â€œThe Pen is Mightier than the Swordâ€: Popular Ethics in Edo Period Japan

Ralph J. Korner

“The Pen is Mightier than the Sword”: Popular Ethics in Edo Period Japan

Ralph J. Korner * §

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“The Pen is Mightier than the Sword”: Popular Ethics in Edo Period Japan

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Abstract

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword”: Popular Ethics in Edo Period Japan. In this essay I trace the rise of, and motivation behind, the popular ethics movement in Edo Period Japan, specifically within the context of the religio-political agenda of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1868). The subversive philosophical root of “ancient learning” (Confucian and non-Confucian) led in many respects to the ideological fruit of National Learning, and Hirata Shinto, and to a cultural “revolution,” especially among the merchants. In an ironic twist of fate, the merchant city of Kyoto, which was “defrocked” of its political preeminence, gained its “revenge,” so to speak, by becoming the philosophical centre for the popular ethics movement that eventually would undermine the ideological foundations of Tokugawan power in the Edo era. This ideologically driven social movement would ultimately give birth to the Meiji era when Japan re-emerged onto the world stage, but this time as a lasting political force.

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Funding

No external funding was declared for this work.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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How to Cite This Article

Ralph J. Korner. 2026. "“The Pen is Mightier than the Sword”: Popular Ethics in Edo Period Japan". Global Journal of Human-Social Science - D: History, Archaeology & Anthropology GJHSS-D Volume 23 (GJHSS Volume 23 Issue D3).

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GJHSS Volume 23 Issue D3

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Journal Specifications

Crossref Journal DOI 10.17406/GJHSS

Print ISSN 0975-587X

e-ISSN 2249-460X

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GJHSS-D Classification FOR Code: 220499

Submission ReceivedMarch 5, 2023
Peer Review Double Blind
Handling Editor
Accepted March 13, 2023
Published May 2, 2023

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v1.2

Issue date

May 2, 2023

Language

English

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