From Transculturation to Culture-Specific Ethics: The Implementation of Confucian Ritual Forms in 19th Century Japan

本研究的总体主题是近代早期日本官方学校中物质儒家符号的使用。幕府在江户后期直接控制了汤岛遗址的正平坂学园学校，激发了领域学校继续既定的寺庙-学校复合体形式，包括向孔子和其他相关仪式的关天祭祀，但这些象征性的表达随着幕府对教育的要求和与外部世界的接触而发生变化，导致教育目标发生了重大变化。本研究通过对寺庙、仪式等有形文化展示的研究，探讨这一时期教育角色的变化。在本研究项目的第四年，主要活动仍然是收集和分析来自领域学校的原始资料，这些资料揭示了孔庙、关天仪式及其在教育体系中的作用。这些问题包括：维持传统庙学结构的动机、学校的教育目的、人才与道德的灌输观念，以及学校学生的社会背景。核心问题是，在以儒家思想为基础的教育内容日渐衰落的时候，为什么要投入如此多的精力和资源来维持学校-寺庙系统的各种可见的装饰。这项工作的成果正通过学术会议介绍和出版物积极传播。

The overall topic of this research is the use of material Confucian symbols in the official schools of early modern Japan. The Bakufu took direct control of the Shoheizaka Gakumonjo school at the Yushima site in the late Edo period, inspiring domain schools to continue the established temple-school complex form, including the Sekiten sacrifices to Confucius and other related rites, but these symbolic expressions underwent change as Bakufu demands on education and contact with the outside world led to substantial changes in educational goals. The current research project examines the changing role of education in this period through research on the visible cultural displays such as temples and rituals.In the fourth year of this research project, the main activity has remained the collection and analysis of primary source materials from domain schools that shed light on the Confucius temples, Sekiten rituals, and their role in the education system. Questions addressed include the motivations for maintaining the traditional design of the temple-school structure, the educational aims of the schools, ideas on inculcating talent and morality, and the social backgrounds of the students at the schools. The central question is why so much effort and resources were devoted to maintaining the various visible trappings of the school-temple system at a time when the older Confucian-based educational content was on the decline. The results from this work is being actively disseminated through academic conference presentations and publications.