Song, Sun Kwan (2014) Intellectuals and the state : the resilience and decline of Neo-Confucianism as state ideology in Joseon Korea. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/20305 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this PhD Thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This PhD Thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this PhD Thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the PhD Thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full PhD Thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD PhD Thesis, pagination. INTELLECTUALS AND THE STATE: THE RESILIENCE AND DECLINE OF NEO-CONFUCIANISM AS STATE IDEOLOGY IN JOSEON KOREA Sun Kwan Song Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Korean Studies 2013 Department of Languages and Cultures of Japan and Korea School of Oriental and African Studies University of London 1 Declaration for PhD thesis I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the School of Oriental and African Studies concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: ____________________________ Date: ______________________ 2 Abstract Intellectuals and the State: The Resilience and Decline of Neo-Confucianism as State Ideology in Joseon Korea This dissertation attempts to revaluate the role of Neo-Confucianism in the historical development of the Joseon dynasty, in particular in relation to the eighteenth and the early nineteenth century. Japanese imperialist historians wanted to justify their colonization by emphasizing the backwardness of Joseon Neo-Confucianism, and Korean nationalist historians wanted to refute Japanese imperialist historiography by finding the seed of modernity in the late Joseon intellectual trends they labelled as Silhak, ‘Practical Learning’, a school of thought they argued developed in opposition to stagnant and conservative Neo-Confucianism. Despite their different agendas both groups based their research on the assumption that what Korea needed at the time was to “modernize.” Recent research on Joseon intellectual history has attempted to move beyond the teleological question of Korean modernization, but it has largely been limited to late eighteenth century trends and certain schools of thought. This study, however, situates these intellectual developments in the longer term historical development of the dynasty, and by focusing on how Neo-Confucian intellectuals reacted to a series of dynastic challenges and formulated further Neo-Confucian ideology to overcome them. This provides a more comprehensive understanding of both the role played by Neo- Confucianism as state ideology throughout the dynasty and the reasons for why this intellectual discourse lost much of its momentum in the early nineteenth century. 3 Table of Contents Abstract -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Table of Contents -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Illustrations --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Stylistic Conventions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 1. The Birth of Joseon Neo-Confucianism: Discourse of Legitimate Heirs and Enshrinement ------------------------------------ 21 1.1. A Confucian Shrine: Munmyo (文廟) ------------------------------------------------ 22 1.2. Candidates for the Legitimate Heirs -------------------------------------------------- 25 1.3. Merit Awarding System (功臣冊封) -------------------------------------------------- 35 1.4. Literati Purges --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39 1.5. Gimyo Sahwa (己卯士禍) and Jo Gwangjo ----------------------------------------- 44 1.6 Meanings of the Discourse of the Legitimate Heirs and Joseon Neo-Confucianism -------------------------- 54 2. The First Crisis for Joseon Neo-Confucianism: The Imjin War and the Discourse of Jaejojieun ------------------- 60 2.1. A Dark Age but a Good Opportunity for Joseon Neo-Confucianism ------------- 61 2.2. Development of the Relationship between Ming and Joseon --------------------- 69 2.3. Benefit of the Reconstruction of the Dynasty (Jaejojieun) ------------------------ 79 2.4. The Imjin War (Imjin Waeran) and Jaejojieun -------------------------------------- 84 2.5. Meanings of Jaejojieun and Joseon Neo-Confucianism --------------------------- 90 4 3. First Neo-Confucian Solution: The Discourse of Sino-Centrism -----------------100 3.1. Joseon’s Diplomatic Policy toward Ming Qing ------------------------------------ 100 3.2. International Circumstances around the Ming-Qing Transition ----------------- 109 3.3. Joseon’s Preparation for War --------------------------------------------------------- 115 3.4. Joseon’s Domestic Political Context around Ming-Qing Transition ------------ 119 3.5. Discourse of Sino-centrism and Joseon Neo-Confucianism --------------------- 124 4. Prosperity of Joseon Neo-Confucianism: The Ritual Controversy -------------- 134 4.1. The Development of Understanding of Rituals ------------------------------------ 136 4.2. Ritual Controversy in 1659 (己亥禮訟) and 1674 (甲寅禮訟) ------------------ 155 4.3. Comparison of the Three Main Figures’ Opinions -------------------------------- 166 4.4. Meaning of the Ritual Controversy within Joseon Neo-Confucianism --------- 175 5. The Pinnacle and the end of Joseon Neo-Confucianism: The Horak Controversy ------------ 180 5.1. Typical Misunderstandings of the Horak Controversy ---------------------------- 180 5.2. Discourse of the Supreme Ultimate (太極論) -------------------------------------- 184 5.3. Discourse of the Mind and Nature (心性論) --------------------------------------- 194 5.4. Discourse on the Nature of Man and Objects (人物性論) ----------------------- 206 5.5. Meanings of the Horak Controversy within Joseon Neo-Confucianism ------- 214 6. Silhak: New Beginning or Last Moment ---------------------------------------------- 223 6. 1. Modernity and Silhak Studies ------------------------------------------------------- 224 6. 2. Classification of Neo-Confucianism and Silhak ---------------------------------- 234 6. 3. Retrenchment of Silhak: ‘Failed’ Dream ------------------------------------------- 241 5 6. 4. Rhetorical Flourish of Silhak: Failed ‘Dream’ ------------------------------------ 247 6. 5. Last Moment or New Beginning of Joseon Intellectual Trends ? -------------- 256 Conclusion -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 260 Bibliography ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 271 6 Illustrations Picture 1: Munmyo (文廟) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 Picture 2: Heaven and Man and Nature, Combine as One (天人 心性 合一之圖) ----------------- 31 Picture 3: Jo Gwangjo’s Tomb ----------------------------------------------------------------- 48 Picture 4: Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning (聖學十圖) ----------------------------------- 66 Picture 5: Gwak Jaeu’s Monument Park (Mang-U Park) ---------------------------------- 91 Picture 6: Ming’s General Xing Jie Momument -------------------------------------------- 95 Picture 7: Samjeondobi (三田渡碑) --------------------------------------------------------- 122 Picture 8: Yeongreung (寧陵) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 154 Diagram 1: Joseon’s Royal Succession from 4th King Sejong to 7th King Sejo ------- 141 Diagram 2: Joseon’s Royal Succession from 7th King Sejo to 9th King Seongjong --- 143 Diagram 3: Sin Hyochang’s Family Tree --------------------------------------------------- 144 Diagrma 4: Gang Sundeok’s Family Tree -------------------------------------------------- 146 Diagrma 5: Gang’s Family Tree after Adoption -------------------------------------------- 147 Daigram 6-1: Prince Musan’s Family Tree ------------------------------------------------- 149 Diagram 6-2: Prince Musan’s Family Tree ------------------------------------------------- 150 Diagram 7: Royal Succession from 16th King Injo to 18th King Hyeongjong --------- 155 Diagram 8: The Lineage of Neo-Confucian Schools ------------------------------------- 235 Diagram 9: The Lineage of Factions in the Late Joseon --------------------------------- 236 Daigram 10: The Lineage of the Southerners ---------------------------------------------- 238 7 Stylistic Conventions For Korean names and terms, I follow the Korean Romanization Rule (Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism 2000-8) rather than McCune-Reischauer system. Some English users have become used to the McCune-Reischauer, but it is rare to use this in contemporary Korea. However, in some cases, in particular