rh-^^' ^«*°tly he became and treats othe^^'iAtLZthAiZ"'^ ^^ °^ ^^««'f' minded and does not overibottK- f ^f"" , "^^ ^ "*^«'- intercourse with otS™ £^ „„. i,"'** °^°*^«"- ^n his never forgets hims^he is Z^ol ^^^ ?^*^'"'- «« opening Us heart to othera '^°^-?»»?<^'^ >n his views, not paring Yamazaki ^th ShShi L «-^ J •'"«" ^^ ^^• the sun. or aa the SS^'tothet^ Hver*^" *" ^'^^ ^-^^ *» taugh^nX'^rgSl' t '^ "^'^'^ ^-™ S'^-'^' and culture a« vi°?^; wori,^ :^^"' °" r^^^^^ ^^ ^Ijcholar.. Like tc^^aif o^er^^^l "hilTaJ; I I, » H I i! Abmstrong: Light moM the .iSt III I ^ 1 whether in Japan or Europe, Muro waa altogether too intol- erant in his attitude to other teachers. He did not recognize the important contribution they were making to Japanese civilization. Speaking of men as being careful in private, Kyuso quotes Confucius: "'If the superior man speaks about goodness in his own room, the echo will be heard two thousand miles away. Much more will it be felt by those near him.' Con- iudus does not mean that the echo will be heard instantly. It wr'll not be as the wind blowing through the grass and trees, but will gradually become great, spreading from the house to the country and on to all under heaven. This is natural. It is the tnie, clear way. Therefore the superior man must always be watchful of his own heart, and not merely of out- ward appearances. As a man with an undergarment of bnxade cannot hide it, so the superior man reveals his r^oirit in his conduct. The beauty of the heart cannot be covered. He is not as the common man, who covers his ordinary clothes with brocade. The vulgar man's heart and conduct is not under control. Even if he makes a good outward appearance, he only hopes to cover up corruption. But he cannot, for corruption is bound to reveal itself. Maijo in his advice to the King of Go said: 'What wc io not wish people to hear, we must not put in words; what we do not wish people to know, we must not do.' These words are simple but their meaning is deep. They are very excellent words. To speak what people should not hear, to do what people should not know, is like taking interest from evil and adding it to one's body. Added daily or added monthly, it gradually becomes large and cannot be concealed. The superior man has faults, but he does not dry to hide them. He repents of them before men. He sees a mistake as it is, and repentance as it is. If the people know thia they have faith in his sincerity, and the light of his virtue will be revealed." Muro here is warning against hypocrisy. He shows the real meaning of truth. In these teachings East and West unite. Kyuso said of self -culture : " Ii we ask where the self exists, it eadsts before there is thought or body. If the superior man receivM his self without violation, just as it was from the beginning, his self is above heaven and earth. It nourishes all things and inspires the gods. Ali depend on th v self. If AmsTROKO; Uobt FU»f ISE EasT His mind will be ri^hV LT- -^ self-interest and lust the gods. HiXTnSS^'i'Sj'l,*" Phenomena aTd them. HismindiswithoTvoia IfiiTw these, controls vigUance. The root ofCr^J- ^^^* *'th unceasine Jhe good, by g^I^ing ^'^^'f^'' « to nourij? When one is alone, or inTdark^ j!. * ?•'" '^- heart, up within his heaA; it is eit^Jr ^ * '"°* '^^^ 'Prings which may be felt for Siou^^s^^ln' '^''•. ^" ^"^^ pouit not greater than anSlJl!! "I't! 'P""«« ^om a "If a man is off his S^^ nn^;, ^™'?'l^^^'■«^atchf^l.•• othe« in speech and coSt StJ" f ^T~ ''^ '•«*art, have each their distinct form, but the root of them all is bene- volence. Though men have the form of righteousness, propriety and wisdom, if benevolence is not the motive power, they are not true virtues. There are other great truths of Armstrong: Light from the East 73 ■;„~. °*'™."f?»""'l^ great men small." had izz' X rr V/n r7r\^^ ^"^^ -»>o samurai custom ?npbcirnnH.."t' '°"^' *''"« ^'"'^ting said- "PnrtK«=! placing undue value on money. Kvuso «.ul of all creafure, and'^rhllraSeaS ^>^' *' form or voice men rann,,* =^ 1! . "*""• As he has no are tn.e we'ckn KrsSX^J^^^^^ sincere he cannot know G^. if one c^ Sci!' "°' he can perceive him, otherwise he cann^ T.,- J'T"^""^ plete as the azure sfcrrcflecti J„ 1 "™°" '" ^^ ~'"- distinguish whichlsXh rt "mir^^^^^^^ S -'"""^ near him, round and about him. We sho^d not t^t'AL"?' far removed from us. We should seek S ;„ ^'^'"'^ ^od is becau^ the heart is the hous^le^'c^S^dwer Tthtrr?' no selfishness or dust of selfish desirTtr^'beJlme ^n^ M 1 . iV ill I'. 74 Abmstiono: Light rioii thb East with the God of heaven and earth." Muro Kyuw seems to have had in his mind a conception of the Supreme Being to whom man can hearken and with whom he can unite. The following are some of Kyuso's choice sayings: "The I iw of the nation must be lilce a great ri^-er, indul- gent and generous; it must not be like a narrow little ditch. A great river is so conspicuous we can avoid falling into it; it is so deep and broafi we cannot ignore it. It is impossible to avoid it. A ditch i .nail and irregular, one is H '^'e tc fall into it ; but lieing shallow and narrow is easily avr ." " If one lives a day, let him perform a di>y's duty and die. If he lives a month, let him perform a month's duty and die; or if he lives a year, let him perform a year's duty and die. It one performs his duty in this way, and if in the ..loming he heaii a great truth, in the evening he can die without regret." "There are two things that are inexcusable for a samurai, to run away from death, or to steal. No matter how correct his conduct may otherwise be, he can never escape the blemish of these twr acts. Therefore, those bom in samurai aomes, whether boys or girls, must learn from their youth up that justice is not to be forgotten." "The conduct of superior men begins with the righteous man and ends with the sage." "A superior man's calling is righteousness; that of a merchant is to get gain. The distinction between superior men and merchants lies m the distinction between righteous- ness and gain." "A superior man values righteousness. A merchant values gain. A samurai lays stress on righteousness and makes gain secondary. The merchant lays stress on gain, and considers righteousness 8econd.iry." "The goal of the superior man is the way. He follows righteousness. Though he esteems wealth, if wealth is un- justly won to-day, he will cast it awa> to-morrow. Though he values long life, yet if it is contrary to nghteousness to live, he will die to-morrow. The greatest things in the world are truth and righteousness. The superior ma i cares not for living or dying, disaster or happiness. Much less does he care about his livelihood." " If noblemen possess ancient pictures and furniture they prize only genuine ones. If they find they have counterfeit I ■»:t MI8T10H0. Light ntoM trb East 75 •rticlet they throw them awav R..» •- •peech. there are iJmtXL'J^Vj' "*?? *° ^«"d« ^ evil Leait.. This irnoThbrii!. !k °"'^j'r *"^ y«* «**»" counterfeit. Whfci tSe^'u 'o/:rorl\" u"l?H^^^^^ ^''^' pcMession.? They who mX n»,oK / ' ^""^ *^»*" °' O""" their own bodi«. do' notrotth" waV''""" *"" ^^^ '*«"'« believe in IL'^iy'^inhevh ^""'rat men they mu.t ..tr^fc^ntl^^^^^^^ buiit^on ^^jj,. There are many who read book., but f,STho :an re«i important whetherteS^j'^^^^^^^^^ to follow; but it i. tain in the clouds, but if you ^hhT^" X°" *** **•= '"''"°- the mountain througt S "S "• ^' '^'^' ^°" ~" »»« »P We cannot b^rrdS Mu^'^n;"^ •r","^ «''"»-" expression t. some ve ^^^1, th„S "'"f ' ^' «^^«' piety and rig., .usness thoughts on loyalty, filial e.p«5dir hr'fouX thf tr^-f ^°>?- -''°«"-te, had not i, much aLir'ti^ni most ITT ^'^^Vo^^ he have. He said • ''TheclTr.^, most mcHem Japanese seem to able. The oi^t If his Sre wi^'^^T^^^ "'"»'- from theempre. ll^^Z7Sl^n ' '"^ ^'^ '°''^'''^''» defeat his encimies; in thr.Lt^tIv" Such feats a^t4?sh fojA. ^^«^^ ""^ ^°"°"' *° J^P^' yoshiwUIbenotSf^L^'fSlVTrroS^'aT^:"^^"- "^'^ ft Akmstiono: Licbt rtoM tbb East Moat Japanese apparently admire Hideyoshi even more than Tokugawa lyeyasu, but not to Muro Kyuao. He tpoke of lyeyasu in glowing terms. " Do you know Nikko shrine, which is as firm as a Nikko mountain and respected by every- body? There is an example of eternal honour. But one especially admirable fact is that he was not proud of his great wisdom, although it is difficult to find his equal in history." In speaking of lyeyasu, Kyuso used language that is only employed when speaking of royalty. For such staunch fidelity to the shogun he has been criticized very severely. He went so far as to criticize the great royalist Masashige KuBunoki, one of the greatest heroes of Japan. " It is to be regretted that Masashige only learned Sonshi's military tactic* for he had intellect enough to make him a wise man. Espe- cially was he open to criticism for talking with his brother, on his deathbed, as if he had lost hope of success." He expressed the wish that he might be bom seven times, in order that he might destroy the emperor's enemy. Kyuso did not admire Buddhism as a moral force. "Though the Buddhists withdraw themselves from hunum relations, cutting out the relation of master and subject, parent and child, they are not able to cut out love for them- selves. Since they cannot forget themselves, they cannot claim to have given up human relations. The form is different, but it is really the same thing for one man to seek worldly honour and interests and for another to seek happiness in the future world. It is selfishness to seek happiness in the future world. Seek to give up your own honour and interest, and you will not need to forsake your own relationb; you will find every happiness in this worldly relation. BuddlUats from ancient times have sought their own happiness." Speaking of Shintoism he said: "What is the way of Shinto? If it does not agree with that of the sages, it is nothing but heresy. We Confucianists should emphasize this lest the people be led astray. We must avoid eulogizing it as the way of our nation. If we harmonize it with the way of the sages, then Shintoism is essentially the same as Con- fucianism. I am foolish enough to believe that the teaching of the sages is the way, and the study of Tei and Shu is the only study. I will regulatn my Ufe by theae. There is no greater way." - MP ^Mi«T«OKG: Light r«oM the East ^^ '^^^'^'{^n^lip^^^^^^ in -in. .eraln: dom make, no man'. It Sd,t^ T *'"'*='' •*>"• '^'^^ POMibIc to tell what a m-?*^^^ * ?**** ^^th. It {. whether he i. fJ^n hi cS'ct^^t *"n ** ''^ «^"""'"« beiHR abiolutely free and rn^{^l I? . ^"^ ""'^ succeeds by good a. it is toL^d a nS:n«d^"'^L i '' ' "" '"«^"'^ *° ^ evil a. to de«:end from a moS' U " "' T^ '° '°"°* we avoid evil ? If one wi.h« t„ H ~!f T *'■*' ^'**' ^ow can Interest In life, and .taTp ou °HfifSSl''' "J!?"' ''"^'^ « ^'*»: de.ire«. desire, of the eyw "IrT hlin i ^*" *"> '"" «' dewre.arenotrepre.aed.SyfmailvSS'; '"'*.' *^^- " ^^eHs youth one mu.t form h;bKf .^'^J^ °^"°"» evil. om become accustomed to hard«l,Jo r^ "* ^**"*' *"«> r»u.t but hardship and «r^Tetg:^g,^7^-. beget. «-« -'. I- ( 1' f ■! jCil Chapter VI Nakamura Tekisai Nakamura Tekisai was more familiarly known as Naka- jiro. From his boyhood he was unusually serious, not caring for play. He was always well-behaved and gentle. His own home, which was that of a draper in Kyoto, was too noisy to suit him, so he used to seek out quiet, secluded places, where he could study undisturbed. He had no companions. Some say he was a teacher of Lord Awa, but little is actually known of him apart from his many books. He died in the fifteenth year of Genroku (1702) at the age of seventy-three. Nakamura was probably a self-taught man. He was well read on all subjects, and his great ideal was to be perfectly moral and to put into practice what he knew. Muro Kyuso's words of admiration probably reflect the popular feeling of respect for Nakamura. "I have heard of a scholar called Tekisai, who retired to his own house emd lectured on the classics. He admired Shushi's teaching, and was a very earnest scholar. After his death learning in Kyoto under- went a great change. It is now thirty years since his death, but every one remembers Nakamura Tekisai. His learning and conduct were greatly respected by the people. Tekisai was a constant admirer of both Tei and Shushi, and he may justly be called a modem scholar." Tekisai did not enjoy teaching. He studied in seclusion and sought to develop virtue in his life. Kyuso blamed him for this, saying: "Tekisai lived in retirement and avoided associating with his fellows. He disliked meeting men so much, that even when they came seeking instruction he refused them admittance. His ideal was to keep himself pure. Seclusion is one method, and is good, but a superior man rejoices when his friends come. A man polishes himself by association with others. Every man who desires learning should seek to be polished in this way. But if he shuts him- self away from everything and everybody, he is guilty of violating the great way, although he may not be conscious of it." Tekisai has been called a city hermit. He had one disciple, Masuda Rissai, who wrote his biography. Armstrong: Light from the East 79 study of the classics hHove?rra„T- ,i!? ^^'^'t'"" ^ ^^ was the son of a merchant ;.^wk ? u'' "^'°^y- Although he became a merchant himSf'J^ by.nhentance from his ffther Once a clerk stole moS from M "^ o-'"'^ °^ """"^V- incensed at the thief "^3 wish^,!""- "/! ^Jatives were used to sanction any such action "^^ ^Z^" "r^I^^i «- mtomiseryforthesak^ormoney w^ulTi;^" ^° "!!* ""^ °"« To have arrested the clerk wouM h, • ^^ uncharitable." placed him beyond any ho J of rl ?'""^ ^'"'' «"d have attitude toward money matSrs he li^*'°"- ^'^"^ ^"'^h an trpublehim. AfireonSkeoitfe^,^''"' '^^'^ "«* wmd was blowing in theTr^^ '"«« neighbourhood. The a^idi^lativeswerf mu halaS°U^^^ ''^r" • "'« ^"-"^s changed and his house w^^^ek'l '^^ ^•?^ ^"''^^"'y selves on thei, good fortSe T^k; ?^ congratulated them- elated. They asked h°m why le wT ^'°"" 7^' "°t ^' ^U replied :" I am sad bera ,«. 7u \^^^ ^ melancholy. He when the wi^ ^as^'Sw^TtlT •" ''^'°'^ ^ ""'"^n* ^o joy suddenly chang^^o J'^'Sd":!;! ^i" "°^ '^"^ '^'^ This IS why I am sad. Weshoulrf^l r ^ Panic-stricken. for ourselves." This rall«f I • ^"^"^ ^°'' t^^em, as we did and they all hasTe^^J^^ jrh^ EL"" *^*''^''• ""^'^b^"" who were in danger. ^ ^''^ unfortunate people exceS^oSiSi^;^^^-^^^^^ maintained an ^th men. although hfhdd h'S aW fr'^^lT^ ^^'"P^^^'y nicknamed "Tokko Sensei " fELi^^^""'" *j»^'"- "^was He was known as an Vr^TJ^ S .*^^"ent-Conduct-Teacher) HeoncesaidhLlwfo'fowShusr" °^.?"«*'''^ ^^^S from Confucius. In th s a^!?}"'?/ ' T" I''" '^"^'^ '* differ^ two ye^ younger than Ito 7ZiTT- "' ^"^ ^'"^^ later^ People of his time remlS'thIt v^''™ J^t '*'^" '^^ar TeS" ^"'.f '^^ KreateTs^K"* '* ^^ ^'ffi^"'* to tell to cultUte 5;^JnS\''„7:iSrC^ vJ""'^'' ^^ P°^'ble results. The reason is that we SuW n^nf ""i'^*''^^*^^ ''^^ ">uld not understand the ' "'««"y' yo""**' or oWer brotW. s- ; ii 1 - »' i ■ 80 Armstrong: Light from the East great charity of benevolent men, nor g^asp the proper method or aim. Teishi said : 'Most people think from a selfish stand- point, and so, though they see the thoughts of others, they are apt to reject them.' We must give up selfish thought. Cho Shi (Chang-tzu) said : ' We must live for heaven and earth, not for ourselves.' Those who honestly seek for the way and for self-culture should bear those words in mind. If not, they are sure to err through selfishness. It is like a family struggling without a ruler. Even though we are sometimes able to re- press selfishness, it will again spring up. Most men are not naturally inclined to sacrifice their own interest and good for others. A man who has not a public heart, not only rests satisfied that his own way i" right, but will even appeal to law to win what he desires. Although he is sometimes moved by sympathy, being selfish he soon gives up his good spirit. If one entirely abandons his selfish mind and lives for heaven and earth, thinking of himself as but a part of the universe, and possessing love for all, then he will become as the creator, and all things will enjoy his benevolence and love. He who, prompted by a pure heart, has a desire to promote the public interest, rather than his own personal interest, cannot fail to deal justly and charitably. At first this may require effort, but gradually it will become his supreme joy to serve others. This is the highest perfection of our hearts. The basis of all study consists in having our hearts filled with good for others, and in rooting out evil thought." "The body is the accumulation of living energy, and the mind is the concentration of living reason. If one lives for all things in the universe, remembering his original virtue, he may rise completely above selfishness and may possess sym- pathy, impartiality and benevolence. The conduct of superior men creates opportunity, while the conduct of inferior men kills opportunity. Even though they happen to love, they are partial. They cannot truly delight any one; they hurt the feelings of others. Such love is harmful." Tekisai regarded the universe as a unity. It revealed one great active principle which in nature produces all things, and in man is benevolence or love for others. " Men are bom through the working of the principle of production in heaven and earth. When this energy is found in the human heart, it is benevo- lence which prompts us to be unselfishly kind to others." Armstrong: Light from iot East g, benevolence of he^AS, and e^rJh •^P**''^." ""'^^"^.' the study should extends 8ymoa?hv fL""T'?/' '^'>°«« ^h° cannot do this. We in ThU i Y ^'' ^ '"^*- The selfish earth, life; and the iSct vl4..! Tu"^*^"^ °^ ''^^en and Lifeand benevolence'Se^Ujfs «. ?h ''""^•*?'' '?«"«voIence. nile men in harmony wk^W^ ^^^7' P"rP'^- ^ages in harmony with righteousner fn S^°'*" n,le themselves 13 benevolence." '^""^"ess. In either case their method "To d^n;^';^^:^,;,^^^^-' this very well when he says- principle opeSg ttrou I tJ'.'^ '^^ ^^y *° fi°« end man has reached the staee of nili °**"'^ *^°^- When a place he is called a ^e ^^^'^P^ent at which this takes body'^tlt mtt7sy;X"" Th':^*'^ ^^- '^^«-'^<»e universe as his body aXvemh.W '^"^^o ft man sees the « the principle by which heS^^^aSs":^^ Benevolence by the operation of this living prindpie Trk. ° ">™ benevolence.' Shushi saiH • • rII i . human mind is mind, and there irineS,lenrf ^ °'*uJ* '' ^^^ ^^ue of the If one has such a mbd hi ^L^ L^'^ ^''^ ™"^ ^'^ts at all', full of peace, orjthich " moS^"' ^°^ "^^ Hv wUl be whole conduct will iloveiniThv ^^ "*? »P"°?. and his one attains such excdlenTS^l ^ sympathy for others. If and earth. Be mav rnfl ^' H '^ ^"^«'°P even heaven Then one may L3 o te'b^ J'^'"^ '^ benevolent but if there is still anythtj to^?rh T .T*^ f *''»"8»' sympathy do not reach hSmTnH^ "• ^"evolence and in this virtue, but is tem;,t^ u^ " certainly not perfected however, he ^Sl 5eny hTmsS ZT!^1^^^ *"* "'"■^^^t. U, may be perfected in this^lrfl \^'u^ r°"« '^^'^' he life operates, and thJoTg^ wh cL rmiL'''\*''' P"°"^^^^ manifested. This is wh^t xi; u- '"** ^^ sympathy are whole body is Zli;^VSZX''' 1^^^' ^'*^« !-£_energyofmanisthefi„t^sTea'U:cSrc^^ tt^ * TraiiitctioM of the Aiiatjc Sn..w„ _/ . AMte Sodety of J.PM. Vol XXXIV., put IV r— S3 Armstkong: Light fkom the East Ii< I' part of the human body there is a living energy, through which we feel pain. Generally men do not feel the pain of others, but they should feel as much sympathy for them as they do for themselves. When one cannot feel pain in his own body, it is because he is diseased. So if he is estranged from others, it is because he is cut off by selfish desires. It is to be r»;gretted that although men are careful of their diseased bodies, they are not concerned by their lack of benevolence." " It is difficult for a man to convince himself that it is his duty to die; to cast one a life away without feeling sure duty demands it, is cowardly. When a man takes time to reason about the right or wrong of laying down his life, he appears to hesitate. If a man dies after he has decided it is the right thing to do, then his death is glorious. The question of life and death is very important. It is unfiliai to neglect or abuse the bodies our parents have given us. But much more is it unfiliai to destroy the whole body. If the cause of death is just, then it is right and truly courage ».:s to die; there is no lack of filial piety in such a death. When there is not suffi- cient reason, death is unrighteous and cowardly. He who dies thus is careless of his body and lacks f?lial piety. It is not always easy to distinguish between the two. If a man once takes his own life he cannot get it back again. If we are pressed for time and must determine immediately whether to die or not, only very clever men will know what to do. But after careful consideration, if there is any doubt, then it is better to choose death. This is following the saying, ' If we think too much of the glory of dying, we may die an untimely death and be guilty of error'. Therefore, in determining the right course to pursue, we must keep our hearts cool and pure." " The God of heaven and earth is omnipresent. His eye penetrates into the most hidden comers. He is everywhere. Those who see Him can distinguish between God and them- selves. He impels us to attend His festivals arrayed in our finest clothes. Men think Him inferior if they cannot compare Him with the miraculous achievements of the human mind. We cannot deceive the deity enthroned in our minds. He is a terrible God and cannot be driven away. Our minds are most strict; they must be revered and not neglected. We cannot escape from them. How then dare we pollute our Armstrong: Light from the East «3 cS to":::a'rpSis:s te°"d ^^^.^ ^"^ ^°p« ^^^-e miiAt as well tiVto Z. " " i ^"'^^ ourselves. We our ears. Our mind are sure to ^1°' * ^^'^ ''^ ~veri„g he who studies the -vay shouS not nff T" ""' Therefor? deity residing in his own S He S'* to reverence the word and act. and will thu,^f • \'^'" ^""^ ««<* trifling that he will never S'loriES;/''^^"-- '' ^-^<=*- It a \PSi « ffl- ' Mi •! wBlw mi Chapter VII Kaibaka Ekiken (1630-1714) Kaibara is in some respects one of the greatest men in the Shushi school in Japan. He was bom in the seventh year of Kwanei (16^0 a.d.), in Chikuzen, where his father was physician to Lord Kiiroda. He had three elder brothers, one of whom taught him when he was a mere boy, until he could recite many books. From his brothers and from his father he probably learned Chinese and Japanese poems, and as his father was a doctor, he learned to read medical books. In his boyhood he learned to appreciate Buddhism, but changed later, on the advice of his elder brother. At the age of four- teen he became much inteiested in the teachings of the Chinese sages. In this way he was first taught in his own home and received his first trainintj from his father and elder brothers, who must have be^n admirable men. In middle life he went to Kyoto to study, but did not find any regular teacher. He \ -as fond of travel, and often went to Tokyo and Kyoto and other parts of Japan. In 1714 he died, and was buned near Fukuoka. As he was about to die he com- posed this poem : " When I look back over my life, it seems as if It were but one night. I have lived over eighty years, but it IS as if it were a night's dream." His wife was a scholarly and virtuous woman of the Lzaki family. She married Ekiken when she was only seventeen and he thirty-nine. She predeceased him by one year. Her nom-de-plume was "Token". She is famous as the author of a book for women, entitl d The Great Learning for Women.^ This is a very famous booK on the education of women in Japan. The place women have been able to take in modem Japan may in a real sense be attributed to the influence of the work of such women of ancient Japan. When Ekiken at the age of twenty-six went to Tokyo, he shaved his head and decided to become a physician. When he was thirty-nine he again let his hair grow and became a r/l..~^f!'!l?^'^'*!P*'*'J^'^'~*''«»""»°'- See the article on "The Edu' '' ^""«°«^' ""d as I to write of such matS^l °u '"'^^ * ''°^'''«» "t^dent been «, asiami of what rdMlr '" impertinent. I have gaged in co^verSS'n; Z^'^' ^^ Wlow-pa^engers weVe en- them on SKTcScJ ^rL™"^- "'^T'^ ^° '«=»"« ^^ when hedM o^^rLj^XX ^""'^"«' He wi%rLl£.^£V^1;:^^'-- w^notfowery.btt When eighty-three veL "/ * T"' "°* ''°**" but fruit, modest tf £comra^S .^%Jl*lf " \'*"^-^' *°° learned of him we cl^n.K » ™ ''^?* ^^ ''^'*^ a'^eady -ympatheticTati^e Sll^ '"''^* '''' ^^P'> P^^tical. Mercius said the LT?h«h^' S » d» " «o perfectly? lived and M. lonVaf er hi™ "" "!" '^'"™ Confucius hid Ratio, hi„i'hii"''^uXhX«S^7,''. JL^.'" rr St!.£~?'^f^Tetht^;L--d' has not come to LS. SS ?" °L"" "'»>'• l-"' " >'^'- h .0 hand do^rr;'o',?s'2:;r;it'St"Srl'.^ '-^^ !■ M Atmnoifo: Liovr rioM run East In another pMMge he gave this estinwte of Shuahi u an toterpreter of Confudut: "Chlnhokukd laid, 'The ways of Confudua, Mendiu, Chu (Chou) and Td have been m»i\t dearer than before by Shuahi*. Kanthi laid. 'The i t of Mendua ia not woond to that of U.' I think the niv t of Shuahi ia not bferior to that of Mendua. Theae aayingi arc right. They do rat flatter nor exaggerate." Although he thua exalted Shuahi he did not consider him absolutely wr out error. " Shuahi waa not a tage. There are wmemiatai n hia great work. It ia human to err, and snuaiubeing o...y a wiae man. and not a sage, was not infalli- ble. There IS an :d saying, 'Even a wise man makea one error in a thouaand'. There is no other man after Mendua except Shuahi, who interpreted the sage correctly. His merit sa not mfenor to that of Mendus. It li to be regretted that moat men do not know Shuahi well, and that without a study O'j-ff, complete works some doubt him. Even Rikushozan and Yomd are of tliia claaa. Shushi was a true Confucian scho.ar and a great man. It u remarkable how wdl he haa interpreted the sages to students of after agea." 'When interpreting 'The Great Learning', Shushi made knOTTledge first and conduct second. And in the Analecu he made the culture of knowledge first, and the return to the practioU aecond; he ^^-as teaching et -nally true principles." Ekiken, however. I id not agree w. .h Shushi in everything, •ij*^ ' distLnt uon between original nature and ac- quired auposition. He pointo out that in some respects he differed from his teacher Td. He said; "The words and expressions of Td are perfect and deep, and. his teaching being normal, is excellent for students. The words of Shushi are straight and clea. . His teaching is as a beacon light to guide thoae who are going astray, and is an authority for students. Tei and Shushi lived at different times, but 'Tha Way' they present is the same. The resemblance in their teaching is natural because Shushi was taught by Td. The difference between them b merely a difference in interpreting words." He commended the younger Tei for his teaching, which was dear and true. "His interpretation of the andent dMsic on philosophy waa exact ; his expressions were cautious and stnct, and should be learned by students. They make Idlers couragioua and miiers righteous. But as compared AtMmoKo: Uon r«c», «. Em iJ-S!"' on the ..u„, ehir;!-".. witL^SS-a'^is^' ^ cj^ he w« unable to .eJ'iy'Lh 7 ^T"' .?"' ^^-^ ««o2! had many de/ecu. (TW. « ^JhTS* T*?** °*^«» did! He •mall man.) Hi. me'hid, oT .*l l"^' «'"«Jdei*d him . cntidxed him «. a Buddhkt h^. "?^ *:*" •«»«• Shuahi " a mean. o. ^rt^m^l^'^^^'' ''''^ inve.tigaSSn regarded Yomei a." .^ Si^f °L*" °' »** Ming S^X" ««d did a great work'^d ^tt^'* ««« « '^eLtZ^, teachings had many defect, ^j '^e^^"^ '^^'W' hU and Menciu.. It i, clear ti^ne wh^ ^^^^ *° Confuciu. Yomei, that hi. leaminTmm^t k! *''°.«fainine. the work. S The Ming «Aolar,^noTSi,w ^.^"E:!"**^ '? B"ddht^ wa. not pure and they were n«? ?! •*<»"« their learning "Although the^hoU^f^W*'*"' judging." n.o.t of them^ran to h^^T lomti^'"* S^'^^^ "^ "any, heresy of the age. Th^Jil eff^T f k" "^^ originator of the warn«..,ag.nst it. for even a^grian^Tj^"^ ,^ ;p;^ttr.sst^2s^^^^^^ need. They are anxiou. alSL?