Ecology in seventeenth-century Japan: the 'Great Way' of Kumazawa Banzan

The introduction glances at the historical background of seventeenth-century Japan and the role of Kumazawa Banzan. His views are then presented as a variant of the 'anthropocosmic' character of premodern religious thinking as identified by the Romanian scholar of religion, Mircea Eliade (1907-86). Banzan adopted the Neo-Confucian view of man as ontologically embedded in the natural order and held a Confucian faith in the arcadian ancient Chinese 'Three Dynasties' created through the artifice of Chinese Sages. The essay describes Banzan's cyclical view of time, fall from arcadia, and man's agency in post-lapsarian history. It addresses failures in rulership responsible for the ecological crisis of contemporary Japan. It then turns to the 'eternal return' characteristic of the traditionalist religions studied by Eliade. A conclusion explores homologies between Banzan's diagnosis of crisis in his pre-industrial world and the fraught views of man and nature in the twenty-first century.

Automated summary

This article examines the historical background of seventeenth-century Japan and the role of Kumazawa Banzan, presenting his views as a variant of premodern religious thinking in line with Mircea Eliade's concept of 'anthropocosmic'. Banzan's adoption of Neo-Confucianism and his belief in an arcadian ancient Chinese era are discussed, as are his cyclical view of time, the fall from arcadia, and man's agency in post-lapsarian history. The article also addresses rulership failures and the ecological crisis in contemporary Japan, and explores the 'eternal return' characteristic of traditionalist religions, drawing parallels between Banzan's crisis diagnosis and the views of man and nature in the twenty-first century.