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Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Ondol Civilization: The Warmth Beneath Korean Life and Culture explores the long, rich relationship between Korea's underfloor heating system (ondol), traditional home design, and daily social life.The global significance of this technology was underscored in the 1910s when American architect Frank Lloyd Wright encountered a heated "Korean room" in Tokyo. Deeply impressed by its invisible, uniform warmth, he adapted the concept into modern radiant floor heating in Western architecture. For Koreans, however, ondol was never just a clever heating technique; it was the foundation of family life.How Ondol Shaped Daily LifeA traditional ondol system used an outdoor firebox to channel heat and smoke through stone flues beneath the floor before escaping a chimney. A single fire cooked meals while storing long-lasting thermal energy underfoot. This simple innovation transformed how living space was used: Spatial Flexibility: Because the floor was warm, shoes were left at the door. Minimalist, low furnishings allowed one room to seamlessly shift between a dining area, study, family room, and bedroom.Seasonal Rhythm: Families gathered in breezy, elevated wooden halls during summer and retreated to snug ondol rooms in winter.Social Ethics: The warmest spot on the floor was instinctively given to elders, guests, mothers after childbirth, or the sick-teaching children respect, hospitality, and Confucian values through ordinary daily habits.Modern Evolution & HeritageIn 2018, the South Korean government designated "Ondol Culture" as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 135. Today, modern Korean homes use hot-water pipes under concrete instead of fireboxes and stone flues. While modern boilers preserve the physical comfort of warm floors, the traditional masonry skills, firebox rituals, and seasonal household customs are gradually disappearing.Ultimately, Ondol Civilization shows how a simple solution to harsh winters quietly evolved into a way of dwelling. Safeguarding it requires preserving not just excavated flues and stone structures, but the human memories, hospitality, and cultural habits born above the warm floor. Ondol Civilization shows how Korea's underfloor heating shaped homes, values, and daily life. Frank Lloyd Wright brought it West, while Korea named it Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 135-a winter fix turned way of dwelling. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Korea-Japan Confucian Studies Series, Volume IIto Jinsai (1627-1705) and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836): Mencius' Philosophy of Qi and Moral PracticeThe Korea-Japan Confucian Studies Series is founded on the conviction that the comparative study of Korean and Japanese Confucianism deserves a more prominent place within global scholarship. Although Confucian scholars in Tokugawa Japan and Joseon Korea studied many of the same canonical texts-including the Analects, the Mencius, the writings of Zhu Xi, and works on ritual, self-cultivation, and governance-they developed distinct philosophical traditions shaped by different historical, political, and intellectual circumstances. Shared concepts such as principle (li), qi, mind, ritual, and moral cultivation acquired different meanings as they were interpreted within their respective traditions.The series seeks to place these traditions in sustained dialogue. Rather than emphasizing questions of influence or hierarchy, it explores how common Confucian texts generated distinctive philosophical questions and responses in Korea and Japan. Through carefully grounded comparisons of thinkers, texts, and intellectual problems, the series presents Korean and Japanese Confucianism as interconnected currents within the broader history of East Asian thought, revealing both their shared foundations and their unique developments.The inaugural volume examines two of the most influential Confucian thinkers of early modern East Asia: Ito Jinsai (1627-1705) of Tokugawa Japan and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836) of late Joseon Korea. Although separated by time, geography, and intellectual context, both regarded the Mencius as an indispensable source for understanding human nature, moral cultivation, and ethical practice.Focusing on the celebrated passage concerning "knowing words and nourishing qi" (), this study offers a close comparative reading of Jinsai's Ancient Meanings of the Mencius (Mengzi Kogi, ) and Jeong Yak-yong's Essentials of the Mencius (Mengja Youi, ). It examines how each philosopher interpreted "flood-like qi" (), intention (zhi, ), righteousness (yi, ), the heart-mind (xin, ), and the cultivation of moral character.Jinsai approached the Mencius through the