^!.T ^^^P*"* ^ pre«jnt-day practical virtue. They ^ ^f"^ ^t^'"« ^d writing, but Sck better than ridicuhSr^ ^^"2'^'^."'' ^"^°y -'^^ they utter the truth. buTthdrsS^ °'^*"- Sometim J to be humbled." In theseZo^lT ^- ^"""i' They need denying Send and ItoSS "^^ •*" " »"PP°«d to bi cS ,' I (I :■ J' 90 Akmstrong: Light from the East But sometimes Kaibara's own thought resembles that of the classical school. This was especially true of his cosmo- logy. Shushi regarded the world as a dualism of " Ri" (Law) and "Ki" (the sensible world). Yomei, however, was a Monist ; so also was Ekiken. He said : " 'Ri' and 'Ki' are one. In this regard I cannot follow the Shushi school, which teaches them as a dualism." " 'Ri' and 'Ki' are absolutely one and cannot be separated. There is no ' Ri ' apart from ' Ki ', and vice versa. Neither can be distinguished as being before or after the other. This is why I say they must not be divided. We cannot think of ' Ki ' appearing after 'Ri'. So we must not speak of them as former or latter, part or whole. ' Ri ' does not exist alone. It is the ' Ri • of ' Ki ' . ' Ri ' and ' Ki ' are originally one. We call that aspect of it which is always active and flourishing, 'Ki', and that phase of it which is never in disorder, law or reason, 'Ri'. Even though called by different names, they are in reality but two aspects of one thing. When we speak of 'Ri' especially, we mean the present nature of 'Ki' which is not changeable. When we speak of ' Ki ' distinctively, we mean that which is always changing and active, and which as a result sometimes becomes confused and loses the eternal mean. Water, which is pure at the fountain head, becomes dirty if it passes through hlth, but the filthy condition cannot be thought of as be'ng the original nature of water. So with ' Ri ' ; we may say that ' Ri ' makes all things, or we may say that ' Ki ' makes all things, but we cannot say that Ri' makes 'Ki'. 'Ri' is the 'Ri' of 'Ki'; there is distinction, but no differ- ence between them. The pure fountain head of the water is the original of ' Ki ', which is ' Ri '." Dr. Inouye thinks his thought about "Ri" as being united with "Ki" was probably borrowed from Ra-Seian, a scholar of the Ming dynasty, who was originally a believer in Zen teaching but afterwards became a follower of Shushi. He said : " ' Ri ' (law) must be recognized in ' Ki ' (the sensible world)." Ekiken said of Ra-Seian: "Shushi separated 'Ri' and 'Ki' into two, and those who lived after him, out of respect for him, did not deny it. Ra-Seian had great respect for Tei and Shushi, but he did not flatter them in this way. He was not the only man to hold this opinion. Go-Sogen and Yomei also held this opinion." Ekiken was influenced by Ra-Seian. Aiihsti.o»g: Light from the E»st „ Ki". He said- "ThT«. ^' as an attachment of There is but ?ne'KrThr- T '^-^ '^'' '" '''^ ""ivers^ all things spring and beri^ n .7".^"^' '^'' ^'^o'" which original 'Ki? Whe"„' tt'actilr^ 'c'a^lTr ^nT^ T" '•^^'^t pnnciple. When it hemm^r • * *"^ "^^^^ (positive) (negative) Sp e ThT H.-^'.^T' \' "^" '* ^'^'^ '^^ale principles originates in ^K^?^?•°" ^*^.^" ^''^^ ^^^ ?uch thing as^the action o^wo "k" '• ^Tth?'' '"'^'^ !^ "° in one "Ki".' This is true One .krH-^J^ •' ^ ^'^''•°" appears in the universe und^r thft V^^ '"*° **° and and a female (negatl^) Sb le tT 1 ^ T^' ^^'''^'^ ciples constitute the wav of thinn-^^^u"^ ^^^ *^° P^"" parts of the original-K^ Z *''^""'^f,'^e; being nothing but •'EkikenXught oV'Ki "as tt "•" P'?^"^'"^"^ depend." Limit^asopposedf^Lt^VSar^^^^^^ maleanVf m^fp^cies"7Sh"^'T^°p^"'^^ there was no sign of thS- ^ ' ^^' "^^ ^°""^' ^"^ Great Limi?^^Lfore 'l^ warn-^'-HL This is called The unity of one 'Ki' 'The Great Lmlt'lf^"-'""^' ^^" '^^ into the male and feniale DrrnrJn " ^^^^' '* ^^« ^'^'^^d these principles or The m^-fi^!- "^^ T^^ '^^'^ '* *»»« ^ay of Although Thfcreat tLTt^anHT" ° "^''' ^'^^' L™'*'- pies are called by dlfferenn^^ ' '"Z'" ^"^ ^^""^'^ Prin«- time as early and late thLr ^" This ii the deacription of the first Hexagram io the Book of Philosophy, and literally means "Originating, penetrating, advantageous, correct and firm". See " The Yi King ", section I , page 57, by Legge. See AsitsTKONG: Light from thb East 97 "This is the way to serve heaven and earth, because they lo\'e what they create as much as men love their children. Then if one wants to make return for the grace of heaven and earth, he must bear in mind the benevolence he received from them . I f he is led by this mind , he will obey the five relations ; apart from this there is no human way." Ekiken held that the aim of knowledge is practice, and that the aim of practice is knowledge. Knowledge and prac- tice develop together. The Shushi school placed the emphasis on knowing. It held that we must first know, then do. Yomei placed the emphasis on doing. Knowledge is doing. Ekiken held that both alike must be developed. He thought that God abides in a man's heart. God and the divine in a man's heart are identical. There is only a difference between the unity and the individuality. To deceive ourselves is to deceive God. Like Ito Jinsai he did not make a distinction between the original nature of man and his acquired nature. In this he was opposed to Shushi, although he did not think so himself, because he felt that he put the original nature into his one nature or disposition. He did not feel bound to follow any one of the ancient teachers, but took freely from each what he desired. He was very loyal to Japanese institutions and to the Japanese emperor. He said : " It is wrong to press the use of Chinese systems into the Japan of to-day." This was unlike too many of the Chinese thinkers of Japan who worshipped things Chinese. Again he wrote: "Our imperial life has not changed for thousands of years. This is the peculiar pride of our nation. No other country can boast of such a record." He was very loyal, in an age when loyalty was not so highly developed as it is in modem Japan. Even though people are bom, if they do not study, it is as if they were not bora. But even if they study, if they do not attain trae knowledge, it is as if they had not learned. Even if they know, if they do not put it into practice, it is as though they did not know. Therefore men must study, and those who study must know the way and practise it. It is very difiScult to know the way. From ancient times talented and virtuous men have not been few, but those who really knew 111 9* Amistronc: Ught from the East the way were few. Thertfore, we must not give up the benefit of learning and meditation." "Ganshishui said: 'It is very difficult to be bom a man Therefore we who are fortunate enough to be men must not waste this precious life.' This is .-. very significant saying To be born a man, of all creatures, is most difficult. The privilege does not come to us twice. How can we spend this important life uselessly? It is a pity when people live as if they were dreaming, or in a dmnken stupor. Apart from the way of virtue. life is waste time, no matter how long we live Therefore as men, we must know the way. The only method of knowledge is study." " No man lives to be one hundred years old. How can any man live in profligacy, doing nothing? A wise man of old said : Heaven and earth are eternal, but a man cannot live this ite twice. Life at the most is one century. The days of our life pass rapidly. Those who are fortunate enough to be born must spend their lives in the joy of service. They must know how unhappy it is to live a useless, empty life." "A wise man values time because it passes quickly, and success in virtue is difficult. There are three periods in our lives, each of which has its special value. First, in childhood, when the memory and energy are strong, one can easily learn much, and remember it all. A thing once learned is always remembered. One day's study in childhood is more valuable than ten later on in life. Scholars must value their boyhood. S»econd, m our youth when mother and father are getting old we must serve them or lose the opportunity forever. This is the time that youth must value. Third, in old age. when one hasretired from service, and there is no more labour, one begins to think of death. Then he must cease study and must rest. 1 his IS the time when old men should take pleasure in life 1 he superior man works well and rests well. We must make one hour as one day. and one day as ten days, and one year as ten years. This is the way to value time. If we do not work well and rest well, the days will pass in vain, and we will die miserably. "Men, animals, birds and trees are al' alike, in that all must die. Men diflfer from the others in that they have food c othing a home and their several occupations. After death ail alike decay. Therefore if a man does not leave a reputation A«M"RONc: Light from the East 99 i"« '8 the best remedy. If thev iL ^ f^ *"''«'"«1' 'earn- ence will never be destroyed 7*.:°*^°'"^ '«'«"'«'. their infl™. th.8 way superior men dSer S" " * T '^i'y ^'nbition. In after death." '""^'^ '^m "wless birds and beast" contend''^th%Tu'ifort"nate^,r^'"*^ circumstPnces to former he is prudent. S ?n theTrT"' *° ^'''- '" the "ettled. he is a superior man I? k,T' ^'"^"'s mind is ~r;es, all his good and noble' acts tll.'"'.*''^" '^' ^^^si, bemg desp.sed as an ordinao' mau" '*''" ''•'" ^^o" ^W: -A m^^tS^eVortlt d'S" °' ^''^ "-« dynasty) Most people's co^duc ".^riehJ^/f ^^ °" '^' ^^V of hisSh ' who continue in the g,^"f * ^^J.^ ^"^'t*' ^"* ^^-^'^ are ew on the enduring power^vSL *'' ''^**''- Those who relv virtuous condua'^'gCen uT^Tu' ''^'^^"^ *« ^he endt does not continue to do so ?o th^ ^!,''''I!^ ^^" ^t first, if he good acts will be lost." ^^^ *"^' *»»« "^rit of hi^ Rnl Jhey £me^crf;eXothT''^P-^'"°''--^-hen be economical, avoiding luxu^ \J"^" " wealthy. ^ „U3^ promoted foi^et their old SaJn^"'* """" ^''^" they ar« sympathize with the friends o^Th^"?"""'' S"'^'' ""en muS forget thei parents whenth^y g^Vr^W "^ ^°^* ""«" parents as long as we live. Most ml u ^^ '""^* 'ove our s'ckness grow careless. Even ^thT„•'^'l'" *\^y "^^ver from forgetthepainof disease. In shoi .V" '"^'l'"' *^ ">"«* "o" vate themselves must hear inZ-V' l^?^ "^^^ wish to culti- . /Tf-e influence of ^re"afTerl2h'^ '^^'^ «perienc"e^^'. that of vulgar men. cSd or evtr 'm ''"'? ^''^"^^"^ from thousands of years. A m^n's [1^ "''"'^* " "^--rated for bpdy. He can never separate Mm' T? '^^^ '^' ''fe of Ws h.s conduct. It is notT^e ?o sarrS; ^™'" ^''^ <=ritlcism o are ahke after death " ^^ *''** ^K^^ and vulgar men ■'0"sch,etaim,ga,-„i.nVht ^f^;- •' "8hteou,ne,s j, , \'' F,:LIOTHtCA :| 100 ABMsnoMO: Ucvr wkm vn East should not be monopolised by any one penon. Comfudut rarely •poke o( gain. He did not consider it an evil. "A superior man does not value his body above duty. He is fearless in danger, however trying the circumstances. If a man is timid in danger, his past good conduct is forgotten. If he is brave and righteous, we may call him a superior man. "To keep the mind calm and the temper mild is the way to nourish both health and virtue." "A superior man's knowledge is broad and unprejudiced. It is as a man clinging to a high mountain where he can see things afar ofif in every direction. A mean man's wisdom is narrow and partial. It if as a man looking at heaven through a telescope. He knows parts of it well, but the quantity is small." " If you know a nuc likes and dislikes, you know the man. • •• cm "Good continually practised becomes a halMt. Evil constantly repeated becomes a habit. It is important to form good habits." m AMitT«oKo: UoiT nou nmEAn Ml mm I ^ If * I' -> Hi I i I } $ ll 2 JJ -I 1 ll u lOI I J II u III did! J ►'! fl - . I 15 J 1 i ill ill ''1. mi H in Ih" iV. I u4 W I CBArrsR VIII Yamazaki Ansai (i6i8-i683 a.d.) and Asaui Keisai About the time of Fujtwara, a achool of Confucianism was opened in Tosa by Tani Jichiu. Like many others of the scholars of Confucianism, Jichiu commenced his career in a Buddhist temple. He was not satisfied, and acted in an arbitrary way towards the priests who were trying to teach him. He was much impressed with the lcarnin({ of Shushi. Minamimura Baiken first taught Shushi learning in Tosa. Tani heard him speak on Shushi, and was thus led to study the leaching. He was so influenced by them that he left the tern- pie and became a physician. His teachings were practical and influential. There were several scholars of his school: Nakasawa Senken (1621-1676), a son of Jichiu, Shoda Rin-an (1639-1674), and Otakasaka Shizan (1660-1713). None of them are more famous than Yamazaki Ansai. He lived in Tosa, and his ideas were influenced by Tani Jichiu. His father lived in Kyoto, and became what the Chinese call a needle doctor, practising a Chinese method of healing. His mother came from the Sakuma family. She had four children, two sons and two daughters, of whom Ansai was the youngest. He was born Genna, 4th year (1618 a.d.), on the ninth of December. His grandmother said to him when he was a boy, "Your body is worth one sen, your eyes are worth one hundred yen, therefore you ought not to injure your eyes, but if you do not learn to read Chinese characters you will be as one who is blind". His mother was very fond of her children but very strict. When they ate too greedily she used to say, " No matter how starved a hawk may be, it will not pick up ears of com. So a samurai's son must have a noble heart". The influence of these two women on his life was very marked. Once when he was playing with a number of boys, some one showed them cake and said, " If you will do some- thing entertaining, I will give you some cake". All the boys were able to earn the cake except Ansai. He began to cry, but when the gentleman took pity on him and offered him some ¥1" Vamazaki .An! SAI I Armstrong: Light from the East ;o^ lit' •'^.f "^^ t° ^^^^ it. saying. "I am not ,rvbg for the cake All except me can do things. I am ver s... r-/' .f u^fj^^^^e.n' mischievous. Heusedtopla^ • , 'f c>h,VW fnf^?!; r "^^'■'.^"d ^ith a long pole push the passers-bv into the stream. His father, not knowing what to do with h^m sent h.m to a Buddhist-temple at Mt. Hiei. Kyoto?to be trained as a pnest. At Mt. Hiei he constantly carried a book n his sleeve. Even when serving tea or waiting on a guST Thi^ h T..*™u *° ^P^^" ^' P""^^ °»t his bcJk and r" ad ,mliE ^K became a pnest. called Zetsuzoshu. but he was Rnnl^lc '.P"''u'- °"^ "'«h* «« he was reading one ,f The Buddhist Sutras, he commenced to laugh and said. " Buddha's nonsense makes me laugh". "uuuna s m.n.^"^Tu^^ one of his companions worsted him in an argu- ^4 to hU ^' "'^ V ^' '''''^i"*^ ^'' companion's room andSt hi T '''^ P^°^^"'t? "et. Everybody was anxious to banish h m from the temple. When he heard this he said. " I SS fire to the temple". It happened that a nobleman from To^a was lodgmg m the temple at that time. He was ve^much pleased with Ansai, and took him to Tosa. and puU^r'n Ryuko temple to study. Here he studied with Ogura Sa^sS and Nonaka Kenzan. who advised him to study Shushes teachmg from Tani Jichiu. He followed their advke, let his hair grow, and became a Confucian scholar at the age o twenty-five years. The Tosa lord wearied of him because he was so unruly m his behaviour, and sent him back to Kyoto RnH^^- " ^^V^ '*"'^y y^^^ °f ^Se, he finally gave up Buddhism and became a Confucianist. He said "When I was young I read the four books of Confucius; at twenty-five years of age I read a book of the Shushi school, and was con! vmced that Buddhism was not the true way. ;« I bTc^me a uonfuciamst I am now thirty years old, bui I am not yet a perfect scholar. am sorry I did not become a student of Ccmfuaan.sm eari.er." He said men did not know the ml portance of morality. "The so-called Confucian scholTr simp y reads books and writes compositions; he is satisfied BuddWsm •' '■''^"'^ '"°'''"*^' ^"^ '' '^'''^°'^ ^""^^-^^d to In the first year of Manji (1658 A.D.). Ansai went to Yedo. He was so poor that he could not buy books. He there- M;; i H) ' Jjrii '! ! M m 11 ^ I' "rcin-Msnas are a cause f« »nd had ™.:;SpSri„,"7r.^-\t'SS Sho^i were ™„„ famouV Ansai^ . ' k""?' fn J";i, *¥ '^; represented as conceited, rive^fSsShf Sih M™"' of"=\'"».'™"'* »<1 relatives S dfape^' ^„M 1, ^""1 despised, while others hatsd him Sd to» ranid keep „p a long intercourse with him. He ^TlS --.SfriarjfciSxsriii-i i: Li -f 'I io6 Armstrong: Light from the East left his home I gave a sigh of relief, and felt I had escaped from a tiger's mouth." Student; who were tempted by women or singing girls are said to have imagined they saw Ansai's face, and trembled. Ano her sa'J: "When I was scolded I felt I did not vish to see hii ■ -'S-'". but when he said kind words 1 changed my mind." He was strict, but he was kind. He was delighted when men made progress. But his method of training his disciples was too severe. It is a mistake for any man to be too negative in his treatment of others. It is better to encourage the active and positive elements in a young man's character. When Ansai became a disciple of Shushi he adored the learning of Shushi as much as his former companions in the temple adored Buddha. There is very little that is original in his work. He took the best extracts from Shushi's teach- ing, and endeavoured to make them a basis for practical virtue. It was not his purpose to increase learning so much as to exalt virtue and improve the conditions of the people. He said: "Learning is knowing and acting. Knowledge and practice must go hand in hand. The way of learning is knowledge and practice. Culture is the combination of the two. In Kan and To dynasties there were many scholars who emphasized practice, but they did not know the way of culture, conse- quently their knowledge and conduct did not compare with that of the sages." But he did not appreciate Japan any the less because of his appreciation of Chinese philosophy. Ansai never lost his Japanese spirit. In his old aige he was a ver' pronounced Shintoist and a founder of a sect of Shintoism. In reply to a question as to what they would do should Confucius and Mencius lead an invading army of Chinese into Japan, he said : "Should such a calamity arise, we would put on our armour, take our swords and fight with them, and make Confucius and Mencius our prisoners. We would thereby fulfil our obliga- tion to our country according to the way of Confucius and Mencius." His whole school was characterized by a spirit of patriotism. In regard to mixing the teachings of Shushi and Buddhism he said: "Several hundred years ago the teaching of Suushi came to this country. The priest Genne was first to accept it, but he thought the teaching resembled Buddhism. Hide- Armstrong: Light from the East ,07 The superior man improves himself by reverential careful " ness, purity, truth and culture' " r«=verential careful- follors-S^ Lloyd describes Ansai's thought of God as lollows. Ood, he said, is the mind of the universe anH ™,„ whose mind is the dwelling-place of ^Tthe head a^d summit of creation and embodiment, as it were of G,S^ Between the Impersonal Mind and its embcxlimeni t ml he placed many spirits, some good, some bad, whTwere eiS the allies or the fnends of the Divine Mind absolute or em- I ') h ?ii lot Armstrong: Light from the East bodied. By keeping oneself calm and free from disturbing thoughts and lusts, the evil spirits could be kept away and the good spirits called into assistance — and as an aid to this sal- vation he laid great stress on prayer with an honest heart."' AsAMi Keisai Asami Keisai was the most active pupil of Yamazaki Ansai. He was bom in Omi, but afterwards went to Kyoto. His father was a rich man with three sons, of whom Keisai was the second. His father was very proud of him and sent him to Ansai for instruction. Keisai was a hard student, but he had a hemorrhage and for a long time was very delicate. Ansai even then did not allow him to relax his efforts, but pushed him as hard as previously. One of Keisai's friends went to Ansai and said: "That man's disease is so severe that it would be well for him to give up study and take a rest." Ansai would not hear of it, but continued as before. Finally, Keisai regained his strength. Then Ansai said: "Death or life is ordained by heaven. Therefore, how could I encourage him to weaken his determination merely because he might die?" Keisai, although poor, would not accept any official position, and discontinued friendship with one of his com- panions because he accepted a position with the lord of Mito. He was so poor that even in winter he had no outer kimono. His house was in such need of repair that the rain came in and flooded it. Keisai went up to mend the roof, but being stout and heavy he broke it in worse than before. His father was greatly disappointed because he did not seek fame, but he received some young men as pupils. At all times he was very dignified and serious. His teaching is not unlike that of his great teacher, but he does not follow him with the same slavish adherence as Ansai followed Shushi. "Human duty is twofold, to govern oneself, and pacify others. All have a self, father and son, master and servant, husband and wife, elder and younger, brothers and friends. Self is the foundation of the five relations. As I am myself, BO are others. By corruption of the original nature, the self may be changed to evil, and the virtue connected with each *CL TnnMCtkKM ol the AiUtic Society of Japan, VoL XXXIV., part IV. m Armstrong: Light from the East 109 of the five relations may be lost. To chanc». ♦»,- .-1/ u 1 . us original self is the offi'ce of cu*itu^° 'fetneCt^d? which depends upon caution, wisdom aud practice Wisdom 2 to make nght and wrong clear, and to just'fyike oriSnS brin^7h"'"'u k" r^?™'"K the five relations. Practiced to bring the sel back to .ts original nature. In one word wLdom condJc^Sl L^rpe^nit^-L,^ iTisSSe^H^; apart fro„ thebody there can be no knowleige or conduct SSLed^^itK/f^" ^'""l"'"^- "^^^ ™'"d ""t li associated with the body, or there is neither knowledge nor rndrThI'ii""lL™'' ^"°"'«^«^ *"^ conduct S^ur Sr,np;. J • ''^"^ .reverence, which is the foundation of all mental service, and is in harmony with the sages '• H.-ffo, . f''"*' °v"* *''^* although the varies saees use S^.TV'""^'' '^'V''"'^^« '^ ^''"''^'- in regarf to kno^ ledge and conduct, which should always be united him to tS oft^*."?" '\u '°"^' •^'"8- ^"d ■' 5« natural to Es^?f " To .^"T^ '^^ r^'t'°" of others as well as r^^l 21"^*^* *"y evil in our midst is to rive the nation peace. The nation is composed of an aggrSIte of famihes, which again are composed of individuS Bv ref^SS'"'"' ''"'"^ °' individuals'^he nation wUlttme^b^ iii 1!' % 110 Amiatrong: Light from tbb East OTHER SCHOLARS OF THE SHUSHI SCHOOL Tokida Konan-T«:hihara Tori { ^Xryte-Ai^^wa SeUhi-i. Sawamura Sutumu Ohaihi Junzo Takemura Kwaiiai Soto Kon Yamada Hokoku — Kawada Oko Sato Itni < c„i,„„. ci,„„_ / Yoshida Shoin Sakuma Shoian { j^^^ Hiroyuki Watanabe Kwazan Hayashi Kenu Kikuchi Ri Nakamura Keiu ( Ando Seiai — Ando Ooan — Ando Shukei Shu Shuniui < Asaki Tanhaku (, Kuriyama Senho Ichikawa Kanaei • Okubo thibuttu Kojima Kaigai Matsuura Tokusho MiyakeSeklan{Mli^J|,S|:,"- Goi Jiken— Goi Ranshu •( Nakai Chikuaan Nakai Riken Nakai Senha Wakiya Guzan — Hoashi Banri Matsumoto Kunzan Goto Shoken KogaSetri< / Koea Sakei Koga Doan ^ Sakktami Roro Saito Setsudo — Mishima Chushu Rai Shuniui Rai Sanyo Rai Kyoho Rai Matasaburo Rai Mikisaburo GotoKi Morite Setsai Fuiii Chikugwai MakiGei l!:T^ II.,,. I,, t TOKUGAVVA IVllTSUKUXI Chaptek IX The Mito School fluential branch of th. Shushi ih!^i ??u'' ""^''^^ ^^» *»" «"- the school was to write a hlforC" f 7^^ '""" P^'P"^*^ "^ especially deal with the conduct o7th! •^^''"i' .T-''''^'' ^''""'d ^holars were connected whh .1- '""^"^' ''"«• Many houses farurrL' rcitf '^i:: jfr ^^i ^"^ ^"-^"^-a •nfluential in defining he r JhtfuuL '"• ""^^^ *"« '^'"'^Ay •me and in fostering IS^ofaltvlrr''"" '" **>" •"'P^"al finally succeeded in des roviW ?i, ^ ^"!f^'°' ^^^^ they restoring the power of th^^ ^''^ '*^"dal system and of Japan. "^"^^ °^ '^' government to the right Jru?e„ kunjT'L^i^oo^''-' tr nVA^i''"^ °^ 7''''"««- Mitsu- kuni was a vc ".i!^li ^^"^ ^''"'^^ lyeyasu. Mitsu- reformed the administra'trnalTn^cn^"^ J «°°^ '■"'^^- He other things he forbade the custo-^?^^?-'"°'^''*^- ^'"°"8 own lives when their feudal lord S He f'T^ ^^'"^ ^''"^ «n vogue among Confucian scholar ."f u °''^'^^ ^^^ ^"^tom priests. He thought it tended It / '^"""8 *''^''- heads like class. In his opinbn thfs wa^ l" f ^*^''" ^P^-"* «« ^ special privilege and duty ^f ^^net'^"^' ^?V«- '* was the learning. ' ^^^"^ °"^ to be versed in Confucian with\"heXtr;taTluK"^ thought this Vn^^^y was °P"'*°^^""'- ^itsuku^ was found guilty of killing a storkT/h T^'"u ^'"^ «"- province. But he gave tL cdnrit - < "" '° ^ '^^ tempted to steal for a living ^ ' """""y '^^* ^^^ "ight be When Mitsukuni became heir f« ,u »,• iia AKMSTSONO: LICBT fWOU THE East hdr. Then at an early age he retired in hit favour, and lived for a long time in a small unfenccd houw. He died in the 1 3th year of Genroku (1700 a.d.), but hi» school continued to thrive until after the restoration of the emperor. The incentive to write this great history came to Mitsu- kuni from reading Kazan's history, in which he stated that the Emperor Jimmu was related to the Chinese Emperor Taikaku of the Shu era, a very great and worthy ruler. As has already been remarked, Chuzan and Razan both held similar views •s to the Chinese origin of the imperial house ; but as a result of Mitsukuni's opposition to the history, iu publication was pro- hibited . With the intention of writing a history of J apan that should give a correct idea of these important matters, Mitsu- kuni established an institution known as the "Shoko kwan" and gathered many scholars together for the work. These men wrote the " Dai-Nihon-Shi", or Great Japanese History, which, although historical in its nature, aims to expound the way which they interpreted chiefly as " Respect for the gods, and loyalty to the emperor". Most of these scholars were from Kyoto, and were opposed to the Tokugawa government. Their influence in Japan was very great. The teaching emphasized things Japanese, and made the Chinese teaching merely attributive. Unlike other Confucian schools where Confucius alone was reverenced, these men also set up the tablet of a Japanese god, Take-Mika-Zuchi-No-Kami, and paid their respects to it. Kuriyama Sempo, the son of a Confucian teacher in Yedo, near Kyoto, was one of the prominent men of the school. He wrote a partial history of Japan. Miyake Kwanran (1675-1713). a disciple first of Asami Keisai and afterwards of Kinoshita Junan, ranked high among the scholars of his day. He also wrote a book on history. He disagreed with Kuriyama's idea that the mere possession of the three treasures was sufficient to prove the legitimacy of the emperor to the throne. No emperor who had not a righteous claim to the throne could be regarded as a legitimate ruler, even if he had the insignia of the office. The school, however, decided that the southern lines were the legitimate rulers, largely on principles similar to those of Kuriyama. About fifty years after the death of Mitsukuni the great men of his school b^d all passed away, and for a time the Amistbono: Liobt from the East 1,3 ha» no sect. All Khools follow Confuciu« A^ r *^™'"« Though they pereecuted him. he wa. trustS by thHord of f r; 'I* f 1 ,! 1 I ■ f ,1 1 •i if. '' 'I if !:jl 'I Chapter X Shushi Scholars after Kwansei Era (1789-1799) After the Genroku age the influence of the Tokugawa government gradually waned. With but a few exceptions the Shoguns were weak, superstitious men. The authorized moral teaching of the government was weakened in influence and power, while other schools were in a more flourishing condition. In the second year of the Kwansei era an effort was made to revive the influence of Shushi learning by an edict suppressing heresy. All teaching not authorized by the government was strictly forbidden. The educational author- ities in the provinces were ordered to see that the edict was properly enforced and that all teachers who were not followers of Shushi were dismissed. Shibano Ritsuzan (1734-1807), Bito Nishu (1745-1813). and Okada Kwansen (1760-1817), were the three greatest Shushi teachers of the age, and were therefore called "The Three Kwansei Doctors". These men were teachers in the government schools, and put forth every effort to revive Shushi learning and defend the attitude of the government, for which they were largely responsible. The edict called forth a storm of opposition.