NAKAE, TOJU

(1608-1648)

A Confucian scholar of the earlyEdoperiod who studiedshushiphilosophy but from his early thirties was drawn to Taoism and religious ideas, and eventually to the the philosophy of the Chinese neo-Confucian Wang, Yang-ming (Oyomei). He is regarded as the first exponent of the Oyomei school in Japan and was the teacher ofKumazawa, Banzan. Nakae emphasised the inner spiritual equality of all men and the need for self-examination and inner purity. His influence extended beyond the samurai classes to the peasants and Nakae came to be known as 'The Saint of Omi', the site of his home on the west shore of lake Biwa.