高麗末における明・日本との詩文交流の意義

Abstract

At the end of the Goryeo dynasty period, Confucian scholars embraced Neo-Confucianism, established an intellectual network, and formed an academic and artistic bond which connected themselves as colleagues, who also exchanged literary accomplishments such as poems with each other. And they also exchanged these poems with emissaries from the Chinese Ming dynasty who were visiting Goryeo, as well as Buddhist priests from Japan. Goryeo Confucian scholars' exchanges of poems with either Ming emissaries or Japanese visitors in this period would have served not only as an official function but also as a private action of sharing literary writings, and thus contributed to the overall diplomatic relationship between countries in the process. The Confucian scholars at the end of the Goryeo period viewed Ming as a dynasty which got to rule China at the order of the Heaven, and considered the Ming age as a period in which 'Virtue' was pursued while military prowess was discouraged, a period in which institutions were finalized to its best --with themselves in unison with the language of the Chinese people-, and ultimately as a period in which music, protocols and human studies should be nourished to rectify --once damaged- world order. They were indeed seeing China as the holder of the universe, which would not only establish Confucian state order, but also strive to create a Confucian civilization itself. In the meantime, based upon a Confucian notion of enlightening the barbarians, the Goryeo people did consider the Japanese as barbarians, but at the same time they perceived Japan as a country of people who would also be capable of feeling compassion for people in distress (such as babies on the verge of falling into wells), as they also inherited the mind of the Heavenly lord and had in their minds too the virtue of pitying, upon which they exercised their own internal virtue just like the rest of the people in the universe. In the latter half period of Goryeo, the people maintained a very China-centric world view, influenced by a Neo-Confucian world perception. It also believed that the world was composed of peripheries where the enlightenment (德化) of the Heavenly lord (天子) would reach to benefit the population, and those peripheries could turn into civilized regions themselves with such help as well as their efforts. Although Goryeo believed that such enlightenment was yet to reach Japan, and Japan --while its people believed in Buddhism most prominently-- did maintain a very militaristic society, both countries continued diplomatic as well as cultural exchanges, and thus maintained peace and stability.