Donghak (Tendo-kyo) and founding thought as indigenous and modern thought

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00105
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01040:History of thought-related
• Research Institution: Tsuru University
• Principal Investigator: Byeon Yeongho 都留文科大学, 文学部, 教授 (50264693)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 東学 / 天道教 / 開闢 / 土着的近代 / 儒教 / 天 / 上帝 / 韓国

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to clarify the world historical significance of the religions that claim to be the founding of Korea as an indigenous, indigenous modern thought from the perspective of comparative intellectual history, and the subject of the study is Donghak (founded in 1860, renamed Cheondogyo in 1905). Donghak and Cheondogyo, which have only been studied from the perspective of the Donghak Peasant War and the people's movement, have been shown to be modernization movements and modern thoughts that are different from Western modernization and Western modern thought, and a path for Korean modern intellectual history that is different from the trend toward enlightened thought has been presented. Another task of this study is to create an accurate Japanese translation of the Donghak scriptures, and a complete Japanese translation of all the works of founder Choi Je-u has been published, and translation work by the second generation and subsequent generations is ongoing.

Free Research Field

思想史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

韓国近代思想史を東学を中心とした流れとして書き直すことができるようになった。東学は国家、政治権力の力が強い東アジアでは稀な国家権力から自立した人格、人格神観念を有し、民衆一人一人の中にこの人格神観念を内在化させた。この人格神観念が現代韓国において人格宗教であるキリスト教の受容がなされた起源でもあり、本研究の現代的意義を確認しえる。東学は全ての宗教思想は同じ窮極的価値を有するとした。これにより他宗教思想に寛容な態度をとるが、諸宗教・思想間の争いにも否定的態度をとり、諸宗教・思想の共存が必要な現代において取り上げるに値する点も確認しえた。