^ The Prime Minister received letters protesting against its in- justice. Akamatsu Soshiu wrote to Shibano but received no direct reply. Nishiyama Sessai replied for Shibano, and entered upon a lengthy and heated controversy with Soshiu, but nothing was gained by it. The daimios all over the country followed the command of the central government. Many teachers were forced to resign, and a great deal of suffering resulted. The effect of the edict was just what might be expected. One historian says that while many moral teachers arose, few men of strength were among them. The men who carried the degree into effect were regarded as orthodox, but their teaching degenerated into a series of moral platitudes. Bito Nishu, a man of lyo, began as a student of the classical school. In 1772 he read the chief work of Muro Kyuso, and was greatly impressed by it. This and other works Armsteong: Light from the East 1,5 books equS toX ShSS ?''"«'»'' °e»ther were there any » theXatSt aS.ne'S!'"*^- ^mong sages Confucius great and all-inclusive iS 'IS'is S.?7fi'-"^%'' ^^"^ consists of the male and f«t.i • • f ^"''"'*^- Its 'Ki- 'Jotei' (the up^e empeS; t^S'^^^ '* » conferred on man we c?ll IL ^S^^" ^1* ''^*^^" ^^ spirits are the c;;arve"ll^f°£::rand'^.ttr^^^^^ tersXro7as'rsr:^ -y b:^-i->^_T^s believe She sky t^l^ heaven LT/'^T' ^"^'"^ ™«" heaven. Th? Sews o? Snf ^° "o* "Cognize ' Ri • as ideas. They kno7 hat 'Ri-rh"' ''^l' '^' P°P"'" heaven diffe^frorthat of th^salS; ^"' '""'^ ^'^^'^ It includes a vast number of S "f?^«"»agr a- name. Infinite, we do not Cw hLveJ "if w. H ^" tl""' '^^ '^' spirits, we d^nt^orthe worL:f ht^n 'T *l^ ^"'^"^^ things well, and if we knotTEm as a uTtv lTh"°^**r^ a deep meaning for us Tl,»n *i. t c • .^' "**" heaven has fom, we will arrive at the rSon Th^ l^ •. souree ot the ii6 Armstrong: Light from the East U. m\ i 1 In discussing "Ri" and "Ki" he said: "Cold, warmth, wind and rain are ' Ki', but the reason of these is ' Ri'. It is the nature of ' Ri' to order the seasons at their proper time. Joy, anger, love and hate are all 'Ki'. The reason for these is ' Ri'. It is the nature of ' Ri' that these arise at the proper time. ' Ri ' is the Infinite. In men it is called human nature. From the standpoint of heaven 'Ri' is ordinance. From the standpoint of man it is to follow nature, that is, the way. The ancient sage following his nature taught men. ' Ri ' was the origin of everything the sage did. For this reason Shushi thought it was important to study ' Ri ', and the differ- ence between 'Ri' and 'Ki'. If you are able quickly to distinguish ' Ri ' from ' Ki ' in heaven and earth, in men and in things, then you have for the first time entered the moral way." He criticized the classical school. "Shushi lays stress on wisdom, and naturally it becomes clear, and conduct becomes right. Sorai, on the other hand, despises wisdom, and naturally it becomes darkened, and conduct becomes evU." He made a series of rales which he imposed upon himself, (i) Concentrate on one thing. (2) In conduct imitate the best points in others, without partiality. (3) Exercise care, avoiding arrogance. (4) Avoid useless words. (5) Decide the right course to follow, and follow it. (6) Deliberately choose the best associates. (7) Guard against thoughtlessly following a crowd. (8) Be watchful over yourself , even when you are alone. Asaka Gonsai (1785- 1860) was bom in Koriyama, in Mutsu province. His father was a priest of Hachiman, which is the canonical title of the Emperor Ojin, who is now worshipped as the god of war. As a boy Gonsai studied Con- fucianism from local teachers. When he was sixteen years of age he was adopted into the home (rf a village chief, whose daughter he married. But as his wife did not like him, he left home, and becoming a student, went to Yedo. It is difhcult to say what would have happened to him, if he had not fallen in with a Buddhist priest who assisted him, and introduced him to Sato Issai who employed him as a servant, allowing him to work by day and study by night. In order to keep awake at night he used to put tobacco juice Armstrong: Light from the East „ in his struggles that heldvPrtf«^K- ^^ '"*''' ^ '"^^^^t in securing studento In thU^i, ' ''°-^' *"^ ^"*«1 him a teacher,\nd whe^' he w2 SfT^^j!^ '""'^"J ^''' ^^^ «tart as lord invited hirt" t««h his -t^^" ^^"^°^ ''» f"""^'- becanj^a teacher Jnt^elXTtrg^^^^^^^^^^^ later he mJ^^^b7S^Z^Z- {fp'-^"--andwas any deprLiation' S otS.^:?, "'^*-^hing '« '^^JT sun, the moon, ancient and molem Jfm^ ar^Xn."* m' *''" tains, nvers and seas are one M^n t^, ^- ^°""- different from the ancients SWshi safd - hT* "^"^'^'i: by one effort, he will usp a h,.^!^ j ^ " * ""^n succeed succeed by t;n effoL 7ie wSn "^.u"^' " ^""''^^^ '"an Confucius :S^ Menciu S.oi r"'"^^ "'"» ^°'- ^"- ^ven we who study n^stTud^^fde j^S^^^^^^^^ ?/• '^'^^" classics, virtue is not leamS fro™ ^ *° '.''^ *""^"t Therefore whoever jissesS^ldu ^^ u"^ individual, a great sage, but he^hZht S^K "^ *^^«='»e^- Shun was people. Co^fuc us Ji £ a ereat°sL ' l^'^'-^! °^^'"^^ walk along with two X^^ht5 ^^- "^ ^'^ • ' When I ThenitisnotneJr^toiea^nfrmT'™'"''"^*^^^^^"' Shushi. Riku-Sho^YorS I ^y °"^ P^^"- " Tei. haveg;od to oZIS: Jl°S'a^e°prr w"''S^ ^"^ ^^'^^ from ordinary men If we h^ '^ u ^^ "^'^ '"^^^^'^^ also call ouraelv^men of ereTt nu.^'"'V, ^'°^^ ^P'"*' ^^ <^an pick out gold fromli^r; ST meSr" l^'^^'if^^ ^ we must learn to talrn th^^ltr '"^^'s- So m this way We .». .^r p^t So XS wtrwerl?"",?' ■""»"' work, we are like a man wK^ *^"at we learn. If we cannot make anything of it/'^ ° '^" P'"^ °"* 8°'^. but cannot ■The DoctHne of the Mean. Chapter XX.. ,o l„ Le«^, ^^,„„, Aaatocti. Book VII., Chapter XXt iiAim il Il8 Asmstsong: Ugbt fkom the East Asaka thought that Confucianism might be summed up as faithfulness and truth. " In the Analects faithfulness and truth are most commonly found. Scholars thought them very important in the use of power and in self-control. Sages thought them important in governing. Men do not seek to change lead into iron, nor brass into gold; lead and brass have each their own respective uses. To perform one's heavenly nature and use is faithfulness and truth. When red is red, white is white, black is black, when from inside to outside and from root to branch there is no confusion, then we have faithfulness and truth." ' >Ai»lecU, Book IX.. Cnutpter XXIV. PART III STUDIES IN THE 0-YOMEI SCHOOL OF CONFUCIANISM IN JAPAN Chapter I Thk O-Yomei SciijoL OF Confucianism TheSda^Xo.S'e'Ll?".^"^""^ ''""' '^^ China. Yomei (wJnpYaSLerh^^^^^^ permanent influence was h..f wi"^ ^^u^^'' ^"^"-Shozan believed in an absolute "R." "The eSn?7K''^°^^""« '' ^^^^e differSr He s^d^ MaiVh^'if thefa^f'Sfd th"?r-."^ "?"^"y ^'^^ -™- If we studTwel weTin S^r?^ ^ Pu""'^^^'" '^ ^^^^ «^™e- Mencius c^S tC ^Scfwe s.Sn°t^Si'7 l"^ *°.°"^'^' knowledi^P anH ^kt* u- l spontaneously know intuitive aSP^hesf XtomT/'**'" without study intuitl" in«H;rWur !sfY^i! 5S2r ' "° "^^ "^•«"«' '<> ^ book, of d,. ISO Armstsong: Light from the East in the East, West, South or North, this heart and this 'Ri' are the same. Even though they have continued to appear from ancient times up to the present, or even if they appear any time in the distant future, the heart and the 'Ri' are always the same." Riku Shozan thought the way came from the heart, and the classics served as its commentary. He said: "Seek the heart. Concentrate the heiirt. If the heart is a slave to the mere verbal meaning of books, and if you cannot make it independent, even though you read the Analects, the heart will be destroyed. If you do not follow one absolute author- ity, namely, your heart, but follow other things, you will injure your heart, which should be the first and only interest. If a man's spirit is outside of his body, he will merely work till he dies. He must concentrate his spirit and make it his master. When a man's spirit is in his body he cannot be deceived; his pity, his shame, his generosity, or his severity arises sponta- neously rjid is never misplaced. This is the doctrine of con- centrating the heart. It is attained not by books or learning, but by believing one's own heart and nature. Concentration is internal as opposed to the external. The heart which has been seeking after learning must be recalled. Return to your true self; have faith in your convictions and make good what you believe to be good. Then with this heart properly concentrated, turn your attention from the inner to the outer worW." He said to Shusaido: "Please be independent; politely, with folded arms, concentrate your heart and become master of yourself." For Riku Shozan the small world is the great world. "Self is everything; the heart constitutes the sbc classics. Believe in this heart; move as your heart moves; act as it acts. This is the entrance to the great way. Apart from this there is no way. The ancients knew this way, and did not divide it into respect and investigation." Sometimes his extreme self -exaltation would almost lead one to suspect that while he was outwardly a Confucianist, he was at heart a Buddhist. He said in one of his poems : ' ' Rais- ing his head he mounts to the Southern star; turning his body he leans on the Northern star ; lifting his head he hopes beyond heaven ; such a man has no self." He knows everything. He L»« A«iist«ong: Light from the East m between pubhc spirit • and selfish spirit is a difference SwSJ from M ^!f "' ^"' ^°' °**»^"- Buddhism separated itSf oVhTn,?„ttTrr''°'"- "--S^Menrin^iS: government teaching. It wrp^oUly JoV hb rel'n^'^hS fa Japan there were men who could not confine themselv^ to an enforced system of thought. Among thes^ YomeT (m,? minv ;An^' ^ '^"^^' ^^ '"^ educationalist. Unlike so S„ ?* ^°".^""^" «=holarB he did not feel that he wS SL' HeT"''^ °', "^"^"* ^™'"^- But he was n^ Shfi^r' K ^" "u^'''y everything in his system to Riku m.S''?°'^-'^"'''*'^^*^°rthverydearly. ByWsforcefu" «nH i?^ ^"^u ^H°^". ^^ "nderestimates the value of historv and books. He placed much emphasis on introspectSn as t£ source of wisdom, which was to be found in theSt 0^^ Sn^"^ one mqu red about the way. he replied : " If you^ hungry.youeat;ift.red,youre8t. This conduct is signiW lU,^'?^'"''*^'"* "'""'"'= 'PW'" «• "Ko-. "SeUW, .pirif to "Shi". Itt AuisraoNG: Light fkom the East People do not know the deep meaning of these words and so they seek for something external to themselves such as a god or a Buddha." He once said to a student : "Your body is bom from heaven's truth; there is no need to inquire from others for truth. It is only necessary to purify your conscience and perfect your morality. It is not it cessary to burden your hearts with ancient books." He emphasized the value of quiet meditation when one is alone. He said the hours when one is alone and quiet are the foundation of heaven, earth and all things. The mendicant Buddhist priests standing in the gate with their bowls are throwing away the treasure which they possess. All things may be known by introspection, but the priests obey external customs. "You cannot enter the way by studying externals. If you are once enlightened, you will lose all darkness. After men are enlightened there is no need to read the six classics. Just as the quiet moon fills the sky with light, so my heart in quietness is flooded with light." He thought that heaven, the way, reason and the heart are all one. If man would know the way, he must purify his own heart. Thus he thought that all men are by nature good, and by purifying the heart would enter the way. Between heaven and earth all things are diilerent forms of one nature, which in the sun, moon and stars is called heaven. When unseen it governs all things, we call it heavenly ruler;' when it is the energy which causes all things, it is called providence;' when it is lodged in man it is called nature; when it becomes the master of our bodies it is called heart. When all of these are summed up and given a general name it is called nature. Human duty is the virtue which lies in nature, and which is called intuitive wisdom. It is man's duty to reveal it and put it into practice in the real world. Yomei emphasized intuition to such an extent that he ridiculed the Shushi teaching about investigating the ancient classics. He said: "The sages giving the six classics to man resemble a parent giving a memorandum of his property to his sons. The heart is the true property. The scholars of the world do not know that the sacred books reveal what is in their hearts. They are content to study the letter. It is just ■ Jo-Tet, litenlly Upper Eicperor. ' Mei, litcntty comnuuid. AllBMOHO: UCBI FIOV THI EiSt uj whlrK'fcr*"^'^ "? '" ''"•'" "" * <»n"nenlaiy o( the heart feu 'n''{4t:^it:L^:— '/^ -™ ^--^ ancient and modern times. Althoueh we Ho n«f f!!^ absolute truth when we strive after ?tSth!ii u ****'" SfShiU-K^SSrSSi or.heev„,„.i„.-^r„„,jsri",'Rssss S5r?r^X'^-f-''''--"„„e^s -oW S??!!! *i!«*'"K"«hed between conduct and wisdom H- S^'afaplii^^rmrnij^Sli^^^^^^^^^ TtudTv^e/r .SL^Te ::^; €f ?-|- divide the way into knoVng a^d'^;he? dobe £, **' • "^' ?„T- i* 'L^ ■' ^''^ ^ff^* ^ aTrSdyShe^^rfhe end m the beginning. He said- "Wi«1om ? *? v' • • See PUto. i^wo, in Jowett' . tntniUtion, M. P f Asmraoifo: Light fbom the Eam ->; f raally know. Knowing b the principle of conduct; con- duct ia the work of knowing." Yomet at timea appeftra to be in harmony with Socrates' idea that virtue is knowledge, twt in reality he is saying the very oppontc, since Socrates meant by knowledge, speculative knowledge or philosophy. Yontei thought that just as the whole plant is conuined in the seed, so in knowledge lies conduct, and in conduct, wisdom. The desire to go is the will to go. This is the beginning of conduct. The truth and stability of know- ledge is conduct. Intelligent conduct is knowing. Knowing and doing are essentially the same. Shushi said one acts after he knows, but Yomei held that one only knows as he acU. To show this he used a very apt illustration. A dumb man eau a bitter melon. Even though he wished to tell you about it he cannot speak. In order to know, you must eat a piece of it. This is a splendid illustra- tion of his point, that knowing ia acting and that a man only really knows that whkh he has experienced. Yomei is criticized aa being a Buddhiat or a Taoi!> . Hia defence againat thia chaige ia in effect the aame aa that^made by Riku Shozan. He aaid: "The original essence of Buddha reaemblea what we call ' Intuitive knowledge'. Their teach- ing about being alwaya on the watch against luat reaemblea our effort to make knowledge complete. But they do not re- aemble ua in that their heart is selfish; they seek their own self-interest." In illustrating the difference between the teachings of Confudaniam and Taoism, he quotes from "The Great Learning", and remarks that the teaching of Laou-tsze* illustrates shining virtue without reforming the people. A man named Ennen sakl to Yomei: " In so f; as Bud- dhists do not follow passion, they seem to be unselfish. That they do not teach practical mor"'«*y is the only point in which they are lacking."* He repliet xaX in both alike they seek satisfaction for their own selfish hearts. Since Buddhism does not believe in good or evil, it therefore takes no interest in anything; it cannot govern the world. Yomei regarded "Ri" as nature, and nature as "Ri". Heaven and earth compose the ocean of " Ri ". All things omstitute its body. > See "The Great Larniag," Chapter I, lacaon i. ' Literally, human way. I I Amistaoho: Light fiom tbb Ejm „, inner but no outer. "*'^ *° "^ *''* ''*^: it Hm In the discuasion of the naturo «# " v.» fu .l there aeems to be . tlJ^L -^l. *^' (b«*«th or loul) unit>^l^t|« earlier S^'Tk"' P^*~ *''°"«»'» '°^"i this dual "Ki" is still D,*Ln/K»*. \n the Shush, thought apart from our hea^s JheiT^.I^'n*'.'!:^- "* •^'^«* ^^at also teaches a cosS'calS^Jr.r^';* • " " »"» ^e i» this all-importaTt^'ratttK' ^L^Te^' ^"^^ of man, m everythinR. in erasse. «to„I' . • endowment earth. By virtue of it ?«? h ^' •""'.; "*"' '" ''**v«'» "d the same ethkaMaw "' ' " '**'^' ^'^ *" ""^"^ <>' He th'o^htTh'^u:!;'^::^^^'^^^ He«ud: "Lustcom^dally Tttlitdu7Zh'°^ ^"5 •^^'- you neirlect to «w«.„ .» / ."""»e oust on the ground. If limitless. The better vou t^l J?* heart the way will be You must study SyoTar^'Sr^^^^^^^^^^^^ ideal and ch^kinT^n u th^H -"P' * .^his realizing the forming our d^Uy dutv it U f^ T^ °^*''* ^^'^' ^^ P^^- the heart to do eUi Tf ? • ""Portant that we should hVve good as^n 2^ni n rj?"' '-'f ."'^ ^''°"''^ ^^^i-« 2fhVnlTas^; S'b^^me' cLr." ^f^L? 1:^ Before it is human it is the hearTof thp L v Ti! ^^?'? " °"^- mix^with human falsehSi^sVhe^"?. of"^:"'' '"°'"" 1 *^ • ^ "^ *^' "«" s heart is separated from the "n«T«.«ctk».of th.Ad.ticSoc«y. Vol.XX.p«,.p^„. IP'! s'iH 9 H m6 AiMSTKONo: Litmr rioM the East original form". Yontei wm veiy practical. He emphaiited practical virtue. If a man who plants a tree does not forget to nourish and water it, he need not trouble about the branches and leaves or the fruit and blossoms; they will grow naturally. So a man's duty is to nourish the good heart and give it every opportunity tu develop, and it will dosospontanrottsly. Yomei's system, like most pantheistic syst ^ma, dies not logically provide for evil. In so far as he makes «. vi* separate from the original form, his system end', in a dualism, although he would not admit it. Logically all things are a revelation of one nature in which there is no distinction between good and evil, and consequently no place for human duty. This is the case wit.' . all Eastern pantheism. It is not true pantheism since if. ends in a dualism. So Western theism, whether of Oi . Jew or of the Greek, is not true mono- theism since if r> tn the dualism, God versus the Universe. These two poir,. t- « •( view are complementary. The East mvilt the West. The West needs the East. There can be no real pantheism which makes individuality an illusion. If so, we would be explaining the pantheism by the illusion. True pantheism is true monotheism. It provides for personality and ir dividual responsibility. In China Yomei did not hesitate to criticize the Shushi school, which was authorized by the government. He com- pared the evil effect of such teaching to that done by a flood or by wild beasts. In Japan his followers were placed in a similar relation to government teaching. Many of them vere strong, brave men who contributed much to their country . nd its development. Some of them may be counted among liie world's best men. m ). *l ■l|!'-'3 .^1 ' (I 1 i 1 I i \ r Si M !• Chapter II Nakae Tojiu and His School fafh;r Si ^*"d/ather was a samurai, under a daimio, but his father became a farmer. Tojiu, though bom on a far^. waS a boy of great mtellectual promise. His grandfather^Se hjm as h.s heir, took him to Hoki. where TSed Ws fim mental trammg His grandfather was not a skilful writer m Tojm became his amanuensis. At twdve years oT^ehl^ n« Degan to read The Great Uaming" of Confucius When he read the passage. "From the Emperor dow to the mass of the people, all must consider the SSvatbn of the t^^" *Sf-'°°* °^ everything", he exclaimed, "Happy 2e we n«?' oJ!l'T"'.'^'*'°°:*.'""^* ^ ^^^ throughS.^! m! ;u: .^T*"?* ^V^^ *^*^"8 ^°°^ he thought: "Who gave me this food? In the first place, my parente; in the iSnd not forget the blessings we have received from them." both H™^" r°* I? °^"' *"*• '^**'^ t^o years lost both his grandparents. He remained in Ozu studying the Confucian Analects, much to the displeasure of his friLds who thought the ideal of an accomplished^^ lay noJtn d^fTt?4. hi ^^='^.^^^n"'''^^™"«=h as possible ^^nfu^L u ''^' * '^'f^P'^ °' ^^^ Shushi sch^but upon further consideration, the more practical elements of the Yome^hool appealed to him, and he*^became the^t and in |om^e ne^pects the greatest representative of Yomei philosophy hS?^;«S, day when he went to call on a friend he found ^-nJ^^ *="^^P"?K a Kuest. When they saw Nakae ^mg. theguestjokinglyremarked, "Here comes Confuciu?\ NakM angnly retorted that the other was an ignoramus to be despised for his lack of learning. NakS^s » vej. ddigent student and eamesUy sUove tolfiin ir! feet virtue. He practised the strictest self abn^atten. if : . 1' 1- lly I f\ I I 138 Akmstkong: Light from the East He tried to put into practice all that he found recom- mended in the Confucian teaching. He is held up as an example of filial piety. His aged mother, who survived her husband, was living alone in Ogawa village in Omi. Her son wished to go and wait on her in her old age and loneliness. When he was twenty-seven years of age he read a Chinese poem in which it said, "The tree longs to be quiet, but the wind blows. A son wishes to serve his parents, but they pass into eternity' ' . Deeply moved by this, he wrote: "A sojourner, far from his home, feels sad as he welcomes the returning spring; as he listens to the nightingale singing sweetly its song of spring on the plum tree. A tree longs for rest, but the wind blows, but happy am I, my mother is not yet gone away; I must go back, go back." Shortly after this he resigned his position, and went back to take care of his old mother. Other stories are told showing how he sacrificed himself and his own comfort, in order to help his mother, whom he dearly loved. Year by year, he grew in wisdom and knowledge, care- fully studying the four Confucian classics. He strove to practise what he learned, but he found it very difficult to harmonize them with the customs and laws of his day. Sometimes he became quite discouraged, and decided that a man living in that age could not walk in the way that leads to perfect manhood. His failure was due to his effort to conform to the outer letter of the law, instead of laying greater stress on its inner meaning. In the midst of this struggle he found a book by Ryokei expljuning the teaching of Yomei. He was greatly pleased with it, although he objected to the constant use of Buddhist terms. Shortly after this, at the age of thirty-six, he secured a copy of the teaching of Yomei, in the perusal of which^he entered into the true meaning of Confucianism. From this time he was a teacher of Yomei philosophy. Speaking of his conversion to Yomei thought, he said to his disciples: "I was once an advocate of Confucianism as taught by Shushi, and requested you to do everything commanded by the doctrinal law. Now I have found that I was a formalist only. Of course, 'ormality differs from selfish- ness, but, like selfishness, it bmders one from living the true life. You must grasp the meaning oi the teaching Armstrong: Light from thb East 139 of the saints and not strive merely to imitate thpm K« walking exactly as they walked." ^^ In a letter to a friend he wrote: "Until iw^ntl« i u, endeavoured to enter the path S ^rtue byX metlJ^ ^l 2^;t' ' FolTt T ?;"• ^"' \}^ "^^^^ s5meThat1f°a In this way Nakae became the founder of Yomei nhi^n^ Phy m Japan, but unfortunately he did noM^e fonl T myW-n *?™ r ^° "^ ^ "y successor, and propagate K, T -^ ^S.?T«f °"* °"^ P'"^'^ in order to relieve hS ears he said: "Mother, do ..ot worry. I'm somewha^Ser '• slltw "^ ^nutes after she left thT^oom, hTpiSL awlv m^ SJs -^n f •'"' '''T °' ^^"^' ^"J" RaisSTliteTS man, says: In him we have a true Confucian. He himself enjoyed virtue and taught it. He exemplifieS filial pietrif a lo.^l"iretLJ^lf*""l°""^ " '°P^'"' position's hi^ S ^ "^etumed to an obscure country life, in order to be h ni as a godly man ! t! . Is '• il r-' *~ ■ : i- 1 I 1^- 1 - • . «30 Auf strong: Light from the East il! ^i i morning. He did not confine himself to the study of Con- fucianism, but cndtavourtxl to get a knowledge of other studies as well. He did nut like Buddhism for himself, but as his mother was an earnest believer, he read and even explained some of its scriptures. He was slightly acquainted with medicine and taught it to the people. A story is told of one of his disciples who was very stupid, unable to learn either military tactics or litera- ture, and yet was an heir in one of the samurai families. His fathc, perceiving that his son was not bright, decided to give him some mean occupation instead of making him a knight. The son was ashamed of this and decided to become a physician. Nakae had great sympathy for the boy. and undertook to teach him the science of medicine. First, he read him some work on the cultivation of the mind and the attain- ment of knowledge. He read him a fev. lines, and repeated it over two hundred times, spending from ten o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon, but by five o'oclock the boy had completely forgotten all he had been taught. Months and even years passed by, but the boy had made little progress. His teacher was almost out of patience with him, but they both persevered, and finally he did accomplish his purpose. Speak- ing of this afterwards he said: "My enei^ was almost ex- hausted, and if it had not been for his own natural diligence, I would have given up. You are men with ability, far beyond anything that can be compared with his. If you have his diligence and patience, you can attain any goal. " The influence of this Omi sage was very great. Among his converts were many who had been thieves or disturbers of the peace. His village was so influenced by his noble person- ality that there were no thieves to be found, and the people did not even shut up their doors at night. They held him in as much respect as if he were a god, and after his death they built him a shrine, called Toju Shoin. The original shrine was once destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt by the people, who even yet pay their respects to this good man. Even scholars have visited the shrine, and showed their appreciation of his life and work by composing poems to his memory. His greatest disciple was Kumazawa Banzan, his successor. The great Aral Hakuseki was indirectly influenced Amistoong: Light fkom thb East 13, desk, and when I read i? I Y^ a •?'°"'^° ' °" * ^"^"^'s which man^houIdwSk" ThU "f 'l^"*^'"?"^ ^''^ *^y '" career of Arai HakS". *''" starting-point of the influe^S'' VTeJtTs!?'' '*"^r """^ ^ ''""'^ *° »>•« ™°ther's reveals the ?vn.V»i r r '5'™*^ *° '''" grandfather clearly thing. She rephed very earnestly that she w^ doinTexactIv An incident recorded of Nakap Tnii,, .»;,... • • . !■ !.n 'IB 1! '/ ! 13a Armstrong: Light from the East one thing left to do. He must sit down, and by committing "Harakiri" (suicide, by cutting out his stomach), he would prove to his lord that he did not intend to be unfaithful. He prepared letters to his lord, and to his relatives, and made ready to die. At midnight there was a loud knocking at the hotel door; a servant announced that a coolie wished to see him. It was the horseman with the bag of gold. The samurai was overjoyed and offered the coolie a large reward, but he refused. (That was Japanese samurai spirit.) He accepted only a few sen for all his trouble, although he had returned ten miles. "But", said the samurai, " how is it you are so unselfish, so honest, so true? I never imagined I would find such truth in a horseman," Hereplied: " In Ogawa village there is a teacher named Nakae Tojiu. He has taught us that we must choose honesty and righteousness in preference to gain. We villagers all obey his teaching." In the hotel Kumazawa Banzan overheard this story, and was so impressed by it he started for Ogawa village. He met Nakae, who persistently refused to acknowledge his ability to teach Banzan. He even seemed surprised that Banzan should desire such a thing. Banzan insisted, but was refused. It was not until he had remained for over three days and nights at the gate, that Tojiu's mother interceded for him, and Nakae agreed to become his teacher. A samurai from Owari province was passing by Ogawa village, and wished to call at the grave of Nakae. A farmer working in the fields offered to guide him through the narrow foot-paths leading to the grave. On the way they came to a little thatched cottage where the farmer excused himself for a moment. Soon after he came out dressed in ceremonial dress. The samurai thought him very polite. When they came to the grave the farmer opened the little bamboo gate, and very politely paid his respects before the grave. The samurai was surprised at his reverence. He now under- stood that not for himself but for the teacher he had put on ceremonial dress. He asked him if he were a relative. He raid he was not, but his parents had taught him that because of Nakae's influence the village enjoyed peace, families were harmonious and sons filial. They taught him always to remember his teacher's kindness. Armstrong: Light from the East The Philosophy of Nakae Tojiu »33 of his'^fe'lS^'.