Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2015

 

A Study of Maruyama Masao’s 'Prototype'   

(Abstract)

             

Han Dongyu

 

Maruyama Masao’s “prototype theory” attempts to abstract “a formula that can answer all questions” for Japanese thought and culture from the heights of the Tao. The only thing is that to do so, he has to start from first principles to infer, by “observing the present to know the past,” what is in some sense a predetermined conclusion. In this design, Confucianism, the traditional core of Chinese thought, is made the antithesis of intrinsic Japanese values, while the “prototype” endows Japanese “uniqueness” with a “self-evident nature” that is not susceptible of study. However, over the years, many Japanese scholars have brought out solid factual and logical evidence that clarifies this “self-evident” premise. We hope to bestow on this topic some necessary balance in correcting the “new theories” proposed by Japanese academics through a renewed examination of the “prototype” behind the “prototype theory” on a large temporal and spatial scale.