Anthology of Kokugaku Scholars: 1690-1898

John R. Bentley

Anthology of Kokugaku Scholars: 1690-1898
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Cornell University Press
Country
United States
Published
30 June 2019
Pages
612
ISBN
9781939161840

Anthology of Kokugaku Scholars: 1690-1898

John R. Bentley

Kokugaku national study is an academic field of study that spans a number of disciplines, including philology, poetry, literature, linguistics, history, religion, and philosophy. It began as a movement to recapture a sense of Japanese uniqueness, by focusing on Japanese poetic and linguistic elements found in the earliest surviving texts. As the movement grew, there was an attempt to separate native religious elements from Buddhist elements. This expanded to a vigorous attempt to weed out Confucian (and by extension anything Chinese ) elements from native elements. This began as an investigation into the earliest anthology, Man'yoshu, which some Kokugaku scholars argued preserved a pristine picture of the true heart of the ancients. Kokugaku matured under the tutelage of Kamo no Mabuchi and Motoori Norinaga, and expanded to include literary, linguistic, and historical analysis. With the death of Norinaga the philosophy of the movement fractured, and under Hirata native religious elements were amplified, with an advance toward nationalism. This anthology contains 26 essays by 13 influential Kokugaku scholars, covering roughly two centuries of thought, from 1690 down to the beginning of the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The volume is arranged according to four subjects: poetry, literature, scholarship, and religion/Japan (as a state).

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 2 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.