^trhiJ" ^^^^ "? ^i^''^ - ^- volumes was led to give up 1^X3^ sCl heT*' ^''''°"«'' ^' his first teacher. He saS ''&Z ' IT ?°* 'P*^'' »" of scholar, but I say h"wM «!;« « • "^^ ^''"'*'' ^«« « great was a literary anJa mra^^rS,"?t"av h"""^ T ^''"^ man. Shushi learned tc^uch^L„^i!j^^ ^^ *^ also a wise lative philosopher. vZdlt ^ ^*'"" ""^^'^ * «P«^"- and grew to resemble a Sud JhTst BoT™"' ""^ ?.'"^'^*'"'' great, because they cast out tififk ^ • '"^" "^y ^e called law of nature, and didJo°3arf tolJT''' "^^^ ^''^ divine their own selfish advan^e^ "^''^ ^''^" °"« P^*^" for idealll^Sgh li'atlSS' ^* ^^^^^''^'^-^ ^''^ moral an idea of Ck.J, f„'d a thSr? 0?^'' *° ^^"^ "^^- "« ^ad tended as a basis for ethiS In /","^'-''' ^'^'^'^ *^ »"" relation to others, Nakae gaTe wh^. ^xplamang one's ethical explanationof theun?ve7seand man' ^^^'V^f'^y a religious God. and laid stress u^n^he "Iw ^ mor r.''*'' ^ ^ '^"«' i'^ the realization of it in p^actUni^e ° *^' ~"«='^"ce and denc?ro'S:Sc°'Vtr-"''^""J"°"'^^'^^ -Jth a ten. and real. callSS the^X?tr. '"^'""^^ ^'^'^'^ '« '"finke there is no real eite^ jJe w'^^^'^P^'^'^^hich reason) and "Ki" S^n -l, '^°^''* *=onsists of "Ri" name of all things, ^t S^L^'^'^K "^^''^ the real revealed in all things oilnfr anH • ^"^ '^^ ^^ ''^^n « essentially the same^h, tE'reaTnar?"";^K. ^" .^'''"«« «« revealed in "Ki", and so thouU Ik ^" ^^'^ ^^^' "^^^^e « their sensible manifesJatTon Xt He"f "'J '^ *^^ ^«' statmg that both "Ri" and h^;.. "^ avoids dualism by attributes of one suh^tanJ. ^^ manifestations or •'Ki-' the sensible JorwSthr" I' '^' ^^^ereign. and the sovereign minrworkT R.^L™""'''^''^ ^^^""K*' *hich the ship wWch is dir^tS' ?hf?o " '^^ ^'^"'' ^^ "Ki" without the latter, ^y^'re thai th? v '^T ^° '*« ^ork one f.m^he oth^erTS^tllJ; S^be^^STy^^S ' i| M iil' fcifiM'- ?<:. ■M Armstsono: Light from thb East Wherever you have the one, you have the other. He layt these are the two aspects of God, who is not apparently deistic or transcendental, but is one with the universe. "Ri"and"Ki" are the whole of God. They together constitute the world, but considered as a whoie they become one in God. He says: "Just as a tree has root, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit, so the universe has heaven, earth, man, and one prin- ciple pervades them all. The Infinite, the world, and man are constituted by one element. To know this fact is great joy, to teach it is true science, to learn it is true learning. " In one place he says: "Mind is the unifying reality, uniting reason and the sensible world. Though mind is the master of the body, it is greater than the universe. In other words, it is the creative power which reveals itself through man. " In a letter to a friend he said: "Mind controls 'Ri* and 'Ki*, and if so, then mind controls the world; because they are the consti- tuent elements of the world. Man is the world on a small scale, and the world is man on a large scale." "While the sensible manifestation differs, the principle in everything is the same, and as the principle has no quantitative charac- teristics, we can say that the Infinite and I are one and the same thing. " " My mind is the Infinite. Heaven and earth and all things exist in my mind." "The Infinite is man's true self, and therefore all things are in his mind. To be true to one's self is to be true to God." These quotations show a remarkable idealistic tendency, and like the Chinese teacher whom he followed he could say, "All things are mere shadows originating in one's mind". He recognized the existence of universal law which develops all things. From the stand- point of the universe this is the law of the world. From our standpoint this is benevolence. He says: "Ever since the world appeared there has been benevolence, which is the law of the univerae. " "To obey the law is benevolence. " From hi-- monistic standpoint he tried to explain in a consistent manner the facts of life and death. He taught that from the standpoint of the whole there is no death or life. One who thinks there is truly death and life is not yet fully enlightened. If he could grasp the true fact of the worid, he would find an abiding universal law in which there was neither life nor death. "Man's mind is the mind of the sensible world, but we have another mind which is called A«iisT«owo: Light rtoit the East 13. world. Healed h^<° created the Emwror" S 2-. -^^^ u?^*''*'" °' sometimes "Upper particle "„ darfaL ^ •«./^*^»'e"^. i" a breath, in a ommsci;nt GoS^d bad .^V "°* °"'^ omnipresent, but cannot be hiddTfrS^ Wm H°"' ""^ ^^ *^P'^ ^^''^K^ts. evil by TnZ^ forly^nT • r "* ^PP^°^^ 8«)d and punished evil uysenamgiortune or misfortune resnprtivBiw tk r the divme command ", " Be true to vour^ir^^Jtt-^ eous mind-;. "Be careful of you-Su • 'T o obe^S^^'"-?!-- IS the mean ng of reverenos anH iT^u wL- • ^ ^'°°- ^'*" unive.^ on a "mil ii^''^"" I"".''!''". "Man b >he M t|6 AufiTBONG: Light raoM nil East 'Heaven , earth and man are said to be three existences. They appear different, but they are in principle one. This principle haa no tin. Man's spirit and the infinite must be one." "The conscience is the divine law and the divine command in mind." These quotations make it clear that he thought of conscience in man as God. Thus he thinks that God dwells in man. In this place we see a very great resemblance between the philosophy and the religious thought of Nakac and the Ve- danta philoaophy of India, which teaches that Brahma is not only the one substance of the universe but also of the in- dividual mmd of man. Brahma being the highest, heaven and earth and all thmgs have their existence in him, and yet Brahma is in me. My mind is Brahma. In other words, Brahma is in me and I b him. When the veil is removed I am Brahma. Nakae's point of view was not out of harmony with the loth chapter of St. John and the aoth verse, " I and my father are one", or the 38th verse, "Thou in me and ' in thee", or with the 14th chJHJter and aoth verse, " I am in my father, and ye in me, and I in you". Tojiu thought that as the world's reality is God, I am in God but my conscience is very God; God is m me. So by reflection I can find in him my own inner life, and if by sincere thought I can become unified with God, I become identical with God. While he did not believe in an anthropomorphic God, Nakae's conception of God was personal and anthropopathic, because, though he ascribes to God personal feelings and passions, he could also say, " The universe is the whole of God." "The body of God fills infinite space. He has no voice or odour, but his wisdom prevails throughout the universe, just as man controls his own body." God is the master of the whole universe, just as man is master of a limited sphere. Both are essentially the same. Like the teachings of Oshiwo Chusai, our mind and the universal mind are identical. Nakae exalted the nature of man's mind. " Infinite is the nature of man's mind. Our conscience is one with the greatest reality of all the universe; therefore in it all things exist. There is only one God in all the universe, absolute, not relative. His reality is in our minds and yet at the same time he is omni- present. The universe and all things m it are but the mani- If AtlMTROKO: UOHT rROM THE Ea.T ,37 quotation give. SLe^^'cinSo^^ p^f "" Another clearer fr.r™ ..t-l conception of God in very much JC|ei.a; nothing undone by hi. omSr„ I , «! r°'" i. un/athon^Iue He iMh^Lme'i^'"'"' 'S """■ "» """ wicked, BlllSg ^■^t^S'Z '^'" and Pinishe, .he Man is composed of "Ri" mH "K-.-" /^ «.nsible world). xThighesfrea y of^Lsi7r?s tT'' "'^ whose form is "Ki" and mind "Ri" ny heaven, whole of "Ri" therpfor^ kl • .u \.^ .^"'^ ""^n ''^s the clear and i, 5^25'!° m' TmT' ;£'d.^''™ between superior men and common Z^f°. HW '''"'';«-•"« degn. of ■■ Ri ■• realiMd in each difference in the ' 1 •» ladibud lo Mr. EMu 1, tU. qooa.kii.. I3< Abmstsono: Licht fkom TBI East Mankind has risen from a common wurce, and therefore all men are brothers. He said : " As all things come from one great root, so men are the branches." "As heaven and earth are the great parents of humanity, I and all other men arc brothers, regardless even of race distinctions. Therefore sages perceive only one family in the world, and only one man in an empire. Any man who makes a difference between himself and other men has strayed from the right path." He believed that all men were essentially one in nature. Mencius and Junshi ugreed that man's nature was one and the same in all men. Mencius held that this common nature was essentially good, and Junshi that it was bad. Tojiu agreed with the former view. He said: "If any man acts according to his own nature, his conduct is always good." "Every man bom has essentially the same nature, whether he be saint or common man." "The difference between a saint and a vulgar man lies in piety. The one has piety and scarcely knows it; the other has not much piety and does not realize it." The equality of man is the natural outcome of the teaching that humanity has a common root. Every man has the same latent nature as the sage, who respects virtue above everything, and makes wealth and reputation of secondary importance. Social standing does not make men essentially different. Man's equality lies in his moral nature. He said : "Though there are differences in the social life of man, some being poor and others rich, some noble and others ignoble, yet they are in essence the same." Considering man from the standpoint of nature, all men are equal ; there is no division into noble and ignoble." "Emperor, duke, knight and com- moner are not the same socially, but in their dignity as men there is no difference at all." Tojiu thought every man had a heaven-given conscience or mind. This itself is God, heaven, or heavenly divinity. He said : " Heaven is one with mind." "Our conscience is God in man." In a letter to a friend he wrote: "In mediutive reflection I find God." His view of God as the master of the universe and of conscience as the master of our bodies led him to consider conscience the greatest thing in the world. His "conscience" resembles the original Buddha of certain Buddhist sects. Nakae himself said: "The conscience is ft' AunnoNo: Uobt nom n» Ba«t ijq T»tl»g»t»." Tathaf au ii the reality of all the univem and any one can unite with him. If one tucceeda in abolishing deluMon, not by external power but by one's own intuition* ne ha. learned the meaning of Tathagata. In lome waya .. L?**^"'"' "^mblet this very much. For in.unce, he '**^' lu . conscience ii the true nature of man, and It i> well to walk In accord with its command." "When man'a coMdence u clear his nature reveals itself very clearly." The conscience is divine reason; divine reason is opposed to worldly desires. " "When man's mind is ruled by conTI nee worldly desires are banished; when the desires get the ri. t.ry conscience disappears. If we are really sincere towarc^i .ur •elves, that state belongs to the original heart, beraus.- o ir consaence is sincerity, and sincerity is our conscience. ' Nakae was optimistic. He once wrote: "Joy is tht tri o quality of conscience; the real nature of man's mind is deliKht. in the nature of man's mind there is originally great pleasure." Here he resembles the Vedic thought which teaches that " the •elf which consists of great pleasure is the supreme one", and that the inner self is made of delight, and differs from that which IS the understanding". If man's true nature is reason, whence has evil originated? lo Nalcae good and evil are relative terms. They have no real existence in themselves. In an absolute sense, there is neither good nor evil. They are present in a relative way when we look on human conduct, and pronounce it good or lis '"^^^ ™'"'' '**•' '" neither good nor bad Looking on traces of action that originated in mind, we pronounce them to be good, because compliance with the very nature of mind is invariably right." In thus regarding the mind from these two standpoints, vii., the absolute and the relative, he is following Yomei, who used to say. "The nature of mmd IS absolutely good, and there is no evil in it". He (Yomei) also taught: "That which has no good and no evil is what we call the absolute good." Not being able to account for evil from man's conscience, Nakae taught that it originated in the human will. He said : There are many things that darken the brightest virtue, but their root lies in the will." " Will is the source of all desires and evU. If will prevails, the brightest virtue becomes darkened, and conduct becomes confused and bewildered. 11 i iW /* v'^ il fi 11; :■ I h' 1 I! ^' ^■k 140 AsMSTBoNG: Light raoM tbk East If there is no will, virtue brightens, and things get restored to their original positions." "The root of all evil is the disease, the will." Nakae probably did not give our meaning to the word will. He may have meant something like "desire". If there be desire even in slight measure, the mind loses its tranquillity, and inclines to one side or the other. In this way moral evil makes its first appearance. Here is a difference between Shushi and Yomei. The former said, "Will is the mind's activity"; the latter said, "Will is the inclination of mind wiiich makes it lose its natural tranquillity". The one does not assume that will necessarily inclines to evil ; the other makes it the source of all evil. Nakae also defines will as the condition in which the mind loses its natural position, and not as the mind itself acting. The superior man differs from the vulgar man in not being deluded by selfish desire. When asked where will comes from, Nakae would answer that it is concealed in the mind, and that all evil comes from this concealed will. What Tojiu calls will we may call selfish desire, but as mind is to be thought of as absolutely good, his thought here becomes very obscure, and he fails to add anything to t' problem that still perplexes us. He did not think of it c belonging to "Ki" (the sensible world), for he calls "Ki" the spouse of " Ri ", and says, " It is good and not evil ". On the other hand, he thought of our bodies as being the source of evil, since they are the source of our desire, £md the feeling of like or dislike which springs from selfishness. At times he even calls this selfishness moral evil. He said: " Moral evil comes from worldly desire and not from human nature." A story is told which describes his thought on this rather interesting question. He had one wife and no concubines. She was not very beautiful, so his mother wanted him to send her home and re-taarry. Much as he loved his mother, he refused to obey her in this request. In regard to the relation of man and wife he wrote: "The relation of man to woman is that of heaven to earth. Heaven is strength, and is the origin of all things; earth is receptive, accepting what heaven makes, and nurtures them. Herein is the harmony between a man and his wife. The former originates, and the latter completes." ' ' "Repretenutive Men ci Japui", pace 166. Armstrong: Light from the East 141 tinct"f^m°tlli 'f^ \^ '•'«''• "" '^^'' "The truth is dis- Lints in'^ra (c\trn,tr^rtst:^^^^^^^^ Sr^ *^!r* '° °"' '^"^- ^"' *he truth is rom eternity Before virtue was named, truth prevailed. Before mZZl' there was truth in space, and after he shall have SSa^S' S?de Tu"t Se rr' '^"^ T""^ *° nothfngnXr^i acide. But the law was made to meet the time of need When time and place change, even the laws of saS. °f f^r^ upon the world, are injurious to the cause of truth " dav ni» !IL 7'"^"* '^ °"'' *'"• *« ""St do good day by aay. One good done, one «*vil ^oes Hno^ ^^„ j e;^l daily goes. Like a; the day Hg£. tS^ghtl^ort:!;:' we persevere m good, and evil all disappe^." «"°"«"S' FAMOUS DISCIPLES OF THE SCHOOL OF YOMEI IN JAPAN NitkM Tojiu / ^^^ J"ei-Ok.n. KiMi I Kumaawa Baiuan I ^°*£ Chiyokkao „. .. I Oi Toihiinittu Miwa Shitiai Yanagawa Seigao 0»hio Chuiei ( H**""". ^^ { Hayaahi RyoMi KaMiga Senan-Siwhiio Trtcho, of Mdji Era, . *ate«naii. TJi CHAPrrat III KUMAZAWA BaNZAN Nakae's most noted disciple was Kumazawa Banzan, also known as Ryokai. As a child he was called Jirohachi. He was bom in Kyoto in 1619. He was a very precociouj boy. At sixteen he was made an official by the feudal lord of Bizen, who considered him a very promising young man, worthy of prcwnotion. Banzan, however, felt an irresistible desire for learning and culture. He considered the acquisition of culture the first requisite for a statesman or for a loyal retainer of a feudal lord . Accordingly he resigned his position with the lord of Bizen, and set out for Omi, where Nakae's reputation as a scholar and teacher was very great. He called at Nakae's home in Ogawa village, and asked for an audience with the great teacher, but was refused. He returned home disappointed . This was in August , 1 64 1 , when he was twenty-three years of age. In November he went again, and by urging his case he was granted an audience. He told Nakae that his one great desire was to get culture, and in order to be free to study he had put his parents in chaise of his younger brother. Nakae said to him : ' ' The first principle of culture is filial piety, which requires one to nourish and support his parents. It is a mistake for you to put your parents in charge of your younger brother. If you truly care for them and support them, you can find learning anywhere, and you will thus be able to learn in a true sense." Banzan returned Iwme and tried to persuade his parents to allow him to support them, but knowing his desire for learning, they urged him to leave them. Seeing that he was determined, they offered to go to Omi and live near Nakae, ^o that he could get the desired instruction. So the whole family .T-nved to Ogawa village. Banzan supported them, and studied during his spare moments. Nakae was very sym- pathetic with him in his trying position, for he was very poor and had five brothers and sisters depending on him, in addi- tion to his parents. At first Banzan studied the Chinese classic on filial piety, then "The Great Learning of Confucius", and after that i mi tI V 'f^m. Armstrong: Liwt from the East 143 Akhou^S'h';!"' °^ '^" ^^^"'' ^°P*'"« *he method of Yomei. Although he was very poor he did not cease to studv Hp made the best of every opportunity. VVh^he wl^ twenJi E ^'^UnderT H" '''^ ""^"^^ ^" official orSeSf Bizen. Under his direction the estate became verv oro years of age he had a reputation for scholarship all over laoan "«, tr„; ^frtjs' -« -«" "^ *. si's were aespots in their own territory, and often treated thwr to this, and devised a plan of letting his subjects spe^ At various centres he hung up "Boxes for Advice" ^that the Kt'°V ^ Tf '^'''' "^'"^^ ^"^ "°t reveal the" identity ?„H r/ ''"^^,*^^^^ anonymous letters with an open mind" and endeavoured to treat the people with justice an?"esTct th. .S^ r" ^T"'"^ Confucianism as a means for cult' vaS the people, and earnestly endeavoured to make its tichine! known, opposmg both Buddhism and ChristSitT S^ est^e enjoyed such a period of peace and plS^Sty^that a Japan wondered at it. When he was thirty-Len vea« o Scoi'nt of 'r •'" '°"^- ""' '^"'^ ""'' foot^^d h Jd On account o the inconvenience caused by this accident he reigned his office, in spite of the efforts of his lord to retain ^ro^erin;^L""^f °" '?^ '""^ "^ «•-" employ^ h" Zi.Jh.T^K ^ '^'^ "^ 3000 koku Of rice. Banzan thought the boy was not worth so much, and asked thr^o^H ^o^r^ucehis salary to 300 Icoku. until 'h™ ablet 1°^' JapanTt'S!a?Z'°°^T ^''' ^^^' '" ^y^"'"' '^^ <^^P^ o( japan at that time, and began to study music. He lived verv flut" IbeHilt"' iT"^ ^J ^ ^''^'^'- ''^ was pl^i^g^ Hute, Abe Hida heard him and said : "Any man who can olav Zh '"J^"\"''''\ ^ " ^''^' '"'^"•" In Kyoto he^iS nobes and some Buddhist priests. But with many of the great men of feudal times, when thev became popular tlSr position was dangerous. So when Banzan was at'^the h^t I il .H M4 Amistkong: Light from the East of his power his enemies tried to persuade the official of the Tokugawa government that he was a dangerous man. They said: " Bsnzan is a man of ability, who is admired by all the feudal lords, with some of whom he is on intimate terms. He is also friendly with many of the great nobles, the direct retainers of His Majesty the Emperor himself; he is probably intriguing against the Tokugawa government." The official thus addressed acknowledged the possibility, and Banzan being warned of danger retired to the mountains. Before going, he said: "My moral attainment is not perfect, and my reason is not deep, therefore I have left an opening for my enemy to ruin me; but my ideal is high, for I do not aim at either wealth or reputation. 7 herefore in the future, or it may be in the ages to come, my unselfish idea will be clearly seen. It will be as if a dark cloud passed away, revealing the full moon in all its brightness. At such times the sun seems to shine brighter than ever." In this quotation Banzan reveals an admirable faith in the moral order of the universe. For two years he remained in solitude, studying hard, and earnestly seeking higher moral attainments. After that he took up his abode in Harima. Shortly after this he wrote a letter to the government, demanding reform, and as a result was put under light imprisonment by the Tokugawa govern- ment, which was vivy nervous, because of an insurrection which broke out abo.;' t i i s time. Although the uprising was suppressed, it mau- i e government so timid that they con- fined great men like Banzan and Yamaga Soko to the care of trusted daimios. Ogiu said: "Banzan has the qualities of a great man, and I to Jinsai is a great scholar. There are none to comp£u-e with these two men." Banzan died at the age of seventy-three years. THE PHILOSOPHY OF KUMAZAWA BANZAN Banzan was greatly influenced by his teacher, Nakae Tojiu, from whom his views are largely derived; but Banzan was not a blind advocate of the Yomei school. Some one remarked to him that the school had some points of great worth. He replied: "It has some merit, but it also has its weak points. Many of the disciples of Yomei do not clearly understand the sacred books, «nd are ignoraat of the centnd Awistrong: Light from the East ,45 ?pSt iThf i^„ J„J;7;^ f "-• and think their own was not so bad. At oresent J^Ti ^ \ '''^" Confucianism defect of the Yomei scC"s thVt .v"^' *°° ^°°^- ^he great and accept as best th^t ?^ wh k !k • ^^^^^^'^^ 'ack erudition, drawn. Theybck hi torf-'" ''''''°'^" shallow thought is Buddhism, although tCpme„^^^^^^^^ ° Confucianism or though the school has murh?h.- ^^^'^ "• Consequently, much error." '''' ^''^^ '' commendable, it has also its ad"vi:S':t h ttlrn'tSz' r^ •^'^^"^^ *° --^^ ^^ of his honou^d teacher Nakae Tn^ '°i"^"^" '^^ reputation him why he did not Tnsi-rnn T^^'"" . Some one once asked instead of on his own. and wither heTrT' ^' ^". *^^^''^'-' conceited to do as he was Sf n ^ "°* ^'""'^ ''^ ^as learned great prindDlp!fI ^- ,^«"^an said: "I have them. ThrlpSS5ZSVSrd"4' '? "°^ ^'°'^^« ttme. These principles are nJTf to H '^ ',^''^^''' ^'■°'" ^'""^ *« injure even an insiKnificant " n • V'''' *° *"y «"^: "ot to throne of public ~toh"' ''^ "'^t' '° ^' '"y^^'f <^" the ashamed of evil becausl f ll k • """Khteousness, and to be bright virtue" i:Xl ' bSter 'and'r ' t?' *° ?^^^ ^^'^ principles I do not differ from mJi .. brighter. In these tion of any princ plf must diffi f '"^'^''' '^^' '^' ^P^''^^" knowledge^^ conln^rgmwL T T '" '™^' '"^'^"^ disciple of Nakae's becau^T Ho^\ may not he called a My disciples arTai ScTi £tv to"''"' •^'^ """'^ '' -'^h. they stand on the sfme prind^^^/nL"' ""^'^'.'^"^ '^ comrades." Banzan had learn dth!f ' ^7 ^"' ^'■"'y "^"^^y who. parrot-like, repeated ovJr^K ^ '*^''°'a'" ^^^ "«t ««« Although his own Uieo.^wf'-^''^^L''«''^^°f*''« teacher. Tojiu.fheprincSestThirheridtT' ''""'"k^''^^ "^ Speaking of the influenTo of v • '^^ '"'^''^ *''^ ^^me. "Tojiu readind peru ed the Lr J? v'' ''" ^"^ ''^'^- ''^ '^^^■ to read it also. fLund tr^th n it Ihich' f f '"°"^ "^ even to the present." '^^ ^ '^a^^ retained indin^iThavra:; Sion of hi ^^'"^ ^^"^ ^'^^ «"* '^^ -- from his teacLr xvShe fi !r"; V .'""'