Itō Jinsai

Itō Jinsai (August 30, 1627 – April 5, 1705), also known by his pen name Keisai, was a prominent Japanese Confucian philosopher during the Tokugawa period. He is celebrated as one of the most influential Confucian scholars of 17th-century Japan and the broader Tokugawa era, with his teachings gaining particular traction in Kyoto and the Kansai region. Jinsai established the Kogigaku school, which diverged from the prevailing Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Xi. Instead, his philosophy centered on a deep understanding of the core terms found in the Analects and the Mencius. This approach, known as "ancient learning" (Kogaku), positioned Jinsai alongside scholars like Yamaga Sokō and Ogyū Sorai, though Jinsai's ideas are best understood independently. A key aspect of Jinsai's philosophy was his outspoken advocacy for the validity of human emotions and his concept of a "unitary generative force" (ichigenki), highlighting its pervasive and creative potential. His work, particularly the Gomō jigi, has been likened to that of the Chinese Qing dynasty scholar Dai Zhen, noted for its similar thematic and methodological focus on philosophical terminology.