| Research PurposeHayashi Razan (1583-1657), as one of the most renowned thinkers and sinologists of the School of Zhu Xi in the early Edo period, enjoys a very high position in the ideological and philosophical fields of Japan. He served four successive shoguns and made a great contribution to establish the School of Zhu Xi as the official ideology of Japan. A study of Hayashi Razan's thought will clarify the far-reaching influence of the School of Principle and, in particular, the School of Zhu Xi of the Song and Ming Dynasties, on modern Japan and modern Japanese thoughts.Both Japan and China are parts of the East Asian Cultural Sphere. In modern times, Japan, a neighbor of China separated by a strip of water, develops rapidly in both economy and culture. A study of Japan's development from the prospective of philosophy and ideology will widen the scope of the research on the School of Zhu Xi and benefit China's development in related fields.Research MethodsIn view of the author's specialty in Japanese, this thesis mainly adopts contrast studies of literature. By comparing Hayashi Razan and Zhu Xi's thoughts, this thesis makes clear their similarities and differences in the theory li (rational principle) and qi (vital force), the theory of heart and mind, the theory of self-cultivation, the theory of ideological level, and the outlook of religion, and further indentifies the reasons for Hayashi Razan's selection of Zhu Xi's thoughts.Conclusion and SignificanceHayashi Razan's thought not only inherits and develops the School of Zhu Xi but also combines Wang Yangming's School of Mind and Japanese Shinto. Hayashi Razan's ideological system of the School of Zhu Xi is a distinctive one with rich contents and rigorous logic.Theory of li and qi:Hayashi Razan faithfully inherits Zhu Xi's teachings in the literal sense of li and qi. However, his discussion of the relationship between li and qi is not completely the same with that of Zhu Xi. There are, among Japanese researchers of Razan, mainly two theories as to Hayashi Razan's theory of the relationship between li and qi. One theory, represented by Inoue Tetsujiro, holds that while Razan reveres the fundamental role of li proposed by Zhu Xi, he supports the metaphysical monism of Wang Yangming rather than the dualism of Zhu Xi. The other theory with Yisida Yitiro as its representative points out that Razan's view of the relationship between li and qi is not a static existence but a dynamic process, and that although Razan is inclined to Yangming's monism in his early years, he later bases his thought on the School of Zhu Xi. Through studies Yisida fixes the date of Razan's change in the theory of li and qi in the sixth year of Genna (1620 A.D.) at the age of 38. A comprehensive study of the two theories and their evidences convinces the author that Razan's theory is different from that of Zhu Xi or that of Yangming, still less the simple combination of them. Rather, Razan creates a theory compatible to the social background of Japan in his times. Besides, although Razan does show a switch from monism to dualism in his theory of li and qi, it is not an abrupt leap but an adjustment in inclination.Theory of mind and nature:Razan is basically in line with Zhu Xi in such views as the concept mind and nature, the relationship between the five cardinal virtues and nature, the identity between nature and li, the idea of innate human goodness, and the dominance of nature over disposition.While Razan shows his deep understanding of Zhu Xi's discussion of the essence of qi, he is different from Zhu Xi in that he raises his question of and expresses his confusion about the source of evil. It is not unreasonable to say that it is the obscurity of Razan's theory of mind and nature as well as the part that deserves the most profound thinking.Furthermore, Razan's shows an inclination to simplify the theory of Zhu Xi in issues like the definition of disposition. The author is convinced that Hayashi Razan's remolding of Zhu Xi's theory of mind and nature is the inevitable outcome of his social status, cultural background, and historical context as well as one of the most distinctive features of Razan's thought.Theory of self-cultivation:Hayashi Razan, like Zhu Xi, holds the essence of The Great Learning in esteem and believes that gewu, the investigation of things, has primacy in the understanding of principle and the extension of knowledge. Razan's inheritance of Zhu Xi's thought can also be seeing in such views as propriety, self-restraint, and introspection in the theory of self-cultivation as well as his view of knowledge prior to action in the theory of cognition. Moreover, Razan, following Zhu Xi, is particularly assiduous in pursuing his studies. Benefiting from this attitude of scholarship, Razan, just like Zhu Xi, leaves many works that would be handed down from age to age. Razan also advices younger scholars to be as diligent and meditative as the sages of the past in their studies so as to become a man of accomplishment.Theory of ideological level:Razan's exposition on such issues as personality and the level of happiness shows that he does well in adhering to the spirit of Zhu Xi's theory of ideological level. However, Razan also, from his own unique prospective, raises naive questions abut the happiness of Yan Yuan and that of Zeng Dian. It can thus be deduced that Razan's understanding of the level of happiness has its deep aspect. Therefore, it is safe to say that Razan's happiness is more profound. It is not only the optimistic mentality of being composed in the face of adversity and of being unyielding in poor livelihood, but also a happiness that comes after one takes the state and its affairs as his responsibility and that derives from one's awareness of troubles. Basing on the theory that man is an integral part of nature, it