安岡正篤的東洋倫理學與日本精神之間

This essay aims to study Masahiro Yasuoka, who is also known as the “master of Showa,” and analyze the correlation between the Japanese spirit and his ideology of ethics in Oriental studies. As Yasuoka’s theory of the Japanese spirit tends to be discussed from a larger scope of Oriental ethics, this article argues that it is necessary first to clarify the distinctions between Masahiro Yasuoka’s notion of Japanese ethics and his Oriental ethics. Therefore, this study elucidates the characteristics of Yasuoka’s Oriental ethics based on three perspectives: “personality ethics,” “political ethics,” and “practical ethics.” In addition, the article suggests that while Masahiro Yasuoka emphasizes a holistic approach to Oriental studies, his argumentation, however, contends that the Japanese spirit, which follows the stance of individualism, is the pinnacle for all Oriental studies. In other words, the Japanese spirit, for Yasuoka, not only represents a part of the ethics in Oriental studies, but also epitomizes the core of such discourse. Thus, Masahiro Yasuoka’s approach to Oriental ethics is obstinately Japan-centered, which prescribes its limitations and problems.