Paper short abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to analyze early modern Japanese cosmology through the works of the Nagasaki scholar Nishikawa Joken (1648-1724). I will focus on the transmission of European scientific knowledge by the Jesuits and its impact on the Japanese astronomical and calendrical practices.

Paper long abstract:

This study is an examination of early modern Japanese cosmological thought as represented by the works of Nishikawa Joken (1648-1724), a Confucian scholar from Nagasaki who is mostly known for his popular works on geography and astronomy. Although he lived precisely during the time when the control over foreign trade was strictest in Japan, his social status and geographical position enabled a close contact with knowledge from abroad.

The connections between astronomy and its calendrical applications are at the core of Joken's cosmology. The different cosmographical models inherited from ancient China remain his principal reference, and he considers calendar-making and its political significance an essential part of astronomical practices. He recognizes some of the technical advantages of the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic conception of the cosmos transmitted by the Jesuits, but dismisses its main premises. He contrasts the four elements in the European tradition with the theory of the "five phases" (gogyō 五行), which has a corresponding function in Chinese philosophy, and claims that the Sino-Japanese understanding of reality is more sophisticated.

In this paper I will analyze the use of astronomical and calendrical sciences by Nishikawa Joken, with particular focus on his interpretation of knowledge transmitted from Europe. It is highly likely that scientific treatises produced in China by the Jesuits or by Chinese scholars under their influence were already circulating clandestinely in Japan by his time despite the official ban on such texts. Moreover, Joken had access to the Japanese translations of other prohibited works on Western cosmology published by the Jesuits active in Japan. By looking at the impact of these channels of scientific knowledge on Nishikawa Joken's works, I hope to shed light on the Japanese conception of the cosmos during the Edo period.

Paper short abstract:

In my presentation, I examine the concept of time in Andō Shōeki's philosophy. First, I discuss the idea of "annihilation of history" and then move on to focus on its role in the ontology and epistemological status of the human being.

Paper long abstract:

In Shizen shin'eidō ("The True Way of the Functioning of Nature"), Andō Shōeki (1703-1762) described a vision of the universe in which Nature (shizen) is an entity sufficient in itself, complete in its isness, all-encompassing and inclusive. For Shōeki, shizen no yo ("the World of Nature") is the unspoiled, primordial realm where all manifestations of life coexist in a pristine, quintessential state. Opposed to this realm is the shihōsei ("the World of the Private Law"), which represents human society, warped by an antagonism with the "True Way" because of the existence of self-serving, man-made laws.

For Shōeki, the whole world is a dynamic continuum in which Heaven and Earth do exist separately, but as the two sides of the same coin, i.e. as Heaven-and-Earth combined together in a totality created and governed by a flow of energies that circulate constantly, uninterrupted and eternal. This, for him, is the realm of Nature, and all forms of existence can only be immanent to this realm, deeply embedded within it. Therefore, since Nature is beginningless and endless, notions such as "time" or "history" seem to be completely irrelevant, as nothing can exist outside Nature.

Joly points out that "Nous avons vu Shôeki, grâce à la référence à l'idée de shizen, nier l'histoire et cela de façon si radicale qu'il alla jusqu'à en nier la possibilité même" (1996, 399-400). Furthermore, he adds that "ce monde de shizen que Shôeki nous invite à regagner, présente ce point commun avec l'idéologie communiste d'offrir l'image d'une totalité où l'histoire se trouve annihilée" (1996, 451).

In my presentation, I start from this idea of "denial / annihilation of history" - which seems to be in contradiction with the vision of a realm where dynamic energies constantly move about - and I examine the concept of time in Shōeki's philosophy, focusing on its role in the ontology and epistemological status of the human being.

(Joly, Jacques. 1996. Le naturel selon Andô Shôeki. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose)

Paper short abstract:

This paper investigates the changes in the notion of "Politics and Time" in nineteenth century Japan, by shedding light on the development of Rangaku in relation to the transformation of Dutch politics and academics, such as the foundation of the Royal Military Academy and the Royal Delft Academy.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the development of Western learning (Rangaku and Yougaku) from astronomy to geography, military science, statistics, and history of civilization in nineteenth century Japan, in relation to the intellectual trends prevalent in the Netherlands in that time.

Traditionally in East Asia, there were two insights into the relation between politics and time. Confucians thought that an ideal world in which the sage ruled existed in the "past". On the other hand, astronomy developed as a discipline for rulers. In the Edo period the Tokugawa government established the institution of astronomy, and as a result its study contributed to the prosperity of Rangaku (Dutch studies) including geography, military science, and statistics.

Previous researches on Rangaku mainly exist within the field of the history of science. However, these do not focus sufficiently on the influence of the transformation of politics and academics following the historical change from the decline of the Dutch Republic to the creation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

This paper, first, illustrates how the knowledge of astronomy paved the way for the study of European new sciences, such as geography and statistics. Secondly, it investigates several translations such as Takano Choei's Taktiek der drie wapens, and Nishimura Shigeki's Algemeene statistiek voor handel en nijverheid. In doing so, it will show that they obtained knowledge concerning the art of governance of the modern nation state through these studies. This development is placed against the background of the foundation of the Royal Military Academy and the Royal Delft Academy for the education of government officials of the Dutch East India, in the Netherlands. Based on the knowledge of Rangaku, after the Meiji restoration, the scholars of Western learning, such as Fukuzawa Yukich, abolished the old lunar calendar used in the Edo period, and intellectually struggled with the history of civilization, emergent in contemporary Europe, and its notion of "progress" contrary to the Confucian idea. This paper will clarify how the perspective of "Politics and Time" in East Asian tradition has changed through the acceptance of Western science in nineteenth century Japan.