is a happiness that puts the interest of society before one's own. Such a great happiness cannot be mentioned in the same breath with simple optimism. What Razan shows here is his calmness in thinking, which though not as free and easy as that of Zeng Xi or as untrammeled as that of Zhou Dunyi, is still keen enough for a thinker.Outlook of Religion:Razan, like other scholars of the School of Zhu Xi, makes painstaking efforts to deny Buddhism and Christianity. His criticism, in terms of its ways and angles, is highly in line with that of Zhu Xi. Razan, after exposing the void nature of Buddhism, sharply criticizes that it is, in substance, harmful to human relations as well as the cardinal guides and virtues. Razan also makes several direct confrontations with Christians on the basis of his firm stand in the fundamental role of li. Both the talent Razan displayed and the victory he finally achieved in those debates exhibits the charm of the School of Zhu Xi and promotes its further development in Japan.However, Hayashi Razan does not completely exclude religion. For instance, he unites Shinto, adjusts it to Confucianism, and promotes his theory of the unity of Confucianism and Shinto. Perhaps it is because of Razan's flexible attitude towards religion that the School of Zhu Xi gains more space for its existence and development in Japan.In summary, the essence of Razan's theory of the School of Zhu Xi is:because the way of Heaven is the foundation of the ultimate value of the way of man, man should know the operation of human affairs by learning the way of Heaven. Meanwhile, the li shared by all things connects the way of Heaven with the life of man, and makes all things in this organic world, which evolves from the interaction of li and qi, vitally interrelates with each other. Therefore, as the wisest of all creatures, man should, through deliberate self-restraint and intentional cultivation, improve his qualities and fully display the purest and best li that he receives. Razan believes that when establishing the connection between all things, man should bring into full play his role as the subject of life, which is what makes man as man, so that the real word he lives in will become more and more harmonious. The realization of all this, however, requires man's deliberate self-constraint and cultivation. Razan, in his grand Confucian vision, constantly learns from the thought of the School of Zhu Xi and actively put it into practice, which sets an example for later scholars.While Hayashi Razan mainly inherits his thought from that of the School of Zhu Xi, he also adds to his thought achievements from other academic fields and, with his original view and creative explanation, makes an enormous contribution to the development of the School of Zhu Xi in Japan.There are many reasons for Razan's selection and remolding of the theory of the School of Zhu Xi. One of them is his special status. Hayashi Razan served four successive shoguns and enjoyed a position of eminence. His status not only provides him with abundant resources for academic studies but also gives him strong academic confidence, so that he could calmly deal with foreign cultures and after careful studies, make judgments and selections before inheriting them. Razan's confidence in academics also constantly prompts him to innovate in the theoretical plane and create his distinctive ideology in conformity with the natural conditions and social customs of Japan. Many thoughts in this ideological system appear to integrate those of the schools of Zhu Xi and Yangming. However, they are essentially different from those of the two schools. In other words, Razan makes deliberate selections in his inheritance. This inheritance is also a kind of development and the most attractive part of Razan's ideological system of the School of Zhu Xi. In addition, just as li is inseparable from qi, no theoretical system could be independent from the cultural background in the practical plane. Japan's geographic features as an island country and its single culture of the Yamato people lead to the simplification and generalization of Razan's theory. Therefore, it is understandable that Razan, a Japanese philosopher, makes simplified expressions and interpretations of Zhu Xi's meticulous ideological system. Meanwhile, this thinking inclination to unification also conforms to the conditions and customs of Japan. Therefore, although the theory of the School of Zhu Xi undergoes changes in the framework of Razan's thought, it is these changes that add more rationality to the thought of the School of Zhu Xi. Further facilitated by the inherent strong tolerance of Japanese culture, the Hayashi clan of the School of Zhu Xi gains more space for its existence and development in Japan.Razan lives in an age when Japan has just recovered from the chaos caused by war and there is not too much spare social capital or space of thought for deepening philosophy. In order to adapt Confucianism to better serving the ruling of the shogunate, it has become the common request of the ruling classes and the age Razan lives in to simplify the theoretical system and to make the doctrines more easily to be understood. On the other hand, from the prospective of the subjects, the Japanese people are badly in need of retrieving the long lost outlook of life, values, and the mainstream of social ideology. All this calls for the Razan thought from a different angle. It naturally becomes an inevitable historical mission for Razan to give a simple and clear explanation of such issue as evil in human relations on the basis of a rational theoretical framework and persuasiveness.In conclusion, Hayashi Razan has made an indelible contribution to the inheritance, dissemination, and development of the School of Zhu Xi in Japan.
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