*^"*'y^^ poem, which apt y reveals hi H" '"^^^'^^kac he composed a apuy reveals his disposition, " There is no god II— i N'i IlKf t1 ■tli 146 Armstbong: Light fsom the East \ m i r ^ ■-: in the shrine to which all men go to worship. God abides in the heart of man." To this, Nakae in his own characteristic way replied : " The shrine, from ancient times, is like the moon to the heart of man. God shines on him who goes there to worship." In these pc ins we see the constructive tendencies of Nakae, and the almn-i iconoclastic ideas of Banzan. Banzan, because of his association with Nakae, is classed as a disciple of the Yotnci school in Japan, but in fact he did not himself rcalizi- that he belonged to the same -lIiooI as his teacher. In reply to one who sought his opinion about Shushi and Yomei, he said in his outspoken way: "Some say Shushi was a great scholar; he was also a very clever man, well versed in the classics. He has contributed the most able commentary on Confucianism yet written. I do not know whether his comments were acceptable or not, but it is a fact that people a generation after have derived great benefit from his work. As for Yomei, he was a literary man and a great and wise general. He was able to grasp the depth of the teaching of Mencius about original heart and morality. He initiated a new movement in Confucianism, which lays stress on siU-introspection. He thus gave rise to the tendency to direct the attention to one's inner self rather than seek truth in the outer world. We owe much to him for this, because the man who gives his attentifm to his own inner self finds there the true man, and the truths of the classics revealed." In answer to the question whether there were any defects in either of these two schools, Banzan answered : "Shushi, like many other scholars, read very deeply, but neglected to study himself. Shushi was clever in speculation' about things, but not in the study of the heart.' A book may be compared to the footprints of a rabbit which you wish to catch ; but if you can catch the rabbit, there is no longer any need for the footprints. The sacred books are like so many footprints leading us to our deep inner tru< selves, but if we can catch the nature of our true selves, there is no need of the books. It is necessary to get a general idea of books, but it is not always necessary to spend much time on the words and ■ Rigakuri • Reaion. Gaku •• Learning. Rigaku now means physics, but this is not the same. ■Shin.Rishin •heart. Ri" Reason. Shinri is the name now given to Psy- cholog}-, but of course this cannot be translated Ps>'chology. :;*(;= AufSTKONG: Light from the East 147 characters. Shushi stuck too closely to the words and phrases of the sacrtd books. On the other hand, Yomei laid too much stress on benevolence; consequently his method seems to be too simple. It therefore resembles Buddhism." Banzan did not like the criticisms made by the disciples of one school against another. Speaking of this he said : " The disciples of Shushi praise their own teacher and the disciples of Yomei do likewise. Each school tries to cry down the founder of the other. This is a gf- 1*^ fault in both. Yomei and Shushi alike were great men, and neither the one nor the other wished for praise. Both alike desired that truth should take deep root in the hearts of the people. Their aim was that men should attain to the art of true living as perfect men. Then why is there need for quarrelling and division into two sects? Since these two sects have been founded, the true teaching of Confucius has been neglected. This will never do. We must grasp the meaning of these two great men, and, setting aside their various forms, find in each of them valuable fruit. We should eat the fruit instead of try- ing to eat the bark, which is devoid of any real nutrition." Nevertheless, Banzan had a decided biaa in favour of the Yomei school, especially in his method of self-culture. He expressed himself thus: " If I give attention to my inner self, I can find truth; no matter how clever and exact a man's teaching may be, if he does not study his heart, his teaching is empty. A common man becomes a saint through self- exansination." From these quotations we see that Banzan was a true follower of Yomei, though he professed to stand on impartial ground betweon the two schools. His real attitude to the Shushi school is expressed in the following quotation : "The Shushi school explains Confucianism veiy cleverly, but it doe^ not suit us Japanese. The advocates of the school at present eagerly adhere to its ormalism, but they are no- superior to common people." He probably thought it wise not to say too much in regard to the school on which he Tokugawa government had based its system of ethics and education. This probably is the reason for his attempt to take an impartial attitude toward the two schoo's. He is in reality a true disciple of Nakae and Yomei. His views on religion are not without interest. He thought Buddhism was a delusion. The doctrine of trans- ^» I I1 PU m :i 'J^ I4t AmrrsoNO: Ugbt tuom thb East ; 'T' M i migration, which it to fundamental to Buddhists, he put down at unprovable imagination and because the fundamental principle is pure delusion, the whole structure was condemned as a castle in the air. He said: "Buddhistic renunciation comes from the fear of transmigration, which does not exist at all. To think so is illusion. Buddha had this illusion, because his mind's eye was diseased. To share in this illusion is to partake of his disease. Buddhism, which is founded on an illusion, contradicts Confucianism. These two systems are antagonistic and cannot stand together. For an enlightened man Buddhism is a most shallow and ignorant religion. Only the foolish could think it the best. All Buddhists must be foolish. Compare what they call an enlightened priest with the common people, and we find him not superior. You Buddhists aim at renunciation, but you cannot bear to go all winter in summer clothes. You cannot stand the pangs of hunger. Why do you try to do the impossible? It is because you do not know that mind is the living being." He thought Buddhism was the forerunner of Christir aty. "The present Buddhists are the guides to Christian propaga- tion. Both religions believe in future life, but Buddhism is the first step toward Christianity." His first impressions of Christianity were by no means flattering. " It is not difficult to keep back Buddhism, but it is almost impossible to defend ourselves against Christianity, for it is like a disease that takes hold of the body itself. The roots of this disease lie in the superstition and poverty of the people." But later he seems to have learned more about Chris- tianity, for he said: "Christianity is superior to Buddhism, being more reasonable, and having a more clever method of propagation. It cannot be checked by Buddhism, which will be run down by it." In fact, he came to feel that even Con- fucianism would be vanquishf^d by Christianity, for he wrote : "At present Confucianism crinnot expect to become a govern- mental power. It will be vanquished by Christianity." He did not think that even Confucianism was more adapted to the needs of Japan than cither Buddhism or Christianity. He considered Shintoism best for Japan, though Confucianism gave some very necessary elements to the national life. He thought the three treasures, the sword, the mirror and the jewel, which had been handed down through the ages as the AufSTtONo: Light from thb East 149 most precious treasures of the imperial houw, wer« tlie sym- boli of courage, intelligence and benevolence. ' ' These are the foundation of our state, and the foundation principles of our nation. We do not nct-d anything else. To worship Buddha and serve a foreign god is, in other words, to forget our own master and serve a foreigner." Confucianism had done so much for him he could not cast it off, so he endeavoured to combin it with Shi.:toism. He said: "Shintoism and Con- fucianism are originally one and the same thing. They both express the law of human conduct, and show the path that every man should tread. " His interpretation of the meaning of the three treasures reveals Confucian or Chinese influence. After Banzan there were scholars who professed to belong to the same school, but none of them were very directly related to Nakae or Banzan. Some were indirectly influ need by these men, but for the most part they learned their doctrines directly from the writings of the Chinese teacher himself. The following table gives most of the famous scholars of the school. m 'H ^■■|M , -■'■!? ISO Armstrong: Light from the East 111 "'mn I ■■ •' OTHER YOMEI SCHOLARS OF JAPAN Miyake Sekian - Miyake Shunro Nakai Shuan j Tominaga Chuki Nakai Chikusan Sato Isaai f \ Sato Imi Tominaga afterwards opposed Confucian teaching Sato Issai is also counted in he Shushi School. Sauma Shozan- Kawada Sokai Ikeda Soan -Yoshida Shoin — Takasugi Toko Okumiya Zozai -I Takemura Kwaisai Yamada Hokoku { Okamoto Neisai Ichikawa Shinsai Kawajiri Hokin Osaki Guntei Nakae Chomin Kawai Aldyoshi* Mishima Chinshu' Yoshimura Shuyo — Yosimura Hizan HigashiTakusha{Hi!^»;^^Ke«i^^ Nakai ima Sozonsai Kanako Tokusho Yanagisawa Shirio Diidples of Sato Issai during his adherence to Shushi School. { Sawamura Susumu Ohashi Junzo Takemura Kwaisai Sato Kon Yoshimura Sh>n Wakayama Kyoku Yamada Hokoku — Kawada Oko Kawada Ko Sakuma Shozai Hayashi Kwakuryo Mitani Kan Tsukakoshi Un Kikuchi Ri . Nakamura Keiu 'These are chiefly known in Tosa province. *The loyalist leader. *Once a teacho- to the present Emperor. / Yoshida Shoin " \ Kato HiroyuW m Chapter IV KiTAJIMA SeTSUZAN AND OTHERS Without any relation to the school founded by Nakae, Kitajima learned and enjoyed the learning of Yomei. He was bom in the province of Higo in 1637 and died in 1697. In his youth he probably studied the philosophy of Shushi, as he associated with Kazan's son, Kinoshita Junan, and other scholars. He made such progress that he won the reputation among scholars of being one of the best in Japan. He was afterwards converted to the school of Yomei, and became an ^est teacher of that philosophy. As retainer to the lord of Kumamoto, he enjoyed a quiet and peaceful life, teaching his students. He received from the feudal lord a salary of 400 koku of grain. In 1669, while he was yet in his thirty-second year, an edict was issued by the lord of Higo, ordering every official who was teaching Yomei philosophy to cease doing so. This came as a great shock to all Yomei teachers, but Setsuzan consulted with his friends, and dec ded to resign his office. He said : "It is not manly for one to give up his faith, and act contrary to what he believes, merely that he may receive his salary." He immediately presented his resignation, saying: "My principles have been received from Yomei philosophy, and my conduct towards my parents and sovereign have all been derived from the same source. I cannot give up my principles for all the world. If I could, it would mean the loss of my loyalty and my filial piety. I must resign my office. Farewell." His loyalty to his convictions won the admiration and respect of his lord, who was very reluctant to let him go. Before leaving the place Setsuzan put the house he had been occupying in order, cleaned up the garden, and handed them oyer to his lord, who felt such sympathy for him that he gave him three years' salary in advance. At this time about a score of prominent officials gave up their positions because of the attitude of the government to the philosophy of Yomei. The school had been condemned by the government, largely because it inspired men with the spirit of equality, and because its adherents were loyal to the r^ i f, •f i ^ ^ I ■t^ i i 152 Armstrong: Light from the East Emperor, who had become almost powerless in the hands of the Tokugawa military rulers, who were constantly in dread of a revolution which would rob them of their power. After this dismissal Setsuzan was free to follow his own will. He was not ashamed to dress in inferior clothes, even though he had to appear among nobles. He pridedjiimself in the fact that clothes did not make the man. If he saw a man shivering with the cold, he would take off the kimono he was wearing anc' give it to the man, and then hasten home with nothing but his loin cloth to cover his own nakedness. He was an indefatigable worker. His knowledge of the Yomei philosophy was not obtained from any teacher, but was the result of his own application and study. His in- fluence in educational circles was not so great as his youth gave promise. After his resignation from office he gave him- self up to endeavour to excel in writing Chinese characters. Influenced by the attitude of the government toward Yomei philosophy, he did not write any books of importance, though he wrote one on an historical topic. Finally, he became very skilful in writing Chinese characters. Mie Shoan, who was bom in Kyoto about two hundred years ago, became a scholar of the Yomei school through read- ing the great book of Yomei. He says he read and reread the book before the meaning became clear to him, but when it did, it was very satisfying. He wrote a couple of books on philosophy for his disciples, among whom Toyomitsu Nori- mcto and Murakami Meiryo were fame s. According to him, conscience is the divine light in the mind. It is eternally immutable, possessed by all men, who are therefore of the same original nature. Men are sages, and superior in pro- portion as they retain this divine light. ' ' The teaching of the sacred books aims to make man faithful to his conscience. If we hang up the motto, 'Awaken your intuitive knowledge',' and realize it in our lives, we can get real good from the sacred books. If we do not, we cannot get any real merit from them, and our learning is in vain. Therefore this motto (literally, these three Chinese characters) is the centre of all learning, 'Conscienre and Intuitive knowledge are literally the lame, "Ryochl wo itasu". Ryo— Good. Chi— Knowledge. Intuitive knowledge, sometimes translated conscience. The ordinary man's conscience ia clouded and vague. This teaching aims to bring it out and make it clear. Armstrong: Light from the East 153 and the first principle of the teaching of the previous sages. This is the essence of Yomei philosophy." Shoan also emphasized the importance of the relation of parent and child. " It is not difficult to have filial piety when your parents are loving and kind, but true filial piety requires that we serve and treat with kindness parents who are cruel and unloving." "As children are reproductions of their parents, they are the parents themselves. Since parents divide themselves in their children, we can see the parent in the child. It follows that for parents to let their children go uneducated is for them to do injury to themselves. This is the beginning of filial piety." He also taught that all men are by nature equal, and tried to show that the real difference between a sovereign and a vassal, is due to circumstances rather than to any real difference in their natures. " Birth makes men vassals or sovereigns. Essentially all men are the children of the universe. Therefore all men are brethren." He was pantheistic in his viewpoint, holding that "Ri" and " Ki " were one and the same, and therefore all things are one. Miyake Sekian was bom at Kyoto in 1665. When a boy he was very studious and diligent. He lost his parents at an early age, and as he devoted his whole time to study, he became so poor that he had to sell all his possessions in order to get enough to live on. One day he said to his younger brother, Kwanran, who was also very fond of study: "We are very poor, but if we are content to live on plain food, and dress in inferior clothes, this money will keep us going for several years." They studied together until their funds were exhausted, and then thev went up to Yedo and opened a private school, which scarcely supplied their needs. Some years later Sekian went back to Kyoto where he fell in with a nobleman from Sanuki, who invited him to come and teach the young men in his c ^. He accepted the call, and spent four years in Sanuki , ..ere his influence was great. The moral condition of the people was improved and their love of learn- ing awakened by his earnest effort. Leaving Sanuki, he returned to Osaka and began to teach the doctrines of the Shushi school. His disciples planned to build a school for him, and petitioned the government to make a grant for this purpose. The government know- ing the fame of Sekian, granted a plot of land for the ^ i m !h! [ \ \ m If } !«- ti 154 Armstrong: Ligh'" from the East school, and appointed Sekian ^ principal, though he several times refused to accept the position. Sekiap was a simple, modest man, kind-hearted toward all men. His one subject of conversation was "Humanity" (benevolence). He dressed in cotton clothes, and throughout his life never once put on silk. He was finally convinced that the Yomei school excelled all others, and becamn a staunch believer in it. His efforts to propagate the doctrine of the school were very successful. He did not depreciate his former learning. He says : " Shushi and Yomei are both great scholars. The disciples of each school depreciate the founder of the opposite school, but the fact is that the founders are not enemies. They are one in purpose and aim, and only differ in method. In one word, I would express their aim as this, to sacrifice themselves for society." Sekian died at the age of sixty-six years. He left a few books in which he expressed his opinion of Yomei philosophy. I t Chapter V MiWA Shitsusai Miwa Shitsusai was born in Kyoto in 1669. His forefathers had been Shinto priests, but his father was a physician. He lost his mother when he was fou', and his father when he was fourteen years of age. When he was eighteen he went with a relative. Omura Hikotaro, to visit a temple in Kitano, in Kyoto, and there in earnest prayer and meditation they requested the god to indicate what occupa- tion in life they were to follow and the best means of obtaining success. Receiving the answer that Shitsusai should become a physician or scholar and Hikotaro shoi'ld become a merchant, they set out together to Yedo. At Shinagawa, on the out- skirts of Yedo, they parted, agreeing to meet at Nihonbashi, in the evening of the same day five years later. Shitsusai then entered Yedo, and became a student of medicine under several of the best physicians of the day; but the following year he became a student of Sato Naokata, a noted Shushi scholar. This was the beginning of his career as a scholar. Naokata was a very influential teacher, and taught one of the feudal lords named Sakai. The application and natural genius of Shitsusai enabled him at the end of a very short time to take his teacher's place in case of necessity. When Shitsusai wat; twenty-two, Naokata introduced him to the feudal lord, who gave him a salary and a free house, thus making him independent. Shortly after this, on the evening of March 3, he went to the bridge to meet Hikotaro. When he arrived with a servant, he found his friend with a servant waiting for him. They spent the night talking over their experiences, and parted in the morning without having told where they were living, but agreeing to mc c in the same place in three years. At the end of that time Shitsusai took four servants and went to the bridge, where Hikotaro was waiting for him with ejcactly the same number of servants. Shitsusai now told his friend he was a teacher and the recipient of a large salary from a feudal lord. Hikotaro told how he had opened a business on a small scale, and had gradueilly increased it until ! i > if 'mBm it ■ hi^ '^^^^E |f t . '1 1 M f n^^^B^' i i ; i. :^ijl ■ * / .nflJI^E r >■ II- ^ ""H i "K B 4 : I t.\ w i 1 ', 3k '- ' ' ' il- m t ■ -. ; l-: mM s 1 t : ( i i ■H H ■ \ 1 > i > 1 ilB' M^^h^ ._L i' ■ 196 Auf strong: Light ptoii the East at the time of their second meeting he was worth much money, and able to employ a large retinue of servants. From this time the two friends met and enjoyed each other's com- pany as they had done when boys together in Kyoto. Hiko- taro is the founder of a well-known mercer's store, known in Japan as Shirokiya, and for generations every master of that store has been known as Hikotaro. While Shitsusai was taught In the Shushi philosophy by Naokata he was es^erly investigating other schools of thought of which the Yomei school pleased him most. When Naokata heard this he was very angry, and refused to have anything further to do with him. This action nearly broke Shitsusai's heart, but he would not give up h'« convictions. When Naokata saw that he was not prompted by mere pride of learning, or by any other inferior motive, he was quite willing to renew the former relationship. He admired Shitsusai because he was moved by nothing, except a pure desire for the truth. One day Naokata became very ill and sent for Shitsusai, but when he arrived his teacher and benefactor had breathed his last. He was filled with grief, and wrote many poems expressing his deep sorrow. Only a Japanese can appreciate the beauty of these sayings, but we will try to give the mean- ing of one of them. "Just as the full m >on to-night is covered with a dark cloud, so our beloved teacher, kind and good, has been concealed from our eyes. No sorrow can be greater than this." After a journey to Kyoto and Osaka he returned to Tokyo, opened a private school, and gathered around him many students. He worked hard to propagate Confucianism, and made a very important contribution to the higher life of Japan. Shortly before his death he returned to Kyoto at the age of seventy-six. In the fourth year of Kwanpo on January 23 he was taken with severe illness, and knowing the end was near, he shaved his beard, and worshipped at the ancestral shrine for the last time, bidding the god a long farewell. Next day he sent for hib relatives and servants, and said good-bye to them also. Then he requested paper and brush, and wrote: "Miwa Shitsusai died January 25, fourth year of Kwanpo" (1744). The next day (on January 25) his spirit took its flight. Armstrong: Light prom the East 157 Shitsusai enjoys the rather enviable reputation of being one of the best composers of Japanese verse among Confucian scholars. He was a good writer of Chinese poems and Japanese prose. Among his Chinese poems there are many excellent ones. In one of them he says: "Do not criticize other people. To do so is to make a mistake. If one makes a mistake himself, how can he correct others? Do not criticize other people." In a letter he expresses his opinion of human life. " In former times it was said that truth is in the human mind, and is manifested as clearly as the sun. It is as a great road which cannot be overlooked by any one. All human conduct comes from the mind, as do also like and dislike, good and evil There is no excuse for not knowing this great fact. Why then does man not walk in this way illuminated by his conscience i^ This way is well said to be near man, and easily realized by him. Since the death of Mencius scholars have forgotten this fundamental principle, and have sought after the mere letter of Confucianism only. They have mistaken the branches for the trunk or root. As a consequence, a whole lifetime cannot root out the foolish and harmful lusts which hide man's onginal good nature. More learning seems to increase man's haughtiness, and the better a man is informed in the letter the more hypercritical he becomes. To-day every scholar insists on his own ideas being the true ideas of his great master. Alas, Taoism and Buddhism are better than the Confucianism of to-day. Even a genius or a virtuous man would find It difficult to elevate the principles of Confucianism to their onginal place. But as I have already said, the truth 18 not far from one's true self. It is like the sun in the sky or like a wide path. If we turn back unto ourselves, we can find the truth clearly, without fail." His most important work was the publication of Yomei's greatest book, " Denshuroku ". Afte. the death of Nakae and Banzan Yomei thought declined in Japan, but the publication oJ this classic revived interest in it. Shi usai had great reverence for Nakae, whom he considered the greatest man since Yomei. He said- "The revered teacher, virtuous and orthodox, is the founder of true Confucian thought in Japan. He taught it, and the people have lovingly followed his example, respected his virtue, and «ii| ■ ? • ( ; ■si f- ; 158 Armstrong: Light from the East put forth earnest effort to do Rood and become virtuous." Once he visited Ogawa village uJ delivered a lecture. Under his voice the people wept, and regarded him as Nakae Tojiu come to life. He was first taught by a famous Shushi scholar, but was converted to the philosophy of Yomei at the age of thirty. In a letter to a friend he mentions this fact. " I read Yomei's book t he first time when I was t^'irty years of age. 1 felt I received help from it, and I ha' oked upon the method of Yomei as the true one since then, and have endeavoured to act according to it." From that time, without belittling tie teaching of Shushi, he tried to show the superiority of the Yomei school. Shitsusai's teaching j vciy practical. He thought there were ten steps in the attainment of perfection or sainthood. The first one was the determination of one's will. Ihe soul is the crystallization of heavenly reason, and will is the action of the soul. In the soul there is no evi , and therefore in me will there is also no evil. It is of the very nature of the will to will perfection. To will heresy is unnatural, and arises from delusion. The term found in Confucian boolis for will im- plies that we will the orthodox. To will to attain perfection is the end of learning, tht all and in all of learrmg. To have the will determined to attain perfection is the realization of reason. We should concentrate our wills, as a cat fixes its eye on a rat. Though v ? have our wills fixed firmly there are desires that are opposed to it, which cover its bright light as the clouds cover the sun. Then the conscience becomes darkened, and the will is overwhelmed by desire for worldly things. We must take care therefore to reprove and humi- liate ourselves if we see any tendti.cy for desire to subjugate will. " If we are not careful even in little things, great virtue will be destroyed. V'ords and actions are the clothing of the will. If we are imprudent in speech or action even in things that appear insignificant, the will' will be chilled. Right- eousness and the way are food for the will. If we do not obey these, the will will starve. I i it is chilled and starved, even though we try to lash it into action it will not move." ■ Kokoroiashi (Will) originally was written the " Going Heart." " i : ? 11- i' I; in I- ]:■ AuisTKONG: Light from the East 139 The Becond step is to be Hcnsible of sha it. Both body and soul come from our parents. In a sen^e. tiiey are our parentf themselves. If our true nature is injured, it is as if we have killed our parents. We would count the man who Killed our parmts our mortal enemy, and follow him until we had taken vengeance on him. Why. then, should we not seek to destroy our inner enemy, and count him as one who kills our parent!.? He is within our reach, and if we do not kill him, we should oe ashamed of our neglect to our parents. Truly such disgraceful neglect should cause "s to feel contt mot for ourselves. The third step toward perfectio is filial piety and brotherly love. These are tl - virtues which produce all things m the universe, and in man become righteousness and humanity, filial piety and brotherly love. These virtues are natural to every man. but his will must be firmly fixed before he can realize them in himself. Apart from man's will he cannot reveal his true nature. The next step is to nourish " Ki ", our bodies. " Ki " is the life of the body which feels told, warmth, pain and pleasure. It is not separable f.om the soul ; the latter may be considered as the living ^^nteiit, and the for.ner as the vssel. If the will be fixed in righteousness, the body will assist the 'oul. becoming one with it. They will act together as they . ^ht to do. But if the body prevails over the will, the moral consciousness will become weak and dim. Therefore, sages end philosoi hers fix the will first, and do not permit the body to follow its own vbitrary way. With the will thus fixed, the Ixxly must obey reason (the orinciple "Ri"), and there is no danger of degeneration, h. short, though the body has an independent function, it must be go>emed by the soul. It should be nourished and fed, that it may become the strong energy that Mencius caLied "the universal energy".' If the body becomes strong, and is subject to the soul, then we can withstand anything. The fifth step is generosity. Man's iture is good 'oy the will of heaven. The virtue of the soul is as broad as heaven and earth, and so man murt be as broad as his v"-tue. It is ^^"T sight to see man. under the influence of nr .ural desire, .«^ 'l'^?*', "2 ^.'" '•♦era'jy Gre».t ."Ki", but uiually applied to righteousncM. and may (rtcly be tranilated the spirit of righteoutncM. '^ukicw, ii ' i 160 Akmstkono: Ligbt fiom thb East becoming narrow. Wc mutt cut out dewre and become broadminded, and then we shall be able to understand the Bacri-tl teachings. The good acts of a narrow-minded man are supt'rficial and unnatural. He is too much concerned about his social position, and has no firm foundation for thought and action. The sixth step is to keep our temper calm. An ordinary person has not always an even temper. It changes from time to time. When the temper is calm, the soul comes to con- sciousness, but when the temper is bad, this is impossible. Therefore, tranquillity of temper is a necessary condition in the realization of our nobler natures. If the temper can be subdued and kept calm, we shall be conscious that every good act comes from our inner natures, and is a part of our own souls. When we reach this stage, all uneasiness of mind, bad feeling toward others, and sorrow, which torment ordinary people, will be banished, and peace will prevail in our inner world. The seventh step is self-examination. Language is the voice of the soul, and conduct, the footprints. Selfish desire destroys the harmony between the soul and our conduct. If our language and our conduct are in harmony, it may be as a result of our conscience, or it may spring from selfishness. Man alone knows h>s own motive. So he must exa. 