著者

北野 雄士

出版者

大阪産業大学

雑誌

大阪産業大学論集. 人文・社会科学編 (ISSN:18825966)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.23, pp.25-43, 2015-02

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Yokoi Shonan (1809-1869), a Confucian scholar and samurai active in the late Tokugawa period, undertook an intensive study of Chu Hsi's Neoconfucianism in his early thirties and formulated the idea of "Sandai"(the Three Dynasties, i.e., the Hsia, the Yin and the Chou in ancient China) as the standard for good government. In the first half of his forties, he recognized through his experiences the great influence of a monarch's spirit on the politics of Japan, for example, the conflicts among the samurai factions in Higo (Kumamoto) domain, and through the historical study of Godaigo Tenno (emperor) and his misrule in the medieval period. He then began to advocate the spirit and behavior of Yao and Shun, the mythical emperors before the Three Dynasties, as an ideal image of a sage monarch. The lives of Yao and Shun are recorded in the chapters of "Nitensanbo," i.e., the "Canon of Yao," the "Canon of Shun," the "Counsels of the Great Yu," the "Counsels of Kaou-Yaou," and "Yih and Tseih," compiled in the Shokyo (Book of Documents). This paper attempts to examine why he emphasized the importance of the "Nitensanbo" chapters as the source of his political thought. Then I considered the characteristics of these chapters. From my examination, I point out that the chapters held universal and democratic principles, for example, open and friendly discussions between a monarch and his vassals, the selection of a monarch based on his virtue and faculty as a leader, and promotion and encouragement of industry for the welfare of the common people. These principles met the necessity for immediate acceptance of European civilization in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate. Therefore he attached great importance to the chapters of the "Nitensanbo" and emphasized their significance as the source and standard in his political thinking.