method of recovering its "ancient meanings," emphasizing the practical force of classical language through careful attention to words, historical context, and lived moral experience. Jeong Yak-yong, by contrast, employed rigorous philological analysis, evidential scholarship, and a strong concern for moral discipline, ethical responsibility, and practical governance. Their differing approaches illuminate two distinctive yet complementary paths within the Confucian tradition.Rather than treating Korean and Japanese Confucianism as separate intellectual worlds, this volume brings them into direct conversation. By demonstrating how the same classical passage inspired different accounts of qi, moral courage, and ethical cultivation, it offers a fresh perspective on the diversity and vitality of East Asian Confucian philosophy. The result is a comparative study that contributes not only to Confucian studies but also to the broader fields of comparative philosophy, intellectual history, and East Asian thought. A comparative study of Ito Jinsai and Jeong Yak-yong's interpretations of the Mencius, exploring qi, moral cultivation, and ethics in Korean and Japanese Confucianism. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Toegye Yi Hwang- The Metaphysics of Moral PrincipleVolume 2 of the Korean Neo-Confucian Masters SeriesToegye Yi Hwang ( , 1501-1570): If Hwadam set certain questions in motion, it was Toegye who gave Korean Neo-Confucianism its enduring intellectual architecture. His li-centered metaphysics, his subtle analysis of the Four-Seven Debate (), and his persistent attention to the moral psychology of self-cultivation together shaped the very framework of Joseon learning. Toegye's influence extended far beyond his own circle, reaching scholars throughout Korea and across East Asia.This volume examines the thought of Yi Hwang, one of the most influential figures in Korean Neo-Confucianism. His writings helped shape the intellectual vocabulary of the Joseon period and continue to inform discussions of metaphysics, moral psychology, and self-cultivation. Despite the breadth of his corpus, his thought is often approached through isolated doctrines-particularly his interpretations of principle and vital force or his role in the Four-Seven debate. This study seeks instead to recover the coherence of his philosophical vision.Drawing on a wide range of texts, from formal treatises to correspondence and pedagogical reflections, this book traces how Toegye integrates cosmology, the study of mind, and ethical practice within a disciplined framework of learning grounded in reverence and moral seriousness. It attends especially to a central tension in his work: between his commitment to preserving doctrinal clarity and his sensitivity to experiential nuance and the limits of conceptual expression.Adopting a contextual, text-centered approach, this study reads his arguments within their historical settings while following recurring concepts across genres. In doing so, it presents Toegye not simply as a transmitter of orthodoxy, but as a reflective thinker engaged in the enduring problem of uniting philosophical clarity with moral life.The Korean Neo-Confucian Masters Series has emerged from a long-standing sense that the intellectual achievements of Korean Confucianism deserve fuller recognition within global scholarship than they have thus far received. While studies of Song-Ming () Confucianism in China, and of its diverse reinterpretations in Japan, have accumulated over many decades, the Korean tradition-despite its remarkable subtlety and sustained philosophical creativity-has often remained at the margins of broader academic discussions. The present series aims, in a modest but deliberate way, to redress that imbalance. It introduces seven thinkers whose works not only defined the contours of Joseon intellectual life (, 1392-1910) but also contributed to the wider development of East Asian philosophy. This volume explores the philosophy of Yi Hwang (Toegye, 1501-1570), a central figure in Korean Neo-Confucianism whose thought shaped Joseon metaphysics, moral psychology, and self-cultivation. