Motoori Norinaga · Philosophy

National Learning and the Chinese Mind

Norinaga&rsquo;s program of <em>kokugaku</em> (&lsquo;national learning&rsquo;) - the attempt to recover the ancient Japanese Way by philology, against <em>karagokoro</em>, the &lsquo;Chinese mind&rsquo; of Confucian rationalism and moralism that he believed had buried the true, natural Japanese heart, the <em>magokoro</em>.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that kokugaku (national learning) sought to recover an ancient Japanese Way by philology, and that Norinaga blamed karagokoro (the &lsquo;Chinese mind&rsquo; of Confucian rationalism and moralism) for falsifying the natural Japanese heart, the magokoro . Explain the contrast between karagokoro and magokoro…

Leads to Confucius.

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