ITO JINSAI

born Aug. 30, 1627, Kyoto, Japan died April 4, 1705, Kyoto sinologist, philosopher, and educator who helped found the Kogaku (Study of Antiquity), which opposed the official Neo-Confucianism of Tokugawa Japan (derived essentially from the writings of the Chinese thinker Chu Hsi). He advocated a return to classical Confucian teaching. Through his hundreds of students, he exerted a powerful influence that tended to counteract the monolithic thought patterns imposed upon the nation by the Tokugawa rulers (16031867). The son of a Kyoto lumberman, Ito turned his hereditary business over to his younger brother in order to devote himself to teaching and scholarship. He became known for his gentle manner and his dedication to humanistic ideals. Refusing all offers of employment from the powerful feudal rulers, he and his son Ito Togai (16701736) founded the Kogi-do (School for Study of Ancient Meaning) in Kyoto. It was run by his descendants until 1904, when it was absorbed into the public school system. The outline of Ito's thought, which is believed to be unrivaled in Tokugawa Japan for its level of moral elevation, can be found in a small work called Gomojigi (1683), a commentary on the analects of the Chinese philosophers Confucius and Mencius. Ito was concerned with what he saw as the underlying truths of Confucian thought. He tried to develop a rational, as against an authoritarian, basis for human morality and the pursuit of happiness. Additional reading Joseph J. Spae, It Jinsai, a Philosopher, Educator, and Sinologist of the Tokugawa Period (1948, reprinted 1967).