The Role of Confucianism in Ancient China and Japan - Essay Example

Confucius is one of the most recognizable s in the history of philosophy, but very few people know exactly what types of values he stood for while he was alive. This is because many of his sayings have been misinterpreted over the years and no longer have the meaning that they were meant to have. The truth is that Confucius wished to see China return to the old order of doing things, as he believed that in past times, there was a perfectly harmonious world. In this world, he believed that everyone had a role in society and that everyone worked as hard as possible in order to do his or her job, so that society could continue to run smoothly. This was a hierarchal system, where the ruling class had absolute power over the working class and husbands had complete control over their wives. This was done so that people would not get out of line in society and, therefore, the world would become a much easier place in which to live. Confucianism is based on these ideals and it eventually became a religion of sorts for people throughout China. These ideologies also spread to Japan, which was a very young country at this point. While the teachings of Confucius were very important to China, because they brought about change in the country, they were more important in ancient Japan because they were one of the starting points of morality in the country and many of these ideals are still present in the country to this very day. In China, Confucius is still regarded has an important historical figure because of his teachings. Even though he died over 2500 years ago, he is still remembered for the impact that he had in China over the course of his life and his teachings are still highly regarded to this day. The teachings of Confucius became a religion in China and affected the people heavily because of what they said about how people should live their lives. These teachings even changed the way that religion was thought of in China, as Confucius believed that rituals brought upon wastefulness and that this was not a virtue that people should hold. He wanted people to return to how they had been in the past, when people chose to focus on those that are living, rather than deceased ancestors. This is because many of his teachings were based on the idea that human beings are social creatures that need interaction with one another in order to be healthy. He also pointed out that relationships between people were very important and said that everyone should have these relationships in order to develop as a human being. This had a tremendous impact on the culture of China, as the country’s moral code and its way of interacting with one another changed. Confucianism was responsible for setting forth the rules by which the people of China would interact with one another by creating a social hierarchy by which people should live. The first group of people who saw their lives changed by Confucianism were the working class, as they saw a new set of values added to their lives, but this was not always for the best. This is because Confucius believed that the ruling class should have absolute power over its subjects, which is somewhat of a dictatorship. During the Western Chou Dynasty in China, rebellions were frequent, which made it difficult for those with the power in society to hold onto this power. The teachings of Confucius argued that those who were born into power should not be questioned and that the ruling class should have the right to have slaves. He also believed that every member of society should have a given role and should fill that role to the best of his abilities. While this system clearly did not last in China, the idea of a supreme leader did last into modern dynasties in the country. Confucius also held the common believe during this time period that women were substandard human beings, as “Confucius taught that children should respect and obey their parents, and it was written law that a wide must be obedient to her husband“ (Cotterell and Buller 42). He barely speaks of women at all, but when he does, he says things like “women and people of low birth are very hard to deal with” (Waley 190). Therefore, it can be shown that Confucius firmly believed that people from the ruling class should have more rights than anyone else and that women are at the absolute bottom of society. From a religious standpoint, the real contributions of Confucianism came well after his death. This is when the first Emperor of the Han dynasty decided visit the grave of Confucius and make a sacrifice to him. In fact, “the Han Dynasty is notable for the incorporation of Confucian ideals into government” (Tracy 11). As time went on, this practice increase and more people began to look at Confucius as a God. Confucianism was not meant to be looked at as a religion in China, as it was simply a moral code and social hierarchy that Confucius believed should be present in the country, but it did evolve into a religion for the people of China. In Japan, Confucianism had a very similar impact, but it can be argued that it was much more important to the country because Japan was much younger. Confucianism was introduced to Japan during the country’s formative years, which are often times the most important years in a country’s history. Over this period of time, Japan began to take shape and the country’s moral philosophies began to establish themselves and Confucianism had a large part in this process, as “both Confucius and Plato developed an idea of the Good (Chinese: jen; Greek: agathon) that provided a norm or measure for centuries of subsequent political thought” (Bellah 150). At the same time, the Japanese legal system was formed and Confucian ideologies helped a great deal when the country’s founders began to develop these laws. They also began to formulate what type of country Japan would be during this time period and ideas like each man having his own place in society and everyone living in harmony are prevalent in the early ideologies of Japan. This was one of the first doctrines to make its way into the newly formed country of Japan and, therefore, Confucianism, along with Buddhism, had a major impact on the formation of the social order in Japan. Also, “Confucius, with his code of behavior, lives on in Japan, not in China” (Richie 19). Because Japan was such a young country when Confucianism was introduced, the religion had a much great impact on Japan than it did on China. China was already an old country by this time and many of the traditions that were put forward by Confucius had already been present in the country, but had long since been forgotten and, therefore, all Confucius did was remind his people about what had happened in the past. Japan was still in its formative years when the teachings of Confucius reached the country and, therefore, the impact was much greater because it gave the country a foundation on which to base itself, as “the doctrine of Confucius with its five relations - loyalty, filial piety, marital fidelity, brotherly order, and friendly solidarity - was the basis of a continuous system of ethics” (Porter 6). Many of the teachings on Confucius can still be seen in Japan, as there is a lot of honor present within the Japanese and they respect those who are in a higher place in society or who are older. Confucianism was a moral philosophy that had a huge impact in various parts of Asia because it became similar to a religion. Some people even took to worshipping Confucius, even though he would have said himself that he was not a God and, therefore, should have not been worshipped. Confucius, like most philosophers, did not receive the credit that he deserved while he was alive, as it was centuries later that his teachings were revived by the Han dynasty in China. At this time, they rose to prominence once again and people began to believe that he was, in fact, a God. At the same time, his teachings spread to Japan, which was a country that was still attempting to find an identity. In large part due to the teachings of Confucius, Japan was able to develop an identity that is still present today. Much of what Confucius had to teach was based on creating a hierarchy in society in order to keep society running smoothly. Japan adopted this ideology and had become one of the more successful countries in the world, while still keeping a sense of honor in their society. This honor is a result of these Confucian teachings, which is why the impact that Confucius had on the people of ancient Japan was far greater than the impact that he had on the people of ancient China. Works Cited Bellah, Robert N. Imagining Japan: The Japanese Tradition and its Modern Interpretation. Los Angeles: University of California Press. 2003. Cotterell, Arthur and Buller, Laura. Ancient China. New York: DK Eyewitness Books. 2005. Porter, Robert Percival. Japan: The Rise of a Modern Power. Oxford: Elibron Classics. 2005. Richie, Donald. A Lateral View: Essays on Culture and Style in Contemporary Japan. Berkley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. 1992. Tracy, Kathleen. The Life and Times of Confucius. New York: Mitchell Lane Publishers. 2005. Waley, Arthur. The Analects of Confucius. New York: Random House. 1989. Read More