'ne himself and cast out selfishness, in order that his so-1 may .lave a chance to realize itself. If we examine ourse>ves, w«! can find within ourselves divine reason which is universal and in all things. We do not need to seek in the outward world for the reason found in ourselves. The eighth step is to develop our intuitive knowledge or conscience. We have innate knowledge, which Mencius called inborn virtue, and which resembles conscience. This is where men differ from animals. Learning aims to develop this true nature of man. In the ordinary man the higher nature is darkened as by a cloud of selfish desire and social anxiety. Sometim is this nature comes to the surface in the manixer mentioned by Mencius, when he said that even a thief will save a drowning child. This is a manifestation of the inborn virtue. The act is not the result of meditation, but comes from the sudden stimulation of this inner nature. Every man has a conscience. He can distinguish between f •: AUISTKONO: LiCH- FKOM THl Easi I6l good and evil. This is innate knowledge. It isthelllustrioua virtue. If a man realize his nature, he can clearly distin- guish between good and evil and escape self-deception. He can then always Ix- true to himwlf . The ninth step is to be careful in thought, word ^nd deed. Thought is the movement, speech the voice, ,id conduct the footprints of the soul. Every man has these three, but they arc not always true to the soul itself. There- fore we must be careful not to think, speak or act faUely. Wc must first inquire from our higher sff if we hould realize the truest thought, speech and actioi The last step in attaining perfection is to strike the mean. An ancient sage said that selfish desire was strong and conscience weak, and that therefore we must be careful to seek the mean. This great truth has been handed down from the sages. Man has a body and with it a tendency which separates him from the right way. In the ordinary man, without any higher ideal, selfishness prevails over conscience, which, thus Dppressed, i^carcely shows itself on the surface of his thought. This was what led the sage to remark that conscience was weak and desire strong. It is tur conscience that dist^guishes between good and evil, and not the body. But the separation from good and the approach to evil comes from the body. Men criticize themselves from the standpoint of self-interest. Selfish desire and our original nature cannot stand together, If one is strong, the other loses its footing. Therefore, sages were diligent to overthrow selfishness and give true heart its proper place. This was their one object. This is the end of learning. "What is the mean? It is the soul. To walk in the way of righteousness, by unceasingly examining ourselves, and by being watchful over ourselves even when we are alone, in this way we can perceive and strike the mean, and in this way our consciences will always be bright." l!i IS^ iii ;! '• •■■> \ '-t i<: ■ ■* Chapter VI Nakane Tori and Hayashi Shihei Nakane Tori was born in Idru in 1694. When Nakane was thirteen, his father, who was a physician of some reputation, died; and his mother thinking to secure salvation for her husband, made her son a priest. At this time they were believers of the Zen sect, but Nakane did not like the way they neglected books and laid stress on meditation and intuition, so he went to Tokyo and became a priest of the Jodo sect. Here he began to study very earnestly the Buddhistic canon. The abbot of the temple was acquainted with Ogiu Sorai, the noted scholar of the classical school, and often spoke of Tori to Sorai, who thus became rather interested in the young man. At nineteen years of age he was niaking such progress that he was looked upon as one of the coming scholars of Japan, even by Sorai. One day when he was forced to rest because of sickness, he accidentally picked up the teaching of Mencius. He was struck by the truths he found there, and exclaimed with strong feeling: "Truth is simple and broad. Why should we carelessly follow Buddhist deception?" Shortly after this he went home, and requested his mother to permit him to give up all thought of becoming a priest. She was very reluctant to grant his request, but his uncle, who overheard the request, interceded for him, saying that it was a pity that such a wise and clever youth should be buried as a hermit. Obtaining his mother's permission to leave the temple, he returned to Tokyo. After his hair had grown long he called upon Sorai, who was quite displeased that Tori had taken such an important step without first consulting him, for according to Japanese custom he should have done so. Tori, however, was too independent to care. In his twenty- third year he published a criticism of the views of Sorai, and pleaded for some more adequate conception of truth. After that he spent two years with Muro Kyuso, in Kaga province, and again returned to Tokyo. For a time he became a merchant in Kamakura, selling Japanese clogs. A. story is told that while he was there, he sold out all his books juid clothes, so that he might buy medicine and food for a sick Armstrong: Light from the East 163 friend, who was too poor to help himself. He did not stay there long, but moved to Tokyo where he remained for years, teaching young men and selling needles, thread and sandals for a living. He was nicknamed "Sandal Teacher". If he was fortunate enough to make a large sale of needles and thread, he quietly remained at home and studied till he was forced by lack of food to go out again with his wares. He now bought Yomei's book, but not knowing its true value, he read it very carelessly at first. Soon he became mtensely interested in it and said: "The true method of ConfuciMiism is explained in this book. Why did I not read this earlier?" From that time his views were completely changed. When he was an old man at Uraga, living with his rela- tives, he wrote several essays explaining the "All-One- Theory", or Pantheism. He died at the age of seventy without any family. His works were published by his dis- ciples after his death. Being a pure-hearted man who lived a righteous life, not caring anything either for wealth or reputa- tion, he was very much respected. His filial piety is famous. His father, who used to drink wine to excess, often returned home very late at night, but Tori always remained awake to help him. One night, his father being unusually late, the boy became uneasy and went m search of him, and found him lying under a tree, where he had fallen in his drunkenness. Not being able to persuade the old man to stagger home, he went and asked his mother for a mosquito net, explaining to her that the place where the old man was lying had other guests, and he needed a net. He then went and hung it from the tree, and remained watching his drunken father until morning. Tori was rather skilful in both prose and poetry, but in his later days he gave himself up to the practical teaching of the Yomei school. He was as independent asfhe was changeable. First a priest, then a student of Sorai of the classical school, then of Muro Kyuso of the Shushi school, he finally became an earnest believer in the teachings of Yomei. His convictions were then permanently established, for the more he studied this philosophy, the more firmly he held to it. Like Yomei, he was a pantheist. He insisted on the oneness of all existence. All things are one in essence and are IB !. ri U^: a "■•! ^ ■ 11 ' f i; \ f I I ■ 8 1 i ■ " i :. ■ 1 \ ^ ! •,:' 't 164 Asmstrong: Light from the EIast nr.t absolutely different from each other. He held that the truth of the "All-One" was the foundation of morality. Heaven and earth are one great person. The male and female principles are his breath, and the seasons are the expansion and contraction of his body. There is no absolute indivi- duality; what seems so is merely a name. The essence of all things is one. He personified existence and thought. " Man is the mind of the universe, which is his body. The universe is the complete man, and the man is the universe.*' He emphasizeH this idea very strongly. Only that man who realizes his oneness with the universe can attain perfection. Man should aim to reproduce in himself such a man as is seen in the unity of existence. If man can attain this ideal, he will be able to crush out selfishness, which is the opposite of morality, and which results from a dualistic view of the universe and an individualistic view of man. The essence of this great man's nature is benevolence. He said : " Heaven and earth are said to be the great parents of all things, of which man is the most excellent. If heaven and earth are the parents, then all things are their offspring. Parents and offspring are one in essence. Again, man is said to be the virtue of heaven and earth, or the mind of the universe. Thei; the universe is his body; body, mind and virtue are one, and not separate from each other. All things which we see in the universe are essentially the same thing, just as in the body we have eyes, mouth, ears, nose, neck, feet and shoulders, all in one. Some of these members are noble, and some are ignoble; but spirit penetrates into all of them, and shows that they belong to one unit. Humanity is one body." If man can understand the oneness of the world, the difference between self and non-self, between I and another, will be abolished, and the barrier of individuality will dis- appear, and he will realize the identity of the world and himself. He tried to show that humanity or benevolence comes from this realization. He said : ' ' The aim of learning is but to abolish the 'fence ' which separates man from man. In other words, the distinction between 'he and I' will be abolished when we are truly educated. If a man will thus crush his selfishness, he can immediately realize humanity or benevolence." "The aim of the learning of the sages is N^hSI *' Armstsokg: Light from the East i6S to perform benevolence, which arises from the conviction of the oneness of all things, in which all virtue lies. There are an mnumerable number of different things in the universe but their essential nature is the same as that of the universe! Their body is the body of the universe. The universe and humanity are one, and my parents, brothers, and all men are my self. Sun, moon, rain, dew, mountains, rivers, birds, animals and fish are also my self. Therefore, I should love and sympathize with others, because they are 'my self' and not separable from me. It is not difficult to learn this truth, but It IS the end of learning. Why do the scholars of this age aim at erudition, foi^etting this simple truth?" He fea, ■=k1 that the scholars were neglecting the spirit and laying hold on the mere form of Confucianism, so he said : An ordinary man thinks learning consists in reading books. He thinks if he can understand and explain the latter, he has succeeded. But the central point of Confucianism is simple, and wntten in large letters which need no explanation. I cannot understand why so many scholars endeavour to read difficult books and explain difficult phrases, instead of grasp- ing the true nieaning of Confucianism." In a letter he wrote: All the truth of Confucianism is implied in the four sacred books and the five ancient classics, and in the books by Yomei called 'Denshu-Roku' and 'Bun-Roku'. We need not seek the truth outside of these books." Tori's moral standard is so admired that some say he almost attained to the standard of the sage. In another letter he said: "Students of holy learning should conquer selfishness and cultivate virtue. If they do so, they will understand the oneness of the worid and have peace of mind Then they wUl feel as if the dark worid had become light, or as if they had been relieved of a heavy burden, or as It the blind man had opened his eyes. Past sin, remorse and ajrrow will become as if it were last night's dream; peace will hll then- souls. To grasp this truth will not cause them to tire of their studies, for they can now enjoy what they learn It is my great regret that both teachers and students spend all their energy learning the letter, neglecting to seek peace of mind. I myself did not know this great truth for many years, but henceforth I shall enjoy it." Ji 1 s ■ i ■ i ! i ■ ' ! ! .■ ■ ! '' >1 ; ; ■ /jI '. • i * ;: 1 ! 1 , 1 i 1 i > j \: \ 0| M , '' ^ Ah 11 166 Armstrong: Light from the East *' Ambition for a good name hinders learning. We must forget the name and seek the reality. Every one is more or less afflicted with the disease of wishing for a good reputation. I confess I myself am not free from this disease. Of course, desire for a good reputation is not wrong in itself, but we must make it our chief aim to aspire after righteousness. Holy leammfc cares little for reputation, but honours righteousness. A man who cares only for reputation will not do good for its own sake, but simply to enhance his reputation. He will cringe before the opinion of others. A great name, without righteousness, is not only worthless but shameful. I do not envy any one his name, but I desire righteousness. If our thought and conduct is righteous we can enjoy peace and pleasure in our souls, which the criticism or slander of others cannot disturb. We shoaJd not mistake the stone-reputation for the jewel-reality. They are very different." Hayashi Shihei was bom at Sendai. He was an eccentnc man. His books were all condemned by the government. One of his poems was called "The Sue No Poem". It says: " I have no parents, no wife, no son, no block for printing, no money, and I wish for 'no death'." He used to sit in his room, scarcely ever going out. He died at the age of fifty-six. He taught that every man has a conscience. One should recognize one's conscience and endeavour to do good. " Every man has a conscience to distinguish good from evil. This intuitive knowledge of good and evil is conscience. It is not the result of study, but exists naturally in the heart of man, and is divine. Therefore, every man should consult his conscience in everything pertaining to daily life. To obey conscience, one must conquer himself. This is courage. He said that it requires courage to do what the sages, Buddhas or Shintoists teach, but it is also necessary, in order to realize the noble personality of a true samurai, and is essential to the struggle for higher life. Sato Issai i )!• i; .<1 Chaptbe VII Sato Issai and Oshiwo Chusai Sato Issai was bom in Yedc in 177a, His father and his grandfather were samurai . As a boy he was a skilful fencer, a clever student, and was especially expert in writing Ch nese characters. At nineteen years of age he became the retainer of the lord of Yuwamura, but after a year's service gave up his position and went to Osaka to study under Nakai Chi- kuzan, a famous teacher of Chinese philosophy. He also studied in Kyoto for a time, under Minagawa Kien, but returned to Osaka after a few months' absence. When he returned, Nakai handed him this maxim: "After suffering, one rests. After falling, one stands again." Being told it came from Yomei, Issai decided to s^'idy the Yomei learning. Ifn 1793, Issai, who is best known as an educationalist, became a regular teacher of Confucianism, and made tours through the country accompanied by his father. He received invitations from various lords to teach their retainers, but accepted that of Lord Hirado ia Nagasaki. After spending several months there, part of the time in association with a scholar from China, he returned to Edo, where as a govern- ment teacher he afterwards had very many disciples. He died at the ripe age of eighty-eight years. His most noted disciple was the great loyalist, Sakuma Shozan. Issai was a literary genius. Both his poems and his prose are very much admired. His works are nearly all preserved. Many critics say of him that he was outwardly a Shushi scholar, but at heart a scholar of the Yomei school. If he took this false attitude, it was doubtless because he was in the government employ, and for that reason it was unwise for him openly to advocate the Yomei philosophy. He was not the only scholar who tried to harmonize these two schools, but it is to be regretted if the fear of authority caused him to be untrue to his convictions. Issai did not formulate a new system, but his knowledge was very wide. Speaking of "Reason" and "The Sensible World", he said: "All things are divisions of the universe. Reason does not exist outside of the sensible world. Reason hP' ; El ■> '. i s- ; ' 'i ; I $ \ i ii % ' U ' t. 1 |1 1 168 Abmstsong: Light from the East and the sensible world are essentially one. We can dis- tinguish the one from the other in that one is the principle, and the other is the action. Reason governs, and the sensible world acts. Without the governing principle here is no action. The principle is revealed in action. Tliese two are one; to separate them, and to insist that they are two, is a disease of scholars." He was, like Yomei, a monist. He was also a fatalist. He believed all things follow their predestined course. " Man and society, day and night, the four seasons, birth and death, rich and poor, noble and ignoble, are governed by an unchangeable law of necessity. We cannot se*- the working of this law. It is like the machin- ery behind the puppet show. Many men who do not know this law, relying on their own knowledge, attempt the im- possible. They are to be pitied." "Natur- and human affairs change gradually. Necessity cannot be put of! in the distance or brought near. It comes at the appointed time." Issai left no place for freedom of will or for human responsi- bility, for he had not yet learned that there is a difference between external and internal necessity. Man is determined, but he is largely self-determined. Issai believed that mind comes from heaven, and dwells in the body which is of the earth. "All things have their respective sources. Our bodies come from our parents, and are made up of the essential elements of the earth in their proper relations. The mind is 'heaven' which comes and lives in our bodies after they are formed. Then perception begins, and continues as long as heaven lives in our bodies. The source of mind is the infinite. Every man knows heaven as the blue sky, and earth as the soil: but few know that the body with its skin, bone and hair is earth, and the mind with its perception is heaven." "Human nature comes from heaven and is essentially and always good. Body comes from the earth, and is both good and bad. Evil conduct springs from man's body, not from his real nature. Man's nature comes from heaven, but his body is made up of concrete matter, and has both good and bad qualities. " " Good and bad are not two things. In the essential nature of the universe there is no evil. It arises where there is either lack or excess. In the essential nature of the universe there is no good. It is called good when there \ AufSTKONo: Light rsoM the East 169 it neither lack nor excess." "Whence comes wrongp It comes from the body. The eyes, ears, nose, mouth and lunbs are the instruments. If there is no eye or ear, there is no indulgence in the sinful pleasure that enters through these channels. Because there is a mouth and a nose, men are tempted to evil by the sense of taste and smell. Man's limbs lead him into luxury. Abolish these causes and there is no evil." "Death is not a thing to be dreaded. Birth and death are like day and night." "All living beings fear death. Man, being the most excellent of all beings, should find a way to destroy this tear of death. Man belongs to heaven, so also does his destiny. His birth and death are controlled by heaven, therefore he should quietly obey the will of heaven." "Birth comes naturally, and does not give pleasure, and so death, coming in the sime way, should not give pain or sadness. Both being natural, there should be neither pleasure nor pain in them. So we have no reason to fea: death. The state after death is the same as the state before birth. By birth man comes into existence; by death, he returns to his former state. His nature transrends both birth and death. Birth and death resemble day and night, which are controlled by one principle. So is man's life." "To know the state after death, one must know the state before birth. Day and night may be compared to birth and death. Waking and sleeping are birth and death en a small scale. Buddha thought birth and death very serious matters. Day and night are the birth and death of one day; expiration and inspiration are the birth and death of one moment. They are very ordinary experiences. Man's true nature transcends them both. We must see and recognize this truth." Oshiwo Chusai was bom in Awa in 1793 in the home of one of the retainers of Lord Tokushima in Awa. At an early age he lost his parents, and was adopted by the Shiwoda family and afterwards by the Oshiwo family. There are few records of his youth, but one anecdote describes him out walking, when he saw two boys quarreling and striking each other with clenched fists. Oshiwo took hold of them by the hair of their heads and shouted : " If giving yourselves over to anger, you neglect your mac -."s business, I shall punish you ■■ II U' I! \fl !1 i ■'! 170 A»MST«OK0: LlOaT F«OII TBI Ea»T in a w«y you dewrve." The boyt. •urpriMd at hU rough nuuiner. went o«F to their retpecti /e duties. His teacher U not known: some say he studied under Nalcai Chikuxan. He first sfidied military tactics and became a policeman; his experience in this capaaty led him to feel deeply that knowledge is essential to humanity, so he went to Yedo and became a pupil in the private school of Hayashi Jussai, who admired him very much for *»» earnestness and J"Tcktion. holding him up a. an ««unple to the othe^ aiudents. He was now twenty years of age. Shortly after this his grandfather's death made it necessary for him to return to Osaka, where he hocame a constable in the employ S thTdJy^ipite of the r>gid class distinctionso^ the time^ Oshiwo'a^bility brought him to the »™"t-. ^hj^n Ta^. Yamashiro-no-Kami became governor of Osaka, his keen m^ riJS «in perceived the ability of Chusai. whom he appointed iudK Previously the administration of justice had been very much influenced by bribery and corruption. Cnminato IS Sle to buy their freedom. Consequently the people h^ little respect for he judges who accepted bribes, chusai Sved to reform these conditions. At the tune of his 3"ment there was a case which had continued m the SS^ for ye^. without any decision being passed ugjn .^ 5^ soon as Chusai's appointment was announced, the plaintiff k t^ (^ S on hL after dark, and be^ed Wm topass LgSeX his favour, leaving what appeared to be a tox of Sklas a present. The following morning thej«e was called . mS after listening to all the evidence Oshiwo deaded that his SoTthe previous evening was guilty; after close cross- Snation, he led him to confess his guilt, and a )u«t decision wTr-ached Then Oshiwo took out the box of cake ajid o^ni U^^ying to his fellow judges: "You are fond of cake. aSd Serefore could not decide this ca«.'\ Removmg the Sver. Se box proved to be filled with glittering com. Every man in the court felt ashamed of the modent. A woman in Kyoto was accused of bemg a witch and of havinjr learned magic from a Christian. She was reported to Save fheTwertolerform miracles. She had many admirers b aSid Xnd Ky^o. Chusai went with a policeman and «izhS her, crucified her. and cast her relatives mto pnson. i'H AiMSTKONG: Light from the East «TI An old policeman and hta followers were in the ' "bit of intimidating the citizens, and using them unjusttjr. The police would not arrest htm, but Chusai accpted the com- miition to do so, went to his house, and seizing him and his companions, cast them all into prison. Their property was confi^aled and divided among the poor. In this way, in a remarlcably short time after his appointment to the bench, he suc:eeded in completely reforming the administration of justice and in improving the character of the officials. At this time Buddhist priests were very corrupt. Many of them not only drank wine to excess, but kept their own mistresses, in spite of the attempts of the officials »o prevent them. Chusai took them in hand and cast the worst of them into prison. The result wis that open violation of the law ceased. Chusai thus became famous all over Japan. Saito Setsudo wrote in a letter to him: "From the three capitals, through all the privinces, your good name is spread abroad. All eyes are upon you to see what you will do next. All Japan feels your influence." When the governor of Osaka resigned his office in 1829, Chusai also resigned and became an educationalist. He gathered a class of students and taught them. He also went out on lecturing toura. His words and his appearance were so dignified that he was recognized everywhere he went as "The Teacher Oshiwo". When he went to visit the tomb of Nakae Tojiu in 1832, he wrote: " I went to Ogawa village to visit Nakae's tomb and pay my respects to the dead scholar. On my way home, as we were crossing Lake Biwa, a sudden storm arose, and all the ships except ours immediately hastened to the shore. Our boatman tried to proceed on his journey. When the storm became terrific, he apologized for his rashness and told us all would perish. My servant and the students who were with me were so seasick they could do nothing, so we were expecting every moment to be the last. I felt both fear and sorrow, when suddenly the words of my poem on Nakae's shrine flashed across my mind. 'No one makes his conscience so clear as Tojiu.' I reflected, if my own con- science is not clear, I should not advise others to make their conscience dear. Then I recalled Isen's words, 'Be true and reverent', and my own conscience awakened. I sat down and b^an to meditate. Soon all fear and sorrow over the \ m P.I «7» ASMfTBONO: LlGBT tmOU TUB EaST fate Providence had prewrlbed for me par- «d vr%y, and I felt a* if 1 were in the very presence of Yomei a. «en. However, the wind calmed and we were able to arrive ».» our destination in safety. The folbwing day we climbed Mt. Hiti, and aa my diadplcfl admired the beauty of nati -e, the mountains, the c' ir blue sky, the lake, so calm and peaceful, and listened to ! nightingale in the valley, one of my disciples remarked ii the previous day's storm was very unfortunate. I replied : ' No, »♦ was, on the contrary, a blessing to me, for through i' I learned a great fundamental truth'." After he resigned his office, most of the governors of Osaka held him in great respect, and frequently asked his advice about difficult problems. But one governor named Atobe, because of Oshiwo's low social standing, despised him. For several years the crops had been a failure, and in 1836 the people were in a starving condition. Oshiwo felt great sympathy for them, and tried to persuade the governor to give them rice, but thoufrh he seemed to listen, he wbt at the same time planning to send all the rice to Yedo. _ Then Chusai tried to persuade the rich merchants to lend him money for the suffering people, but this so angered the governor that he forbade hem to do so. Chusai then sold out all his books, realizinR tout 650 Ryo, and distributed it to the p^ple in a systematic way. The governor told Chusai's son, who was a policeman, that his father had done this generous act to gain a reputati >n for himself. This taunt so angered Chusai that he gatherwi severa' hundred men, and attacking thi t omes of thv rich, plundered them, giving the spoils to the otarving people. He was soon overpowered and would have been arrested I government troops, but he set fire to the house in which he and his son had taken reluge, and died. He was not a socialist in the modem sense, but he believed in the equality of man, and circumstances drove him to a rather inglorious method of helping his fellow men. Among the several books which he had written, one on morality he prized so much that, fearing lest it should be destroyed, he put one copy into a slone cave on Mount Fuji, and two copies into the library stores at Ise shrine. Though he did not unnecessarily attack the Shust.: school, he strongly insisted on the superiority of the Yomei philosophy. He was a scholar and a hero, and taugbt what he ■I. I Abmstiono: LioiiT rtoM nil East 173 fdt it WM right to tMch. He taught the intuitive Icnowledge of Yomei, by which we may Itnow good and evil, and attain to the higher life. He taught that a man who found his own true nature and endeavoured to nralizc it could attain to thr ideal man. HiH philojiophy centres around the " Infinite" (literally " The Infinite iky "). Space ia infinite. Every one know* this. But it does not merely apply to heaven. If there is space in our bodies, it is connected with infinite space. The space occupied by our eyes, nose, mouth and ears is connected with infinite space, and is part of it. So our minds are connected with the infinite mind. The mind and the infinite are one and the same thing ; just as the finite space in our body is part of the same infinite space, so our mind has the infinite, and can comprehend the universe with which it is connected. Therefore all v>rrow8 and pleasures outside our bodies are reall'-' our own. He said : " External space is heaven, heaven b m> mind. Mind comprehends all things, and therefore we feel sad when we witness a death. Even the broken grass, or the fallen tree, or the cut stone gives us sorrow, because we feel they are in our minds." In harmony with the teaching of Yomei, that mind is reason, and that there is no event or reason outside of mind, Chusai thought that mind com- prehended all things in infinite nature, even our own bodies. Applying this idea to moralicy, he thought that the mean man, not knowing the transcendence of mind, is the slave of bodily desire. His mind thus becomes isolated from the infinite, and he cannot reali. e the higher life which is of his real nature. "Both the sage and the vulgar man have the same (infinite) space in their mindi, but they kocp It in different rooms. The one is a fine, spacious, pure room ; the other is a dirty, small room ; but both are connected with the infinite. There- fore, if the vulgar man will put away his sensual desires, he will become one with the infinite, just as if he had opened the door, which darkened his mental room, and let in the liBht." in order to attain higher life we must be true to ourselves and watchful over ourselves even when we are alone. In this way passions and emotions which hinder life will be removed, and we will become one with the infinite, the ideal fur man. If we can empty the mind of bodily desire, we may become as sages. He said: " In attaining this oneness with the infinite we must practise self-denial and self-watching." 