Paper short abstract:

This paper will discuss Watsuji Tetsurō's take on Japanese Confucian ethics by focusing on two of his essential writings, 日本倫理思想史 and 倫理学, in an attempt at opening new directions of inquiry both into Watsuji's ethical thought and into the larger issue of Japanese Confucianism's contemporary legacy.

Paper long abstract:

Politically 'highjacked' in the late Meiji and Taishō periods, Japanese Confucianism still grapples today with the effects of its prewar association with nationalistic and totalitarian discourses of morality and citizenship. One of the consequences of this failure to resist politicisation is an oversized vacuum of understanding regarding contemporary intellectual history, with Confucianism's near-disappearance from debates on Japan's modern and contemporary philosophy.

One such example can be found in the contemporary research surrounding Watsuji Tetsurō's ethical thought. Not only do the central elements of his Rinrigaku - ningen and aidagara - seem heavily indebted to the Confucian ethical tradition, but he has also written extensively on the topic, especially in his History of Japanese Ethical Thought (日本倫理思想史). However, this direction of inquiry into his work has been all but absent in (especially English language) contemporary research and philosophical debates, with attention being focused mainly on his Buddhist and Western philosophical connections.

Therefore, this paper will discuss Watsuji Tetsurō's take on Japanese Confucian ethics by focusing on two of his essential writings, 日本倫理思想史 (History of Japanese Ethical Thought) and 倫理学 (Ethics), in an attempt at opening new directions of inquiry not only into Watsuji's ethical thought but also into the larger issue of Japanese Confucianism's muddled contemporary legacy.