Idealism, Protest, and the Tale of Genji: The Confucianism of Kumazawa Banzan (1619-91)

Series: Oxford Oriental Monographs

This book is a new study of the leading seventeenth-century samurai Confucian, Kumazawa Banzan (1619-91). It describes his stormy life as a samurai, his interpretation of Confucian philosophy, and his imaginative commentary on Japan's greatest literary monument, The Tale of Genji. More than warrior and philosopher, Banzan is presented as a critic of the Japanese society of his day.