日帝協力儒林의 儒敎認識

Recognition of the Confucianism among the pro-Japanese confucianists in Korea

The confucianists participated in Kyunghakwon(經學院) were mainly the members of the Daedong-hakhoe(大東學會) supported by the Japanese government to pro-japanize the confucists' society. These confucianists, adhered to the asian solidarity and the thoughts on modern civilization(文明論) couldn't penetrate the nature of Japanese invasion and, rather, cooperated to the occupation policy of Japanese Government. The Renovative Confucists, including Kim Chang-Sook(金昌淑), defied such idea on the basis of Practical Morality of the Korean confucism. The pro-japanized confucianists, however, omitted the Theories of Nature and Morality and, instead, criticized pure academic nature of Sung Confucianism. They admired the foundation of the Kyunghakwon as the true renaissance of the Confucianism, recognizing the Enforcement Era of 1910 as the ‘peaceful one', and admired the ‘beneficences' of the Japanese emperor. The way the pro-japanese confucianists recognize the Confucism was influenced by Dakahashi Doru(高橋亨) on behalf of the Japanese Confucism. As a colonialism historian, Dakahashi Doru(高橋亨) instilled the JapaneseConfucianism, with the characteristic of nationalism, into the minds of Korean confucianists; and tried to assimilate the characteristics of Korean Confucianism under the slogan of ‘Emperor's way, confucianists' way(皇道儒道)', to the Japanese Confucianism. The ‘Confucian' lectures he gave to the confucianists and the publics were to ask all the Koreans to accept the Occupation of Korea(henceforth the Occupation) by the Japanese government; accept the Japanese Confucism with the virtue of ‘Obedience(順 從)' and ‘Loyalty(忠孝)' and; ultimately, to become the good and obedient people of the Japanese Empire. It was through the Confucian teachings that the pro-japanese confucianists rationalized their cooperation. They accepted the Occupation as the inevitable reality with the ideas of ‘circumstances(時宜)’ or ‘well-timed words and actions(時中)’ and tried to do their best; but at best, their ideas were of a self-comforting view as the ideas were not rooted to the true trunk of the Confucian philosophy. From 1920 and onward, the pro-japanese confucianists strengthened the idea of Obedience to the Occupation system. The pro-japanese confucianists considered the Occupation as the natural result; regarded themselves as the loyal people to the Japanese emperor; and sought their rationality within the Confucian classics. This tendency eliminated the Practical Morality, one of the finest theories of the Korean Confucianism, which was eventually turned into the dogmas of Obedience and Loyalty to Japan. It was this kind of recognition that led the foundation of ‘Emperor's way, confucianists' way(皇道儒道)' by Dakahashi Doru(高橋亨).