Discussion on the derivation of the Japanese Bushido spirit from Confucianism.docVIP

Discussion on the derivation of the Japanese Bushido spirit from Confucianism 　　Abstract. Although the Japanese Bushido spirit condenses indigenous Shinto and Buddhism implication， it also learns a lot of Chinese Confucian thought. The Bushido virtues of bravery， benevolence， ritual， loyalty and honor permeate the Chinese Confucian ethics， as the Japanese moral authority Nitobe Inazou says： As for the strict moral teachings of Confucianism， Confuciuss teachings are the most abundant sources of Bushido. 　　Key words： Bushido spirit； Confucianism； derivation 　　1. The origins of Japanese Bushido and the relationship with the Confucianism 　　Before and after the fifth century AD， Chinese Confucian classics with the Chinese characters together was introduced to Japan， which had a profound impact on the politics， ideology， morality and customs of Japan， and laid the ideological foundation for the Japanese society to get rid of the original clan consciousness， establish the political system of the unity of the nation， and establish the consciousness of the monarch and his subjects. 　　Chinese Confucianism treats the benevolence， righteousness， propriety， wisdom， faith as the most important virtues， and the benevolence is put in the first place. In Japan， benevolence never gets the status like that in China， but the loyalty and bravery is the Confucian virtue the samurai believe in， which reflects the need of the Japanese society at that time. In Japan， the basic meaning of loyalty usually is completely dedicated to the master， namely， in order to be loyal to their masters， they can sacrifice themselves. The filial piety and loyalty theory of the earliest founder Hayashi Razan of the Japanese Edo Confucian says that the two cannot have both， and we should abandon filial piety but conserve loyalty. 　　However， in China， loyalty was first seen in the Learning and Zilu of the Analects of Confucius， which refers to the sincerity and honesty to others. In the view of Chine