藤原惺窩的東亞觀——對明朝、朝鮮、安南三國的省視

The Observation of Fujiwara Seika on East Asia: His Examination on China (Ming), Korea and Annam

與明朝、朝鮮、安南均有接觸的日本近世儒者藤原惺窩（1561-1619）是頗能反映十六世紀末十七世紀初東亞世界之劇變的代表性人物之一。藤原惺窩對明朝、朝鮮、安南三國的省視，既與日本中世末期向近世過渡之織田、豐臣、德川政權更迭適為表裡，又與明清鼎革、「壬辰倭亂」（1592-1598）侵朝等東亞國際關係的變動桴鼓相應。在東亞巨變的時代背景下，他提出的對明朝、朝鮮「事大事小」的對應方式以及在明朝斷絕與日本進行經貿往來的情形下向安南展開經貿活動的對策，反映出了一種實事求是的態度和實用戰略。然而，由於藤原惺窩的學者本色以及當時日本朝野的實際情勢，其對東亞諸國的觀察與相關進言，實際效用也相當有限。

Fujiwara Seika (1561-1619), a modern Japanese neo-Confucian philosopher, who made contact with China (Ming), Korea and Annam, was one of the representative figures that quite mirrored the upheaval over the World East Asia at the turn of 16th century and 17th century. Fujiwara Seika's observation on Ming, Korea and Annam, responded to the regime changes of Oda, Toyotomi and Tokugawa, and moreover, echoed with the changes of East Asian international relations, such as Qing replaced Ming, and Japanese invasions of Korea. Under such a changing time background, the diplomatic principle of 'to subordinate Korea to Ming' proposed by Seika, and the diplomatic strategy to develop economic and trade relations with Annam when Ming severed ties with Annam, reflected an attitude of 'seek truth from facts' and a strategy of practicality. However, Seika's observation on East Asian countries and his pertinent expostulation, limited by his character as a scholar and the actual conditions of Japanese political spectrum of the time, did not play too much practical utility.