Appreciating Confucianism and Japanese Culture

Recently, I started re-reading the Analects of Confucius, though I have a much better translation this time to read.* Confucianism is not a religion, but is more like an ethical lifestyle, so people in Japan might behave in social situations with a Confucian outlook, but their beliefs in the afterlife or spirituality might be shaped by Buddhism, Shintoism, or whatever. In Japanese, Confucius is called kōshi (孔子) which means like “Master Ko”, since Confucius’s family name in Chinese is Kong. Confucianism itself is called jukyō (儒教).

In Book 4, verse 15 of the Analects, Confucius summarizes his own teachings like so:

The Master said, Shen [Master Zeng, a disciple],
  my Way has one theme running throughout.
Master Zeng said, Yes.
After the Master [Confucius] left, the disciples asked, What did he mean?
Master Zeng said, The Master’s Way consists of loyalty and reciprocity alone.

Reciprocity and loyalty go together here. Reciprocity means treat others the way you want to be treated. In other words, don’t be so self-centered and selfish. So, in Japanese culture, a lot of emphasis is paid on treating guests well, and remembering when someone does something nice for you. You see lots of gift-giving, and then return gifts (okaeshi お返し) or at least thank-you cards. When you visit someone’s house you bring a gift always and you don’t over-indulge. Afterall, why put a lot of burden on the host? Another example is when you’re competing with another person in a game. Confucius emphasized acting with good sportsmanship, and being a gentleman regardless of whether you win or lose.

Loyalty also is about sacrificing one’s self-interest. Larger corporations in Japan are like a big family, where loyalty is rewarded quite a bit, and the longer you stay with a company the better the benefits get. They will even pay for your funeral expenses sometimes. If you change jobs too often, people get the impression that you are working for your own self-profit only, and this doesn’t look favorable. But loyalty also means respecting one’s parents and grandparents even if one disagrees with them. Afterall, who raised you from birth? Being a new parent myself, I really began to appreciate what my own parents did for me, even though I used to fight with them a lot. We are on much better terms these days than I use to be.

Another famous quote from the Analects summarizing these points is in Book 1, verse 4 where Confucius’s disciple Master Zeng (seen above) says:

Master Zeng said, Each day I examine myself on three matters. In making plans for others, am I being loyal to them? In my dealings with friends, am I being trustworthy? Am I passing on to others what I have not carefully thought about myself?

Another key aspect of Confucianism that is often forgotten is the notion of “humaneness”. In Chinese/Japanese, this is written as 仁 and read as ni or shin in Japanese. The idea of humaneness is the spirit behind reciprocity and loyalty. You’re not doing it out of some cold sense of duty, or obligation, but because of genuine good-will. The idea Confucian person is a “gentleman” who’s kind, humble, generous and treats others well. A gentleman is loyal to his superiors, but treats his subordinates kindly. So, the ideal ruler in Confucianism is that of a benevolent Emperor, who self-disciplines himself, lives frugally, and carries out his own duties faithfully. He doesn’t over-burden the peasants with taxation or military conscription, and avoids war at all costs.**

As my wife and I have been together for more than 10 years, I’ve learned to appreciate her way of seeing the world more and more, and behind it all I can still see Confucius’s legacy thriving and carrying on. One can apply Confucius’s advice to their own life very easily without compromising their religious beliefs, so I highly recommend getting a good copy of the Analects and enjoying the timeless wisdom.

* – Big thanks to Thrig for the gift. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed it already.

** – Interestingly, in Japanese history, this last point was kind of ignored during the Tokugawa Period, so loyalty among samurai was highly praised, but the idea of avoiding conflict and war wouldn’t work in a military government. The Mito School of Confucian philosophy dropped quietly dropped this notion.