62･63 Yamazaki Ansai [1][2]

(an omission)
In his Facts of the Central Realm (Chuuchou Jijitsu), Yamaga Sokou wrote, "In C hina, if one counts the dynasties, there are about thirty. One can include barbarian tribes, as there are several of them who founded dynasties as well. In the 240-some-year-long Spring and Autumn period, there were twenty or twenty five ministers who threw down their lords; it goes without saying that treasonous ministers before or after that can not even be enumerated." He had seen exactly the same thing that Ansai had.

One might think this a perfectly natural observation, but that would not be the case. At that time, what Yamaga Sokou wrote and what Yamazaki Ansai argued was a totally new perspective in academic circles, and an entirely unprecedented assertion. Of course, Confucianism had originally come from China, so Confucians thought of everything in Chinese terms, respecting Confucius and Mencius and being uncritical of them.

One time, Ansai asked of his disciples, "If Confucius and Mencius came from China as generals to conquer our country, what wuld you do ?"
His students were unsettled, and not one knew how to respond.
"At such a time, you must of course fight Confucius and Mencius. You must either kill them or take them prisoner. In other words, that is the teaching of Confucius."

At this, all of them had their eyes opened for the first time.
By reading foreign works with an uncritical eye like these students of Ansai, one loses one's sense of self. Those who had lost that sense of self were not only Ansai's disciples - Fujiwara Seika and Hayashi Razan were no different. Razan, who had been born in Japan, considered himself unfortunate not to have been born in China, wanting to cross over to China just like Abe no Nakamaro, but he demoaned that he was unable to cross the sea - "At my feet, countless leagues of stormy seas."

Therefore, the teaching of Ansai and Sokou were unprecedent in their independence and admiration of Japan's history, laden with praise for the Japanese national polity.
(an omission)

Those desirous of studying Yamaga Sokou could read Elementary Learning on Military Teaching (Bukyou Shougaku) and The Facts of the Central Realm (Chuuchou Jijitsu). For those wishing to so study Yamazaki Ansai, there are no such works that can be read. What is fortunate, howerver, is that Ansai left behind a great number of excellent disciples. These disciples inherited their master's teachings and did so well; though people were different and time marched on, they were consistent with his original spirit. It was said to be a particular trait derived from Ansai's teaching that whether one asked ten or a hundred of them a question, all would give the same answer.

Ansai himself made his life's goal the training of his students. Since it was popularly said that, "If one speaks of his heart, it was not to serve provinces or domains, not to bend to the will of royalty; his desire was solely to beguile future generations of scholars and for the transmission of his teaching," this can be clearly understood.
(Rest omitted)
　
62･63　山崎闇斎（上･下）
　
（前略）
　かように山崎闇斎の学問は人倫を重んじ、その人倫を重んずる当然の帰結として、革 命を否定し、そして革命の行われた事の無い日本の歴史、日本の国体を讃えたのであり ました。山鹿素行が中朝事実の中で、「夫れ外朝、姓をかふること殆んど三十姓、戎狄 （じゅうてき）入りて王たる者数世、春秋二百四十余年、臣子その国君を弑する者二十 又五、況んやその先後の乱臣賊子、枚挙すべからざるなり」と云っているのと、全く同 じところに目を着けているのであります。それは平凡な事をあたりまえに述べているの かと云うに、そうではありません。山鹿素行の述べたところも、山崎闇斎の説いたとこ ろも、その当時の学会では、驚くべき新説であり、破天荒の主張であったのであります 。何分にも儒学は、もともと支那の学問でありますから、儒学者は万事支那風に考える ようになっており、孔子、孟子の説を無批判に尊んでいました。ある時、闇斎が弟子達 にむかって、「今もし支那から孔子や孟子を大将として我が国へ攻めて来たならば、お 前達はどうするか」と尋ねたところ、弟子は皆困って返事をする者が無かった。そこで 闇斎が云うには、「その時は当然孔子や孟子と戦って、或は斬り、或は生捕りにするの だ。それが即ち孔子の教えだ」と教えましたので、一同始めて目が開いたと云う逸話が あります。無批判に外国の書物を呼んでいると、この弟子達のように、自主性を失って くるのです。その自主性を失っていたのは、この弟子達だけでなく、藤原惺窩にしても 、林羅山にしても同様でした。羅山は、支那に生まれないで、日本に生まれた事を残念 に思い、せめて阿倍仲麻呂のように支那へ渡りたいと云う希望をもっていたが、「脚下 の風波千万里」遂に海を渡り得ない事を悲しんだと云います。それ故に、闇斎や素行の 学問が自主的になり、日本の歴史に驚嘆したり、日本の国体を讃美するに至りましたの は、破天荒の事であったのです。
（中略）
　
　山鹿素行に学ぼうとする者は、武教小学と、中朝事実とを読まれるが良い。ところが 山崎闇斎には、これと云って皆さんにお勧め出来る著述がありません。ただ幸いな事に は闇斎は、良い門人を数多く残してくれました。その門人は、よく師説を継承して、人 は変わり、時は移っても同じ精神が一貫していました。十人は十人、百人は百人、誰に 聞いても同じ答が出てくるのが、闇斎門下の特徴だと云われています。闇斎自身も、一 生努力の目標を、門人の養成に置いたのでした。「その志を言へば、則ち藩国に仕へず 、王侯に屈せず、後学を誘引して、此の学を将来に伝へんと欲するのみ」と云われてい るので、よく分かります。
（以下略）
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