Scientificity And Falsehood-----on The Trend Of Thoughts And The Newer Study Of The Analects In Modern Japan

The study of The Analects, against the academic and cultural contexts of Modern Japan, has undergone a dramatic and profound impact from a variety of thoughts, like Skepticism, Positivism, Leopold von Ranke's Historiography, Statism and Papalism.Some noticeable changes and tendencies have been generated. For instance, On Confucius by Yamaji Aizan, The Study of The Analects by Takeuchi Yoshio, A New Study of The Analects by Miyazaki Ichisada, The Analects and Confucian Thoughts by Tsuda Saukichi and Confucius and Confucianism by Hattori Unokichi have been conducted in a distinct manner from traditional study of The Analects and our Chinese academic study.This research into the approaches, purposes, attitudes, effects, levels as well as the merits and defects of its study will lift the veil of the changes and traits of the study of The Analects in modern Japanese academic and cultural contexts. It may give us a glimpse of the modern Japanese culture.The philology of The Analects by Yamaji Aizan is permeated with skeptical qualities.Without the blind belief in ancient classics, he assessed its reliability in a more scientific way. To be sure, there are inaccuracies in his research, yet the argumentation and conclusion are roughly acceptable owing to his sensible skepticism of the literature.Takeuchi Yoshio, out of his skepticism in the constitution of The Analects made an attempt to restore the real picture of The Analects with his positivism for his philology. Despite some inaccuracies, his study has unique values with the merits of the approach and method.Miyazaki Ichisada, from the aspect of modern history, advocated the scientific source criticism by treating The Analects as a literary source. He questioned its text by way of historiography and linguistics. His approach is quite desirable, but he's reached some inaccurate conclusions.Tsuda Saukichi questioned and criticized the literature irrationally. He tried to judge the reliability of the analects by means of the source criticism and the study of History of Thoughts. However, at heart, his study means negating the analects, deconstructing Confucian system and obliterating the Chinese elements in Japanese culture.Tsuda's study of The Analects has lost the academic rationality with its void negation, owing to his provincial nationalism.The absurdity of Hattori's interpretation is surely apparent:he preached Confucianism by way of a distortion of the classics. It is in essence an attempt at a campaign for the Emperor System and militarism of Japan with the deceptive banner of promoting Confucius and his thoughts. His preaching is definitely a mistaken one with academic soul stripped.To sum up, the source criticism and interpretation of The Analects in Japan has been given distinct national and contemporary traits, owing to the rush of western thoughts and the national awareness. The source criticism by Yamaji, Takeuchi and Miyazaki is relatively more academic and scientific, but that by Tsuda is purely a negation of Chinese thought and culture. What's more, Hattori's misinterpretation of Confucius and his works provides a spiritual and theoretical support for the Emperor System and militarism. In a nutshell, the researches into The Analects in modern Japan are both shining with scientific light of modern study and filled with the dirt of falsehood and wickedness.