會澤正志齋的歷史敘述及其思想

Historical Narrative in the Thought of Aizawa Seishisai (1782-1863)

後期水戶學者會澤正志齋的《新論》在日本幕末與明治維新的政治過程中扮演相當重要的角色，有許多幕末志士皆閱讀過該書並深受影響。近代日本祭政一致體制論，及在近代日本史上具重要意義的「國體」概念的創造與使用皆與《新論》密切相關。然而，會澤如何想像與論述「國體」？本文將從會澤正志齋思想與徂徠學的關係，及《新論》與正志齋其他的經書著作的關係來探討這一問題。因為這兩位儒學思想家皆將經書視為一種史書，在江戶日本的社會情境中，試圖動用經書、諸子書等來認識古代中國史，並且用其中的思想與制度來理解、想像古代日本的政治情況。所以，本文特別針對與「國體」論相關的祭祀與戰爭的部分，釐清會澤正志齋與徂徠對古代中國與日本之歷史敘述的異同。並且在此論述基礎上，討論會澤如何透過經學理解古代中國史，進而又以之為媒介來解釋古代日本史，展開其對「國體」的想像與論述。

Aizawa Seishisai (1782-1863), whose work Shinron was read by many scholars and samurais, was an important thinker in mid-nineteenth century Japan. His political idea of saisei itchi (the unity of ritual and governance) and his idea of kokutai were the main topics discussed in Shinron. Kokutai, as a political concept that justified the emperor’s authority through his divine descent and the unbroken line of emperors, was widely used in modern Japanese history. This concept of kokutai was first created by Aizawa Seishisai. However, how did Aizawa construct his discourse of kokutai? This paper will examine this problem by looking into the intellectual relationship between Ogyū Sorai (1666-1728) and Aizawa Seishisai and between the Shinron and Aizawa’s other works about the Confucian classics. Both Sorai and Aizawa used the Confucian classics to understand ancient Chinese history, and the rituals and political institutions of ancient China to explain and imagine ancient Japan. This paper will focus on the rituals and wars mentioned in the discourse of kokutai, and clarify the difference in their understanding of ancient Chinese and Japanese history. Finally, this paper will explain how Aizawa used historical knowledge derived from the Confucian classics to idealize the divinely-ruled ancient Japan as a form of kokutai.