The Indigenization of Chinese Concepts of Political Legitimacy in Tokugawa Historical Writings

Title

The Indigenization of Chinese Concepts of Political Legitimacy in Tokugawa Historical Writings

Author

Wai-Ming NG

Page

137-160

DOI

10.6163/tjeas.2012.9(1)137

Abstract

Due to different historical developments and political traditions in China and Japan, Chinese concepts of legitimacy could not be applied in Tokugawa Japan without major modifications. Tokugawa historians demonstrated a high level of flexibility and creativity in their discussion of political legitimacy. Some Chinese concepts were reinterpreted to fit into the Tokugawa system. For instance, the mandate of heaven was used primarily to discuss the right to govern and denied the Chinese-style revolution and dynastic change. Rectification of names became a means to justify the authority of the shogun. Perhaps more significantly, Tokugawa historians created their own concepts of legitimacy, such as the theories of imperial regalia, reverence for the emperor, historical trends, and feudalism. These Japanese interpretations of legitimacy were manufactured in Japan and could not be found in China. Using major Tokugawa historical writings as the main references and highlighting the legitimacy of the Southern- Northern Courts and the legitimacy of the Edo bakufu, this study examines the making of Japannized concepts of legitimacy in Tokugawa historiography. It sheds light on understanding how Tokugawa historians creatively modified and appropriated Chinese historical ideas and terms to accommodate Japanese tradition and the Tokugawa political system.

Keyword

Legitimacy, historiography, political terminology, localization, Tokugawa system

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