Economic Thought of a Merchant in Tokugawa Japan : the Case of Nishikawa Joken

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  • 西川如見の経済認識と儒教
  • ニシカワ ジョケン ノ ケイザイ ニンシキ ト ジュキョウ

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Abstract

The thought of NISHIKAWA Joken(1648-1724) was composed of the following three elements: (1) View of economy, (2) Natural science, and (3) Neo-Confucianism. Joken was born and brought up in Nagasaki. According to an unconfirmed source his ancestor had been engaged in foreign trade. He carried on the business of a merchant. I think that he must have had a correct understanding of the economic situation in the early eighteenth century. The first subject of this paper is to analyse his view of economy. Joken, however, was not only a merchant but also one of the prominent scientists of the day. He made a study of astronomy and geography. For example, one of his geographical works commanded a wide audience throughout the Edo period. I make an investigation of the character of his natural science. Neo-Confucianism, especially Chu Shi philosophy developed in Tokugawa Japan. Joken studied Confucianism too. It is possible to take the view that he accepted the doctrines of Chu Shi. He wrote about moral philosophy for merchants. The key purpose of this article is to study the relation among the three elements mentioned above. In conclusion, it may be said that they were intertwined, and particularly Joken's view of economy was supported by the other two.

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