Japan’s academic and ideological independence from foreign influence began in the time of Edo. Her assimilation of the Chinese culture also ended in the time of Edo. Following the Sakoku (national isolation) policy adopted by the Tokugawa Bakuhu in the early 17th century, Nagasaki harbor in Kyushu became the only contact point for Sino-Japan cultural exchange. But given that the teachings of Confucian scholar Zhu Xi (Zhu Zi) was the orthodox school at that time under the Bakuhan system, Confucianism was prevalent in the Japanese society. Intellectuals in particular were keen on learning the Chinese culture. The Tokugawa Bakuhu that lasted more than two hundred years also made substantial efforts in encouraging the Han school of learning. Confucian and Han scholars in Japan at the time vied for the opportunity to study in Nagasaki and took mastery in Chinese scholarship as their lifetime achievement. Besides submitting themselves to Confucian teachings with reverence, they wholeheartedly embraced ancient Chinese books, poetry, and painting. It was the unprecedented flourishing period for Han school. The prevalence and flourishing of scholarly endeavor and atmosphere during the Edo era were attributed largely to the long-term internal peace, government encouragement, academic freedom, and the advancement of printing. In their efforts to promote education, the bakuhus or governors recruited learned scholars and encouraged the collection and printing of literature. Quite a few bakuhu generals themselves were keen on academic pursuit. The one person that exerted far-reaching influence on Japanese culture in religion as well as arts and crafts was Buddhist Master Ingen Ryouki of the Oubaku sect who traveled across the sea to Japan in 1654 to preach the Buddhist teaching. Given that Han poetry and literature were dominant during the Edo era when Confucianism was at its peak, Ingen’s graceful poetry and verses and his mastery in calligraphy earned him a name as the rightful descendant of the Oubaku culture in Japan’s cultural community. Ingen and his two disciples Mokuan (1611-1684) and Sokuhi (1616-1671) were lauded as the “three masters of Oubaku.” For Japan’s Buddhist community in the time of Sakoku, the Buddhist teaching, disciplinary thinking and rules of the Oubaku sect provided guidance to Japanese Buddhist monks and made considerable contribution to the development of the Japanese culture. This paper purports to examine the correspondences of Ingen and reinterpret the difference between his scholarly thinking and his influence on the modern-time culture of Japan. The paper also explores his interactions with a number of late-Ming surviving officials and the clan of Zheng Cheng-gong(1624-1662), his role in fighting the Q’ing dynasty as Ming survivors and his viewpoint on national identity.