'Im M J Armstrong: Light from the East In the stress here laid upon selWenial and meditation, Chusai's thought bears a very strong resemblance to some Buddhist ideas. His method is different, and the state of the man after he attains to the infinite is different; morality is still a necessity. Mi Chapter VIII Several Yomei Scholars _j ^ «"*^ ^'^^ ^*^ ^^ ^" °^ * samurai, belonging to the tord of Hikone. In his youth he was forced to become a priest, but at seventeen he felt it was disgraceful for the son of a samurai to remain a priest, so he gave up that calling and went to Kyoto. He read many books, but his livelihood was so scant that in winter he was unable to provide himself with warm clothing, and often went without proper food. He studied under the famous teachers, Rai Sanyo and Nakashima Som, in Kyoto, and afterwards went to Osaka to become the pupil of Oshiwo. After several months under Oshiwo he went to Nagasaki and opened a private school. He had not been there long when he decided to visit his parents. As he passed through Osaka he called on Oshiwo, who was just then planning his insurrection against the city authorities. Oshiwo wanted him to join the company, but he refused, and tried to dissuade them from such a treasonable undertaking. Know- ing that if he refused to join them he would be killed, he wrote to his parents: " I was on my way to visit you, and called on Oshiwo Chusai as I passed through Osaka. He revealed to me a plot against the Tokugawa government, and urged me to join him. I cannot be a party to an act of treason, and yet as a samurai I cannot flee to you just now. Filial piety urges me to fly to you, but Bushido compels me to remain here, and die fighting either for or against this plot. I will try to dissuade them, but I know it is useless. Please think it was my destiny to die thus, but be assured of this, I did not take part in the treason of Oshiwo. Farewell." His servant took the letter to his parents. That night he was murdered by the traitors. Hayashi Ryosai's ancestors were retainers in the employ of Lord Tadotsu in Sanuki, but he was so delicate in health that he resigned the position, and opened a private school for Yomei philosophy. The date of his birth is not exactly known, but his death took place in 1849. In a letter to a friend he said : "The essential characteristic of a sage is unselfishness, which is begotten of heaven . Desire !.! • 176 Armstrong: Light from the East V { 1 1 dl ^j M creates a selfish self, opposed to the higher self, which is at one with heaven. All we can do is to destroy the selfish desire, and return to our true selves by being watchful of self in private as well as public. If our own true hearts are darkened, it is profitless even to read books." "The learning of a sage aims at unselfishness, by being watchful over self even when alone. This is the central truth of the sj^es, who, tiiough differing from one another, are one, in that the truth is one. If we merely read books we will become proud and clever hypocrites, and lust will become strong. It is valueless so far as virtue is concerned." From this time the scholars of the Yomei school are few, though many of the makers of the Restoration and of modem progress were very much influenced by this teaching. We shall now briefly outline the lives of some of these men. Yoshimura Shuyo, bom in Aki in 1797, was a disciple of Sato Issai, who taught him Yomei philosophy. He opened a private school, first in Hiroshima, and afterwards in Miabara. He died at the age of seventy. His books still remain, but contain little original thought. He was succeeded by his son Hizan, who also taught Yomei thought in the private school. Like all Yomei scholars they laid great stress on the inner nature of man, which was assumed to be pure and good. Yamada Hokoku was bom in Bitchiu in 1805. His ancestors had been samurai, but his father was a farmer. This boy was very precocious. In his eighth or ninth year he was able to write Chinese poems and prose. Even at this early age, when some one asked him what his purpose was in studying, he replied that his purpose was to govern the State well. When twentv-five years of ^e the feudal lord who had educated him mai him a teacher. Two years later he went to Kyoto, and later still to Yedo, and became a pupil of Sato Issai. He continued there for eight years, after which he retumed to Matsuyama and again entered the service of the lord of Bitchiu, taking charge of his school. The next lord of Bitchiu recognized his executive ability, and put him in charge of the finances of the estate. Under his mle bribery was abolished and luxury prohibited. He widened the roads, built waterways for irrigation, and oi^anized an army to defend the estate. Evidences of the success of his reforms could be seen everywhere, and many visitors caro*^ from other Armstrong: Light from the East 177 parts to see what he had done. In 1861 he contracted con- sumption, but he did not cease working. He reorganized a school of Kumazawa Banzan's, which had been long neglected, and taught several hundred students. He was practical rather than theoretical. Though he was earnest in the pro- pagation of the Yomei philosophy, he was not narrow in his point of view, as the following quotation will show: "The ajicient sages derived their theories from their own expe- riences. Some of them laid stress on virtue, and taught erudition as the m : important thing. Yomei insisted on the realization of t..„ conscientious' nature of man. What- ever means a man may employ to realize his aims, his method is the true way for him, for his convictions are the result of his exp< ice. We should avoid adhering obstinately to out- waria .orm at the expense of the real meaning." Yokoi Shonan, usually called Yokoi Heishiro, was bom in Kumamoto. In the second year of Meiji, at sixty-one years of age, he was murdered by an assassin. Katsu Kaishu, a prominent figure in the revolution at the beginning of the Meiji age, said of Yokoi: " I have met two very great men in my life, viz. , Saigo Nanshu and Yokoi. Yokoi seemed to lack knowledge of western civilization, but the high tone of his thought is remarkable, and is beyond my comprehension. He may not be able to put his own thought into practice, but if the right type of man accept it, wonderful and fearful events will follow." Yokoi admired Shushi, but as he laid greater stress on the practical than on book learning, he practised Yomei thought. In his commentary on learning in he Analects of Confucius, he says: "Learning does not mean merely the reading of books; it means the development of man's higher life. Although the term scholar seems at present to mean a reader of books, it was not so in ancient times. Yaou, Shun and Confucius did not read so many lx)okr 'or in their time books were sc£u-ce. Their learning lies in the practice of the good, and in obedience to conscience. Seeking learning in books only is useless, and makes us slaves of the ancients. Apart from the practical life, learning has no meaning." Spejiking of the relation of man to heaven he said : " Humanity, past, present and future, is one. The men of the 'RyocU. (111 '. f ■ i t] ! 1 178 Armstrong: Light from the East present have received the attainments of the men of the past, and will pass them on to future generations, just as Confuaus received from Yaou and Shun, and thus led generations. Such men do the will of heaven. All men should realize the mission heaven has given them to Perform, and "ot be led astray by the allurements of pleasure. We should make it our one obiect to serve heaven." , , . ,tt * He said of western learnSng: "The learning of the West treats of business and enterprise, and is not concerned with realizing the virtue that belongs to man by nature. If their learning were different, man would know benevolence and war would cease." ... .. „-it 4.u «-^«i In a letter to one of his relatives he said: If tiie moral principle of Yaou and Shun and Confucius, combined with the mechanical arts of western civilization, be adopted, the result will be that we shall not only have a strong army and much wealth, but our nation will propagate righteousness through- out the world." , . . Okumiya Zosai was bom in 181 1, and when he was twenty-one, went to Yedo to study under Sato Issai. On his return he was the first to propagate Yomei philosophy in 1 osa province. He was afterwards very much interested in the learning of the Zen sect of Buddhism. His son, who is now living says: "My father's views were quite modified m his latter days. He thought that as learning aims at a knowledge of the truth of the universe and man, we should not specify ourselves as belonging to the Shushi school, the Yomei sdiool, or any other particular school. We should choose what is true from Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Chris- tianity, and make it into a system." He died at the age of oixty-five. . . „ „• f„*u„, Ikeda Soan was bom in Tajima m 1813. His father was a farmer. Soan became a pupil of a Buddhist pnest, but when he was eighteen years of age he abandoned his intention of becoming a priest, and went to Kyoto where he studied Yomei philosophy for several years. He was a remarkably diligent student and was constantly engaged in study. In one of his works he says : " Living m the vall^s, I seek alone in silence the old truth in the ancient sacred books. I hope thereby to achieve a success which cannot perish. Whether I can realize my ideal or not 1 do not 111 1 :i| Armstrong: Light from the East 179 know." After a short time in Kyoto he went to his native place and opened up a private school, in which he had at least fifty or sixty students. He kept a boarding house, and the students, over whom he had great influence, cooked his food. He refused to become an official. He lived until the eleventh year of the Meiji era (1878 a.d.). Among his best known ideas the following quotations are interesting : "One may enjoy brilliant honour, vast wealth or long life, but they are all like the clouds in front of a cliff, or the dew on the grass. They are not worth pursuing. I cannot understand why people seek them so unceasingly." " Moral evil is ignorance of and indifference to one's own de~"neration. If one discovers that he is degenerating in 80ui_ point, and if he is earnest in his effort to reform, he can do so. Moral evil, like an eclipse of the sun or moon, will quickly pass away, and the sun will shine brighter then ever." " It is difficult to overcome anger, but if one gains victory over it he has great courage." "When one's spiritual power is roused he does not fear even a great army, and there is no pass so impenetrable that he cannot pass it. If our spiritual life is at a low ebb, fear and difficulty will come forth and bring us disappointment." "The benevolent man thinks of others as himself. He thinks of the whole nation or state £is himself. The man who is not benevolent thinks of his body as himself, and separates himself even from his brothers and relations, regarding them as strangers. Much less will he be likely to consider the nation or state as himself. Therefore all men respect and love the great man. When he dies they mourn for him, but they feel that the selfish man is a burden, and are glad when he dies." "Unless a man knows himself, he cannot succeed. You can deceive or impose upon any other man, but you cannot deceive or impose on yourself. Therefore be not self -deceived but watchful of yourself even when alone, and be diligent to take what is beneficial for the advancement of the inner life." ,M I !]■■ * t L ' 1 fl i W ' 1 iv \l^y f ,*-, ^,^. «f ^ if'': Chapter IX FujiTA Toko Fuiita Toko was bom in Mito in i8o6. He learned Confucianism from his father, Fujita Yukoku. At fourteen years of age he went to Yedo to be trained in the use of the sword and spear. When his father, who had accompanied him, was about to return to Mito, he reminded his son of the importance of being proficient both in military arts and learning. Only inferior men neglect either of them. After his father's death he became a samurai m the employ of Mito. and went to Yedo at the request of his lord. Soon after that, his lord, who was a strong loyalist, offended the Tokugawa government, and he and Toko were confined to their houses. Under similar circumstances Buntensho, a famous Chinese loy. 'ist, when imprisoned by the Gan dynasty, wrote a poem giving expression to his feelings. When Toko was thus detained in his home he did not complain. He com- pared his own lot with that of Buntensho and said: Even much suffering cannot affect the spirit of righteousness. He then wrote the following well-known lines on the Spirit of Righteousness': ^ • »v. "The spirit of righteousness is everywhere present in the universe, but is especially concentrated in the kingdom of God (Japan). Its majesty is seen in the loftiness of Mount Fuji; as the waters of the Pacific Ocean surround every part of the empire, so does the influence of this spirit of righteousness reach to every part of Japan, so great is its breadth ; its beauty blooms in the cherry blossom, the cherry blossom wth ten thousand flowers, matchless among the flowers of the worid; its power is like that of the sword a hundred times hammered, which is able to pierce the helmet of the enemy. "All (Japanese) subjects are bears in strength ; all soldiers are champions and conquerors. There is no monarch besides ours to whom we have looked up as our true emperor for ten thousand ages, whose imperial influence pervades the entire Mam indebted to Rev. J. H. McArthur, (cnnerly of Japan, for the privilege ot reproducing thi» tranilation here. Armstkong: Light prom^thb}East i8i universe in all six directions (heavenward, earthward, North, South, East, and West), and the light of whose virtue is like the shining of the sun. There may be an evil generation, but this evil the spirit of righteousness in due time will disperse by the shining of its light. " When Buddhism first came to Japan there was one man who rejected it as a strange and foreign religion, believing that the spirit of righteousness was sufficient for the Japanese. Thisj righteous man believed that if we would adopt that foreign religion we should become unfaithful to our native god. As adviser to the emperor he strongly insisted upon rejecting Buddha; whereupon the emperor gave the sacred book and image of Buddha, which had been presented to him by the king of Korea, to his adviser, Soga-No-Inami, who converted his house into a temple, which was the first Buddhist temple in Japan. But that temple was burned down with a great fire kindled by Mononobe, having been inspired so to do by the spirit of righteousness. "Likewise the hero, Fujiwara, moved by the spirit of righteousness, slew two pretenders to the throne, father and son. "With this same spirit of righteousness Wake-No-ICiyo- Maro terrified the evil-minded priest, who with ambitious designs was plotting fur the throne. He thus saved the sacred empire from this great danger. "When the Mongolian king, Koppitsuratse (Kublai Khan), conquered China, he then turned his attention with ambitious designs towards Japan. He sent ambassadors to Japan to ask the Japanese to become subjects of Mongolia, and to pay tribute to the Mongolian king. He demanded an instant answer, whereupon the king's adviser, Hojo Tokimune, said, 'I will give you an immediate answer', and moved by the spirit of righteousness, he cut off their heads. Then the Mon- golian king sent other messengers on the same mission, who were treated in like manner. The Mongolian king became very angry and said : ' I have conquered the great nation of China; why cannot I conquer the little island of Japan? ' He then made ready a large army and sent it across the sea to reduce the island to submission. This army was so great in number that the Japanese with their small army could scarcely hope to repel its attack. But trusting to the spirit of if- i; . If (Ml I in h J'i tm w ila Auhtbong: Ugbt rtoif tbs East righteousneu they fought bravely, and because of the ipirit of righteouBneM heaven looked down in sympathy and sent a great storm which wreck'.-d the enemy's vessels, and ioo,ooo Mongolian soldiers were drowned in the sea, leaving only three survivors, whom the Japanese sent back to the Mon- golian king with the sad news of their defeat. "By the same spirit of righteousness Fujiwara-No-Moru- Kata gave up his life, that he might save the life of the Emperor Godaigo. "By the spirit of righteousness the hero, Murakami Yoshimitsu, seeing the dangerous position in which the emperor was placed during the progress of the battle, put himself in that place and fought against the enemy until he was slain, thus saving the emperor's life. " By the spirit of righteousness Komiyama Tomonobu, having been unjustly imprisoned by his lord, still maintained his integrity, for he knew that his lord had been deceived by certain jealous officers; and in a time of great danger, when all the other subjects fled, he, by the spirit of righteousness, stood by his lord and fought. " For two hundred years of peace this spirit of righteous- ness continued to exercise its ennobling influence over the nation. But at a time when its lamp of life burned low, heaven sent the forty-seven righteous men to awaken again by their example the spuit of righteousness in the nation. " Therefore we must ever remember that while men may pass away, that grand spirit of righteousness still remains. It exists eternally between heaven and earth to preserve the moral relation between man and man, and to unfold the life of the nation. . . " What man is there now to support the spirit of righteous- ness if not my lord. Prince Nari-aki, who with unexcelled patriotism dwells upon the eastern coast ? This man has set us a good example. With all sincerity of mind he shows due respect to the emperor, and with deep piety he pays homage to the God of heaven. He encour^es intellectual culture, and seeks to intensify the military spirit for the purpose of national defence, with a view to keeping from our sacred shores the unclean and dangerous foreign elements. But the time was not favourable for his cause and he was imprisoned within his own residence. I felt that I should not have AuisTKONc: Light from thb East 183 allowed him to suffer in this way, but being myself im^. isoned in Yedo, far distant from m>' native place, I was not only unable to save my lord, bt*c was also unable to serve my parents. " I have now been in prison for two years, accompanied by none but the spirit of righteousness. 'Oh, spirit of righteousness, Though I die ten thousand times. How can I be parted from thee, I care not whether I die or live.' "If I live, I will be a true and loyal subject, and will endeavour to cleanse the reputed dishonour of my lord and to encourage the spirit of rignteousness among the people. If I die, I will become a guardian angel of righteousness and of loyalty, to protect the foundation of the imperial dynasty until the heavens disappear." Toko was liberated after three years and returned to Mito where he was known as an intense loyalist. He had great influence over Saigo Takamori, the leader of the revolution of 1868. He looked to Saigo to carry out his plans for the restoration of the emperor and the expulsion of the foreigner. Toko died in 1855, in the great earthquake. !.t II m ^mw i\ ¥ i] ,, :U i k i ■ CBArTBK X SaIOO TAKAMOtI Saigo Takamori waa bom in iSa;, in Kago^h'.ma. He was not a remarltable boy, but was destined to ha' c the honour of leading the imperial forces in th»« restoration of the emperor. He was awakened to this important mission by watching a relative commit suicide, by cutting his abdomen, and also by the exhortation he received at the time to be loyal to his lord and country. He became a disciple of Sato Issai and learned to appreciate Yomei philosophy. He was also influenced by Fujiu Toko, and by his own lord of Satsuma, a very gn t man, who so fortified the city of Kagoshima that he wa, able to embarrass the British fleet in 1863 when they attempted to enter. Surrounded by such men, Saigo concocted the scheme of uniting the empire under the emperor, and of extending its influence. But although he is appreciated because of the work he achieved as a military leader and statesman, he is also ver>' highly esteemed as a man and as a scholar. He was also profoundly influenced by Yomei philosophy, which as we have seen has much that resembles Christian teaching. Saigo loved to wander over the hills and through the country alone. During these trips he used to meditate much on heaven and man. . An indication of his loyalty to the emperor is seen in his sympathy for a royalist priest, Gessho. He was unable to shelter this priest from theTokugawa soldiers, so he proposed that they go into the sea and die together. Accordingly one moonlight night they went hand in hand into the sea, but fortunately the splash was heard by his retainers, who soon discovered their bodies. Saigo was saved, but from this time he was a marked man by the government, and was more than once exiled. His feudal lord and the lord of Choshu com- bined, and the Tokugawa government was finally overthrown. Once a messenger came from a certain priest and asked him for reinforcements. He promised to send them when every one of them was dead on the field. a AuiaTtoNO: Light from thb East IAS The Koreans had very often offered intuit to Japanese ambaisadorB sent to Korea. Saigo wished to go and demand •mends for h^r insolence, and it wa» decidetl that he should go; but the deputation which had Ixen to Europe, Iwakura, Okubo and Kido, returned, and exerted every tffort in their power to prevent him from going. Saigo then resigned and went back to Satsuma. On the 24th of September, 1877, he died. H". was an exceedingly genrrous man ; he lived on plam food and ?ave liberally to the nectly. He gave his income to su);nort a school in Kagoshima, but he left nothing to his family- Sai^o \oved to roam the hills in very simple costume, followed Ly his favourite dogs. Once two youths seeing him mistook him for a farmer and made him mend the strings of their sandals. He quietly submitted, but when they learned that they had thus been insolent to the great Saigo, they apologized very humbly. Another time he could not find his sandals as he came out of the imperial palace, and not caring to disturb any one, he started home in the rain barefooted. The sentinel thinking him to be a vagrant, refused to let him pass until he was identified. Some of his sayings are worthy of note: " He who follows the heavenly way abhors not himself, even though the whole world speaks ill of him; neither thinks he himself sufficient though in unison they praise his name. Whatever we do must be right. We should never depend on deception in doing anything. Many expect to get out of difficulty by deception, but it only increases the difficulty, for sooner or later the insincerity will be revealed. It may seem foolish to be sincere and just, but in the long run it is wise, and insures success." "The way is natural. The aim of learning is to respect heaven and love men. By self-denial we become great in virtue and in deeds. True self-denial frees us from fore- gone conclusions, arbitrary predetermination, obstinacy and egoism." We read of men in history who undertook great deeds. Some failed because, although they practised self- denial at the outset, they grew selfish, and failed when success was almost won. " Benevolence is a natural law. Therefore : i' I , 'u 1 1 1 « I ''Sk[ iM :t IM A»l«T«OKO: LlOHT rtOM THE ExiT man •houWretpect heaven In «xofd with It. Heaven lovet all men equally, k, we mu.t love othen as we J*"?,^","*;^*;: "Care not for the blame or prai.e of men. but fear only heaven. Do your best without blaming otheri, thinking « the insufficiency of your own Bincerity." am i.sh.re. "Selfishness is the first principle of evil. All failure. ""■"fiiXpi.^ learning a. such, but he thought that if a man were ''strong in sincerity he would be 't^ng every- where". He said : " A man succeeds by overcommg nimseil. «dTails by loving himself." • "A man that seeks ne.Aer hte ^r name, nor rank, nor money is the most difficult man to handle. But only with such life's tribulation can be shared, and such only can bring great good to their oountiy. "Be determined and do. and even the K^ds will Bee before you. Of opportunities there are two kinds: those Sat^me without our's^.king. and those that are our own make. The world usually calls the tormer opportunity. But the true opportunity comes by acting in acco«Iance with reLon ^n compliance with the need of the time Whe "cme. areat hand opportunities must be made by us." Whatever U Ae ways Sd institutiomi we speak about, they are impo- tenfinT^ there are men to work them: man first; then the working of means. Man is the first treasure, and let every Tne of us try to be a man." For him civilization » "an effectual working of righteousness*;.* .. .