The Power of Confucianism

Paper Summary:

This paper seeks to explain the ways in which Confucianism affected both Japan and Vietnam, and the similarities and differences between those effects. The basic philosophy of Confucianism is examined first and then the inception of Confucianism into both Japan and Vietnam is detailed. Next, the subsequent transformation from the top of society to the bottom is evaluated. Also, the general cultural and religious changes are examined.

From the Paper:

"One does not need to look far to see the profound effect that China has had on the countries surrounding it. What it more interesting to examine is the ways in which this influence has shaped these countries in respect to government, society, and philosophy. From the same glorious bundle of Chinese culture and thought the greatly disparate societies of Japan and Vietnam emerged. Confucianism, the native Chinese philosophy that governed all aspects of life, naturally spread to Japan and Vietnam and morphed into something endemic to those two countries. From the emperor to the peasant, Confucianism affected how the people lived their lives, and was used from the peasant to the emperor to form a strong national identity still visible today. The difference between the small land tucked under the behemoth that is China and the independent archipelago is apparent."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, Anne Walthall, and James B. Palais. Pre-Modern East Asia: To 1800. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
• Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996
• Stanley Karnow. Vietnam: a History. (New York: Penguin Books, 1991
• Ruggiero, Adriane. Confucianism. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006
• Slote, Walter H. and George A. De Vos. Confucianism and the Family. New York: SUNY Press, 1998

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