Korea-Japan Confucian Studies Series, Volume I
Itō Jinsai (1627-1705) and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836): Mencius' Philosophy of Qi and Moral Practice
The Korea-Japan Confucian Studies Series is founded on the conviction that the comparative study of Korean and Japanese Confucianism deserves a more prominent place within global scholarship. Although Confucian scholars in Tokugawa Japan and Joseon Korea studied many of the same canonical texts-including the Analects, the Mencius, the writings of Zhu Xi, and works on ritual, self-cultivation, and governance-they developed distinct philosophical traditions shaped by different historical, political, and intellectual circumstances. Shared concepts such as principle (li), qi, mind, ritual, and moral cultivation acquired different meanings as they were interpreted within their respective traditions.
The series seeks to place these traditions in sustained dialogue. Rather than emphasizing questions of influence or hierarchy, it explores how common Confucian texts generated distinctive philosophical questions and responses in Korea and Japan. Through carefully grounded comparisons of thinkers, texts, and intellectual problems, the series presents Korean and Japanese Confucianism as interconnected currents within the broader history of East Asian thought, revealing both their shared foundations and their unique developments.
The inaugural volume examines two of the most influential Confucian thinkers of early modern East Asia: Itō Jinsai (1627-1705) of Tokugawa Japan and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836) of late Joseon Korea. Although separated by time, geography, and intellectual context, both regarded the Mencius as an indispensable source for understanding human nature, moral cultivation, and ethical practice.
Focusing on the celebrated passage concerning "knowing words and nourishing qi" (知言養氣), this study offers a close comparative reading of Jinsai's Ancient Meanings of the Mencius (Mengzi Kogi, 孟子古義) and Jeong Yak-yong's Essentials of the Mencius (Mengja Youi, 孟子要義). It examines how each philosopher interpreted "flood-like qi" (浩然之氣), intention (zhi, 志), righteousness (yi, 義), the heart-mind (xin, 心), and the cultivation of moral character.
Jinsai approached the Mencius through the method of recovering its "ancient meanings," emphasizing the practical force of classical language through careful attention to words, historical context, and lived moral experience. Jeong Yak-yong, by contrast, employed rigorous philological analysis, evidential scholarship, and a strong concern for moral discipline, ethical responsibility, and practical governance. Their differing approaches illuminate two distinctive yet complementary paths within the Confucian tradition.
Rather than treating Korean and Japanese Confucianism as separate intellectual worlds, this volume brings them into direct conversation. By demonstrating how the same classical passage inspired different accounts of qi, moral courage, and ethical cultivation, it offers a fresh perspective on the diversity and vitality of East Asian Confucian philosophy. The result is a comparative study that contributes not only to Confucian studies but also to the broader fields of comparative philosophy, intellectual history, and East Asian thought.
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