^j^. ..it„i«i- In these stormy and uncertain times he said. UnlMS there is a spirit in us to walk in the way. <>» "«hteousness «id fall with the country for righteousness' sake, "o satisf artor/ relation with foreign powers can be expected Afraid of Aeir greatness, hankering after peace, and abjectly ^o^p^^'^f Jhe'r lishes w; simply invite their contempt ,f "«"dly relaUonj will thus begin to cease, and at last we shall be made to serve Them "» ^hen a nation's honour is in any way injured, the plainduty of the government is to follow the ways of justice Jnd righLusness even though the nation's e«»ten^ Je jeopardized thereby. A government that trembles at the TR^prewnUtive Men ot Japan, page 40. •Ibid. 40- •Ibid. 41- Mbid. as. •Ibid. 43- AutBTBOiro: Li(»T rtoM thb East 187 wofd 'war* »nd only makw it a butincM to buy'tlothful peace •hould be called a commercial regulator, and thould not be called a government." » In common with many others of hl« cUm, he despised money and commerce to such an extent that when aaked the price of a certain property belongmg to him, he remained silent and let the national bank take the land, although it was valued at many thousands of dollars. His poems are still prized. One of them says : "Only one way, Yea and Nay, Heart ever of steel and iron. Poverty makes great men. Deeds are born in distress. Through snow, plums are white, Through frosts, maples are red. If but heaven will be known Who shall seek for slothful ease." • He says again: "Virtue is the source of wealth, virtue prospers and wealth comes by itself." • "The small man aims at selfish gain, the great man at giving profit to the people. Selfishness brings decay, magnanimity prosirt^nty. Ihe world says- "Take, and you have wealth; give, ana you loac it " « This is a great mistake. The covetous farmer spares his seed and sows sparingly, and in return he reaps starsation. The good farmer sows seeds abundantly and gives all his care to their cultivation, and reaps one hundred fold, having more than he can use. He that is intent on gathering knows only of harvesting and not of planting. But the wise man is diligent in planting and the harvest comes without seeking. "The wise man economizes to give in charity. He carw not about his own distress, but for that of his people. Hence wealth flows to him as water gushes from the spnng. To him who is diligent in virtue wealth comes without seeking it. Hence what the world calls loss is not loss, and what it calls gain is not gain. The ancient sages thought it gain to bless and give to the people, and loss to take from them. It is quite otherwise now. " • » Ibid. 43- •Ibid. 46. •Ibid. 46. •Ibid. 47- •lUd. 48. I' a m !ti »'.' ill* i II .:! lit . i| I Chapter XI YosHiDA Show, Sakuma Shozan, and other SCHOLARS AT THE TIME OF THE RESTORATION Yoshida Shoin, one of the most noted men of modern times, was born in Choshu. He was a very fervent loyalist, and did much to bring about the restoration of the emperor. Like most men of his day, he was taught military tactics and Confucian thought. His learning was not exclusively of the Yomei school, but ne was greatly influenced by it. Many stories are told of his early days. One of them describes him as a student in the house of a man named Hayashi. A fire broke out in the house and all his belongings were in danger. Shoin did not make any effort to save them, but began to help Hayfishi. This little incident shows us the spirit of the man. In 1851, in company with his lord, he visited many places, and among others he visited Mito. Here he met Fujita Toko, with whom he had much in common. Both men were very anxious for the restoration of the emperor and the expulsion of the foreigner. With Toko the expulsion of the foreigner was no mere policy, but it would appear that Shoin regarded it as a very good war-cry with which to arouse his countrymen from their indifference. When Commodore Perry lirst arrived in Japan, Shoin went to Yedo. About that time he met Sakuma Shozan, and was very much impressed by his ideas. Shozan thought that Japan, being an island empire, should develop her fleet. The government would not listen to him. In conversation with Shoin he said that it would be well for some Japanese to go abroad, and having seen the actual conditions in other countries to return and serve Japan. This suggestion pleased Shoin so much, that when Perry returned in 1854 he attempted to go abroad. One dark night he and a companion named Kaneko launched a fisherman's boat and secretly visited the American fleet. They drew up alongside the Mississippi and tried to make their purpose known to the officers. They wrote in Chinese, "We wish to go to America, please ask the admiral to take us". The officers did jut '^Uf^'A ' i L m w^ '^. ^^^^^^H^^ M: •fll VoSHIDA SHOIN <) nrfi Armstrong: Light from the East 189 not respond, sn they next drew up alongside the flagship. The sailors mistook their purpos,^ and drove them off as vagrants. They were determined to go abroad, and finally climbed up oii board. The Americans, however, refused to take them. They admired their purpose, but feared to do anything which might interfere with the commercial treaties. Shoin and Iiis friend were forced to give up their idea of going abroad. They returned to shore without being detected, but the government ofB jials recognized their baggage and arrested them. In the baggage was a poem which Sakuma Shozan had written to commemorate Shoin's departure to America. Shozan was also arrested and put into prison. During their imprisonment Shoin and Sakuma exchanged poems in which they expressed their determination not to give up their plans for any reason. Sakuma was soon pardoned, but Shoin was sent to the prison in his native province. But even there he was busy. He taught the way of man to outcasts, fellow prisoners and petty prison officials. Towards the end of the following year he was released from prison, but detained in his own house. Six months aft- iiat they gave him per- mission to teach military tacti. , • 'i home. This he did, but into the hearts of his discip culcated the spirit of the reformation. In 1857 he became a teacher in the Matsumoto Sonjuku School. The building soon became too small to accommo- date the pupils who wished to be taught. They had no money to rebuild, so the students by their own labour enlarged the room. The house still stands in Hagi, near Yamaguchi. After two years he was again imprisoned. When the s. udents heard of his imprisonment, they were so disappointed that they drew their swords and slashed the posts in the school- room. Among his students were several great men, but none greater than the late Prince Ito. Shoin was not like other teachers. They usually sat in a very dignified manner when teaching, but Shoin made himself one of his class. He taught as he worked. When criticized for his familiarity he said :" As I am not a great man, I have no special policy in dealing with men. I merely attempt to become very intimate with them. If I differ from them, I reprove them frankly, and then become as intimate as ever. This is the only method I have. If you do not like it. k 1ft riiU 190 Armstrong: Light from the East r- 1; I ! I ' (/, please be perf -ctly frank about it. If I am making a mistake, I will at once correct it." Yoshida wt^ anxious to restore the direct rule of the emperor. In order to discount the influence of the Shogun and arouse the people, he and others like him censured the government for welcoming the foreigner. He wrote letters to several lords about the necessity of a change. He advo- cated very strong measures, and even went so far as to organ- ize a company to assassinate Manabe, an official who had arrested all the loyalists in Kyoto. The government again became suspicious of him and ordered him to be detained in his own home. He protested, on the ground that the government should name the crime he had committed. He was then sent to prison. Eight of his disciples became so angry that they went to the official and demanded reasons for Shoin's arrest. The official refused to see them. They then went rudely into his presence. Shortly afterwards they were all thrown into prison. About the same time two loyalist lords came to Choshiu, seeking information about the government's enemies. Shoin sent some of his disciples to find out why they had come. When he heard that they were seeking assistance, he advised his disciples to go with them. With the exception of two brothers, all his disciples refused to take the risk. The two brothers were arrested and thrown into prison. In the sixth year of Aiisei, 1859, Shoin was taken to Yedo in a cage. He was asked whether he had written an anonymous letter which had been secretly thrown into the imperial palace at Kyoto, and also whether he had entered into a secret plot with one Umeda. Shoin denied both charges, but confessed sending .1 letter to Ohara, and his plot to assassinate Manabe. The government were surprised at his confession and his frankness. He was sent back to prison. When he heard that he must die, Shoin wrote to his parents. He enclosed a poem in which he eulogizes the love of his parents, and remembers the pain his death will bring to them. He was executed at the early jige of twenty-seven years, in 1859. His plans had apparently all failed, but the influence of his teaching has borne fruit in the wcrk of the Restoration carried on by Saigo Takamori. Armstrong: Light from the East 191 In his diary, written in prison, we find these words: "Mind springs from 'Ri', reason. Body springs from 'Ki', the sensible world. The body is self, the mind principle. Great men put self under principle, and sacrifice self for principle. Small men, on the contrary, sacrifice principle to self, and therefore when their bodies die, they perish eternally. Great inen being united with 'Ri', eternal principle, their minds live even when the body dies. Masashige, who died at Minatogawa because of his loyalty, is living even yet, and many a man is bein^' inspired by his loyalty. Are such men not the resurrection of Masashige? He is living in their inner lives. Although we are not related to him by blood relation- ship, we have great sympathy for him because we possess the same mind, which has come from 'Ri', although our bodies are different." In another place he said : " It is foolish not to have true knowledge about life. Life for seventeen or eighteen years is not short. If such a life is short, that of ninety or one hundred year; will not be long. There are worms which live only half a day, and do not feel time short. Some live for centuries and do not feel time long. From the standpoint of eternity all lives are short. Hakui has lived from the Shu era up to the present. He lives though dead because he walked in righteousness. On the other hand, though men live forever they do not long for death. Men live about fifty years, though a lew live seventy. I feel I should make good use of my life." He had several precepts which he regarded as important and practical : "If we are bom as men, we must be able to distinguish between men and beasts or birds. For men <^here are five relations, among which that ,( lord and retainer, father and son are most important. Loyalty and filial piety are essentia) to perfection." "If we are bom in Japan, we must know the excellence of Japan. The imperial line is one. The lords and their retainers have loyally served the Mikado for centuries. If we are filial to our parents, then we shall be loyal to the emperor. Filial piety and loyalty under such conditions as exist in Japan are one." "Righteousness is of first importance to samurai. It depends on courage. Courage increases that we may be righteous." M W ' ,1 t! iii fe * 193 ARMSTRONG: LiGHT FROM THE EAST ■• i 1 f i( ;'■ -• ii'« i| ? "Truth is essential in the conduct of samurai. It is a shame to cover up one's faults with deception. Just and impartial conduct springs from truth." "Those who do not know ancient things or the classics are useless. To become great it is necessary to read books; it is also necessary to have good teachers and companions. We must be careful not to get mixed up with evil men." " The meaning of the saying, ' Do it till you die and give up only at death', is important. The words are few, but the meaning is deep. Without great patience, decision and stability it cannot be followed." Yoshida Shoin was executed, but his influence and loyalty still live. From one standpoint he failed to accom- plish much, but from another point of view his work will never be forgotten, SakumaShozan was bom in Shinshu in 1811, and was assassinated at the age of 53 in the first year of Gen j i era ( 1 864) . He studied with Sato Issai in Yedo. His own disciples included men like Kobayashi Kansui, Yoshida Shoin and Kato Hiroyuki, one of the present-day scholars of Japan. When Shozan was in prison he wrote: " I feel peace in the truth which I enjoy, and act according to it. The accusation brought against me does not destroy my inner peace, for crime springs from within oneself and cannot be forced on one from without." "What others do not know, I know, and what they cannot do, I can do. This is heaven's great blessing to me. Therefore I should not care for my own selfish interests only, but I must do my utmost for society. If I do not do so, I am very ungrateful." "Though I die to- day, the coming age will judge whether I am guilty or not, so I have no cause for fear or regret." "Though I am now in prison, there is no shame in my heart. I enjoy my usual peace and clearness of mind. Through this experience I have been led to recognize the spirituality of mind, and the immutability of the reign of peace in the inner life." "Through this bitter experience I have attained a knowledge of spiritual things not attainable by any other means. I have learned that pain is the ladder by which I can reach higher truth."' "Good reputation adds nothing to my true worth. • Literally, " People My, 'Stumble once and you attain one itep in know- ledge'. Thii i* true." ' t Armstrong: Light from the East 193 If one merely relies upon a good reputation and has not virtue, it is vain. A bad reputation does not deprive a man of what he has. If by a bad reputation one becomes more virtuous, it is a great gain." In a letter he said : "Truth is one. There are not two contradictory truths. The truth acquired by Western nations in science and art does not contradict, but rather assists, the truth of Confucianism. But to my regret, almost all ordinary Confucianists do not recognize this fact, and consider Western science and art as being the enemies of Confucianism, and refuse to accept it. Great men obtain truth from all spheres of culture and should be ready to receive new truth." Kasuga Senan was bom in Kyoto in 1812. As his father died during his childhood, he had a hard struggle with adversity. He first studied Shushi learning. In his twenty- seventh year he read Yomei philosophy for the first time. He recommended it very highly, saying that all learning should lead up to its truth. He was an upright man and was always very grave and serious. As a retainer of Lord Kuga Michiaki, he was so honest that many of his fellow-retainers who were stealing money from their lord tried to poison him, but were discovered. He succeeded in saving his lord from financial ruin. When Commodore Perry visited Japan, he requested the Japanese to make a commercial treaty. Senan said : " Foreigners like tea. If we trade with them, the price of tea will go up." He brought tea plants from a distant province and planted them. Since then his example has been followed by many men, with the result that the tea business has become very prosperous. He took sides with the emperor against the opening up of the country to foreign intercourse. The emperor secretly ordered Lord Mito to expel the foreigner. The Tokugawa government seized all the imperial m^engers and sym- pathizers with the plot. Senan was cast into prison, but after a few years he was released and became a staff officer to the governor of Yamato province. Afterwards he became governor of Nara. The great Saigo had much respect for him, a. id not only sought but followed his advice. In me beginning of Meiji he resigned his official duties and became a teacher. He died in the eleventh year of Meiji, 1878 a.d. 14^ :f> i ' ;(i \\% 194 Armstrong: Light from the East \\-M M 1, On his deathbed he said to his son: "Do not engrave any inscription on my tombstone. It is not the letters on a man's grave which shine, but a man's personality." These are some quotations from one of his works: "The best library is mere decoration, unless one attains the essen- tial truth. The best reader is not one who reads much, but one who finds truth." "It is a great pleasure to acquire truth; but it does not add anything to one's possessions, for it is that which the mind has from the beginning." "If the mind be clear and pure, the universe is manifested in its true nature; but if the mind be dark and impure, the real nature of the universe is shut out." "You cannot remove evil desire by removing the object of desire. The desire is only removed by self-denial and self- victory." "If one's mind becomes truly active, its greatness can only be compared to space or to the boundless ocean. " "History is a great blessing to us, for therein we get a glance at antiquity." "The great man is broadminded and liberal; the small man is narrow and mean." Katsu Awa was bom in Yedo in 1823. Before he was nineteen he was trained in fencing and in the Buddhist philosophy of the Zen sect. He studied Dutch from a physician in Yedo, and was appointed translator of foreign books to the Shc^un. At thirty-two years of age he became president of the naval training school at Nagasaki. In 1854, when he saw the American fleet sailing up Yedo bay against wind and tide, he turned to one of his attendants and said: " People who can make ships that sail against wind and tide are not such barbarians." In i860, when the first envoys were sent to America, Katsu went along as escort. He sailed to San Francisco in a little boat of two hundred and fifty tons. On his return he was made president of the Naval College at Kobe, and advocated a system of centralization for both navy and army. In 1863 he was Minister of Marine. He took a prominent part in the negotiations for peace in the revolution of 1868. Armstrong: Light from the East 195 He belonged to the Yomei school. He thought that the desire for a reputation was a very poor ambition, and em- phasized the importance of sincrity. He said: "We must act in harmony with our sincere minds, irrespective of good reputation. We must have sincerity by which to adapt ourselves to circumstances. He died in the thirty-second yearof Meiji (1899 a.d.). II "I ^^ I f -t ■ Iril PART IV STUDIES IN THE CLASSICAL SCHOOL OF CONFUCIANISM IN JAPAN Chapter I The Classical School' Since the reviv of learning in China in the twelfth century, there hujc . ■ .» two rival schools of thought in China and Japan, viz. the Shushi school and the Yomei school. In Japan we have now to record the founding of a new school, which claimed to teach classical Confucianism. Both Yam- aga Soko and Ito Jinsai have some claim to be recognized as founders of this school. Both of them urged a return to the sages of old. Yamaga, having been suspected of treason by the government, was forced to destroy his published works. Ito Jinsai's works were all published and scattered over Japan, BO his influence is very great. He is usually regarded as the father of the classical school. Even in the time of Ogiu Sorai, another famous representative of this school, Ito Jinsai was better known than Yamaga. These three men claimed to go back to the sat 2s, but that does not mean that their thought was the same. Soko combined military tactics with Con- fucianism, and "beating them into one ball", became what we may term "The Father of Bushido", the spirit jf knight- hood in Japan. Ito was a man of virtue, and his teachings emphasize the practice of individual morality. Sorai was the politician and man of letters. All three men were active and practical in their thought. They were very much opposed to the older schools. In attempting to outline the thought of the classical school we are chiefly concerned with the teachings of Ito Jinsai and Ogiu Sorai. > The itudies in thie port of the work were ourir Mem. Konm, HayaM Mid Tolntmi. -^ with the asiMtanoe of Armstrong; Light from the East »97 Jlnsai laid great stress on activity. He was opposed to the dualism and passivity of the Shushi school. He held that law arose in the activity of the sensible world, which is con- stantly in a state of flux. The movement of the sensible world alternates between the great male and female principles. From this movement various existences arise, and in it spontaneously there arises a certain permanence or law. In this he resembles the thought of Hcradiius. J insai had an exaggerated idea of the ancient sages. He said: "The two sacred books, the Analects of Confucius and the works of Mencius, sum up all the truth in the universe. " Sorai admired the activity of the system of Jinsai, and also opposed the passivity of the Buddhist and Shushi philosophers. Both Sorai and Jinsai opposed the idea of the Shushi school, that human nature -;ould be divided into two parts, one being the Oiiginal heart-nature, and the other the contingent disposition. Sorai went further, and held that not only was there only one nature, but it was unchangeable. Sorai advocatetl going back to the ancient kings. Jinsai favoured going back as far as Confucius and Mencius. The Shushi & 'id not hold especially to one or other of these views, ulti. ,,.i chey had great respect for the ancients. The Shushi school identified the way with law, Jinsai held that the way was benevolence and righteousness. Sorai held that man's nature was evil and must be rectified by music, propriety, correction and administration. When men are born, desires spring up; when desires cannot be realized, struggle arises, bringing confusion and suffering in their train. The ancient kings (i.e. administration) disliked confusion and made laws to establish propriety and righteousness. Then music and correction were introduced as a means of soul culture. Hence Sorai differed from both Shushi and Jinsai in holding that the way was made, not natural. Jinsai and the Shushi school alike emphasized the in- dividual culture of virtue. Sorai taught politics and social obligation. Jinsai and the Shushi school made benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom virtues. Sorai regarded the first two aa virtues, but propriety and music as the way. Viiiue for Jinsai was subjective, for Sorai it was an objective creation, made by ancient kings according to the will of heaven. This brief r6sum6 of the views of the classical school will be amplified by a study of the various scholars of the school. M I » I !l f > I 1 1 hi ■;l!| m i 1 t\ 1 , ■'\''. i - 1 '!'■ ■ i. Chaftbr It Yamaca Soko Yamaga Jingoiaemon in his boyhood was culled by many names, the best known of which is Soko. His an- cestors came from Chikuzen province. Yamaga Rokucmon- Takamichi, his father, was a retainer of Seki Kazumasa, lord of Kameyama in Ise, receiving an annual salary of aoo koku of rice (about looo bushels). For some unknown reason Takamichi killed one of his companions, and fled to Mutsu, where he lived with Lord Gamo Tada-Sato. and became very familiar with his chief retainer, Machida Sakon, who gave him a yearly gift of 250 koku of rice, made him a guest in his home, and gave him his waiting-maid as concubine. This concubine was the mother of Soko, who was born in the eighth year of Genna, 1630 a.d. He was bom when Kinoshita Junan, Kumazawa Banzan and Yamazaki Anzai were still boys, and shortly after the death of Fujiwara Seikwa. Soon after his birth. Lord Gamo Tadasato was banished by the government, and Machida was employed by the govern- ment aa a horseman.' Takamichi gave up his position as retainer, in favour of his eldest son Sozaemon, and, becoming a doctor, went to Yedo, where Soko was cared for by a nun of Saishoji Temple. Soko began the study of Chinese classics and arithmetic at six years of age, and poetry and literature at eight years of age. At nine he became a disciple of Hayashi Kazan, who allowed him to read the Chinese introduction of the Analects, and other books. He read this book quite easily, in spite of the fact that it was not punctuated. He composed his first poem when he was eleven years of age, at New Year, for which Kazan praised him very much. At fourteen he could compose impromptu poetry in the presence of nobles, and at fifteen he gave his first lecture before a large audience on "The Great Learning". About this time he became a pupil of military tactics under Obata Kagenori. After five years he completely sun ' He WM put in charge of one hundred men. His poiition reiembled that of a Rom.^ centurion. Ai Mad of tbU company be bad twenty helpcn. One ol tb«K yn» SoMcmim. Armstkong: Light from the East 199 pMMd hit fellow ttudents, and when he was twenty-one yean of age, Obata gave him a diploma bearing his own seal of approval. He also made himself proficient in Shinto learning, Japanese and Chinese literature, and even studied Buddhism. In a word, he was a scholar in all the learning of his day. At seventeen, Lord TolciiKawa Yorinobu of Kii province wished to employ him at a salary of one bushel per day (literally "rice for seventy mouths").' He agreed to accept this, but at the same time another lord trietl to engage him, through his former teacher, Obata Kajjenori. The result was that he refused both of them. The next year he was invited by Lord Macdaof Kaga to become his retainer at a salary of 700 koku* of rice, but his father refused to let him go for less than 1000 koku. In the Shoho era (1644-1648) he was a famous tactician, and many of the leading lords of the tmpin- studied his methods. The Shogun sent two of his leading retainers to take lessons from him, intending to make Soko his own retainer. Soko learned of it, and was making preparations to go, when the Shogun died. He therefore became the tactician and trusted retainer of Asano-Takumi-No-Kami, who is famous in Japan because his death was avenged by the forty- seven ronins. He was made a guest of honour in the castle, and given a salary of 1000 koku of rice. Soko remained there for eight years. In the third year of Maniji (1660) he wished to resign his post. Takumi, thinking perhaps the salary was too small, offered to increase it, but Soko told him he had other reasons for resigning. He went to Yedo, and became a teacher of literature and military tactics. He became very famous, and at one time he had as many as 3000 disciples. Just when his fame was at its height, he received a letter from Hojo-Awa-No-Kami which alarmed him. It read: "I have something to ask you. Come at once to my private residence." Soko replied without hesitation that he would go, but he feared his book must have given offence to the Tokugawa government. He prepared for the worst, for he felt something important was about to happen. Twenty or ' Four " Go" of rice was regarded ai enough for one man. Thit wai reckoned at the rate forKventy men or about 2.80 "To" or about one bushel. ' I koku -4.9639 bushel*. n^ ■1 i ; aoo Armstrong: Light from the East thirty years later he wrote: " I ate my meal, took a bath, and as I thought the situation a serious one, I made my will. If I were sentenced to death, I intended to give this document to the government before I died. After writing severd letters, and without taking leave of my mother, I went to the temple to worship. I was accompanied by only two of my retainers. I went on horseback to the residence of Awa-No- Kami as instructed. Many men and horses were gathered before the gate ready to start. If I had not come, they intended to attack my house, I thought. I handed my sword to the servant, and went into the room, and smilingly said: ' What is the matter? Many people are gathered before your gate.' So saying I went into the inner room. Soon Hojo appeared and greeted me. 'You have written a bad book. You are to be placed under the care of Asa-No-Takumi-No- Kami, and you must go there immediately. If you have anything to say to your family, you must do it through me. * He spoke very kindly. Fnkushima Dambei brought me an inkstone and said: ' If you have any message for your family, I will take it to them.' I said: 'Thank you for your kind- ness, but when I leave my house, I am accustomed not to be uneasy about my family. I have nothing to write.' Then Shimada Tojuro app^u^, and he and Hojo sat down together, calling me to them. Laying aside my short sword, I went before them, and Hojo again repeated what he had said : ' You have written an obnoxious book and are to be kept under guard by Asa-No-Takumi-No-Kami.' I said: 'Thank you for your kindness, but in what have I offended the government? In what part of the book? I should like to hear.' Both answered: 'You, Jingozaemon, naturally have some apology to make, but after this sentence you need not apologize or maice excuse: we will not hear it.' So I said: 'If you say so, I will be silent.' Then one of Hojo's retainers came and called the retainers of Asa-No-Takumi-No-Kami, and I smilingly took leave of them, saying, 'Farewell'. Asa-No-Takumi's retainers told me that evening that my etiquette was perfect." Soko was somewhat surprised at the treatment he had received. He had studied under Hayashi Kazan, and was thought to be of the orthodox school. At forty years of age br bqi;an to doubt the truth of these doctrines, and as a Armstrong: Light from the East 30I consequence burnt all his earlier writings. Then he pub- lished three volumes, entitled " Seikyo Yoroku " ("Outlines of the Sacred Teachings"). It was a small series of pamphlets in which he attacked the scholars of the orthodox school for rejecting true Confucianism. In the introduction of his book hisdiscipleshave written: "As many ages had passed since the death of Confucius, his teachings were unknown. The scholars of Kan, To, So and Min eras were all mistaken in his teachings. If this condition existed in China, it was naturally much worse in Japan. Our master, two thousand years after the death of Confucius, came forth, and studied Confucian classics, and for the first time published and declared the sacred teachings." It is said that Soko was advised by his disciples not to show his book freely to everyone, because his opinions differed from other scholars, who might lay a complaint against him to the government. Soko replied: "You talk nonsense. Truth is truth for the whole world. It s'