Looking at the period in which thinkers were born, we can see that in the first period, Neo-Confucianism became official and the Sengoku samurai ethos was absorbed by Yomeigaku, which was seen in Toju Nakae, and the infancy of the new social order and the maturation of the old social order. It can be seen from Banzan Kumazawa that the periods overlapped . A phenomenon that indicates maturity is shown in the situation of accepting diverse values. However, Yomeigaku lost its power in the second period. The fact that Soko Yamaga and others rejected both Neo-Confucianism and Yomeigaku, and left a great influence on future generations as the founders of ancient studies (Confucianism) and systemists of Bushido, can be said to be the ideological fruit of the values of the old social order . Also, during this period, under exceptional circumstances, Keichyu was engaged in activities that would become the founder of Kokugaku.
In contrast, the second period saw the maturation of Neo-Confucianism and a reaction against it. The maturation of Neo-Confucianism can be seen in Ekiken Kaibara and Hakuseki Arai's pursuit of the knowledge of Kakubutu , but the mainstream phenomenon is maturation, and it was probably a humanistic reaction to the formalization of Neo-Confucianism. The classical studies of Jinsai Ito and Sorai Ogyu are characteristic of the second period , which can be called the period of youth. At the same time, there was a strong reaction from Neo-Confucianism, and that was Ansai Yamazaki. The controversy between government and academia pushed Ogyu Sorai to the side of social order, and Edo period thought reached its peak. Kokugaku, which began to grow for the same reasons as ancient studies, grew little by little, as seen in Mabuchi Kamono . As an exceptional situation, the ideas of Shoeki Ando were born. It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that the main thinkers were not the samurai of the ruling class, as evidenced by the economic growth during this period due to social stability . Jinsai Ito, Ansai Yamazaki , Mabuchi Kamono, and Shoeki Ando were not samurai warriors, and Baigan Ishida 's philosophy of mind can be said to have the aspect of reaching the masses .
The third period began with Sorai Ogyu. Although the interpretation of nature as an objective world was abandoned, economics was born regarding human society and was inherited by Shundai Dazai and Toshiaki Honda. A critical spirit that shows maturity appeared in Nakamoto Tominaga and Banto Yamagata . The interpretation of nature, which was outside the scope of Sorai , began with Baien Miura , and the development of Dutch studies as the infancy of a new social order began with translation . The activities of Genpaku Sugita and Ryotaku Maeno can be cited , but during this period , Dutch studies remained of academic and economic interest. The third period was also the period when merchant ideas spread to the samurai class, and this phenomenon can be seen in Seiryo Kaiho's interpretation of human relationships .
Furthermore, while classical studies reached great maturity with Sorai Ogyu, Kokugaku reached its peak with Norinaga Motoori. This phenomenon is probably an exceptional phenomenon. Shoeki Ando in the second period and Baien Miura in this period were also exceptional phenomena, but because they were located in remote areas, there were no successors and the business was not passed on. In the fourth period, masters of practical studies and military tactics emerged from among those who had studied Dutch studies . At the same time, emotional leaders such as Atsutane Hirata and Shoin Yoshida emerged as political ideologues.
As a closed model, I have been thinking about the qualitative psychological changes in the social order during Japan's ``Edo period,'' particularly as an example of the `` four periods . ' ' We have looked at the Edo period as an example of Spengler's introvert-type value transformation , but behind these superficial movements, we can observe the values of the Japanese people in this era , their lives, or their destiny. It might be possible. With the addition of external forces such as the Black Ships , the Japanese fought back with the Meiji Restoration .