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Nosa Gi Jeong-jin: The Defense of Right Learning and the Absoluteness of LiVolume 7 of the Korean Neo-Confucian Masters SeriesNosa Gi Jeong-jin ( , 1798-1879): Nosa, writing in the turbulent nineteenth century, provided much of the philosophical grounding for the Wijeong cheoksa () movement. Faced with the challenge of Western sciences, Catholic doctrine, and shifting geopolitical pressures, he sought to articulate a coherent defense of what he understood as the essential moral and cultural framework of Confucian civilization. His work exerted significant influence on loyalist thinkers confronting the crises of the late Joseon period.This volume examines the thought of Nosa Gi Jeong-jin, often described as a final defender of Neo-Confucian orthodoxy. While not without basis, such characterizations are ultimately limiting. This study argues that Nosa should instead be understood as a philosopher of reconstruction, engaged in rethinking the conceptual foundations of the tradition at a moment when their coherence could no longer be assumed.At the center of his work is a reinterpretation of the classical formulation "unity of principle and differentiation" (). Against views that separate unity from multiplicity or reduce differentiation to material force, Nosa insists on their internal relation: differentiation is the articulation of unity, and unity exists only through differentiation. From this follows a broader reconfiguration of nature, mind, and moral cultivation.Rather than dividing his thought into discrete domains, this book traces its internal coherence, showing how metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics remain inseparable. Through a close textual approach, it reconstructs a line of inquiry shaped by the need to preserve clarity amid the gradual destabilization of shared concepts. In doing so, it presents Nosa not as a figure at the end of a tradition, but as one who reopens its most fundamental philosophical questions.The Korean Neo-Confucian Masters Series has emerged from a long-standing sense that the intellectual achievements of Korean Confucianism deserve fuller recognition within global scholarship than they have thus far received. While studies of Song-Ming () Confucianism in China, and of its diverse reinterpretations in Japan, have accumulated over many decades, the Korean tradition-despite its remarkable subtlety and sustained philosophical creativity-has often remained at the margins of broader academic discussions. The present series aims, in a modest but deliberate way, to redress that imbalance. It introduces seven thinkers whose works not only defined the contours of Joseon intellectual life (, 1392-1910) but also contributed to the wider development of East Asian philosophy. Nosa Gi Jeong-jin ( , 1798-1879) emphasizing the absoluteness of li, moral cultivation, and the preservation of Confucian right learning. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Yulgok Yi I: The Practice of Reverent SincerityVolume 4 of the Korean Neo-Confucian Masters SeriesYulgok Yi I ( , 1536-1584): A generation later, Yulgok sought to integrate metaphysical inquiry with the practical demands of governance. His writings articulate a continuity between personal moral cultivation and the institutional structures of education, administration, and national defense. Few thinkers in the Korean tradition matched his breadth of concern, and his proposals for large-scale reform remain among the most ambitious in Confucian statecraft.This volume examines the thought of Yi I, often characterized as a pragmatic reformer and institutional thinker. While such descriptions offer a useful starting point, they obscure the deeper coherence of his work. A close reading of the Yulgok jeonseo reveals a sustained engagement with fundamental questions: the relation between principle and vital force, the integrity of the mind, and the challenge of giving moral insight durable institutional form.Modern scholarship has tended to divide Yulgok's writings into discrete domains, separating metaphysical reflection from political proposals. Yet his texts resist such distinctions. Across memorials, letters, and philosophical treatises, a shared conceptual language-reverence, sincerity, righteousness, and mind-moves fluidly between moral psychology and statecraft. This study approaches these materials as an interconnected whole, in which speculative clarity and practical responsibility remain inseparable.Grounded in close textual analysis, the book traces recurring conceptual patterns as they emerge within Yulgok's corpus and historical context. In doing so, it presents him not as a figure divided between philosophy and politics, but as a thinker concerned with their unity-one who confronts the enduring problem of how inner cultivation and public order can be sustained together.The Korean Neo-Confucian Masters Series has emerged from a long-standing sense that the intellectual achievements of Korean Confucianism deserve fuller recognition within global scholarship than they have thus far received. While studies of Song-Ming () Confucianism in China, and of its diverse reinterpretations in Japan, have accumulated over many decades, the Korean tradition-despite its remarkable subtlety and sustained philosophical creativity-has often remained at the margins of broader academic discussions. The present series aims, in a modest but deliberate way, to redress that imbalance. It introduces seven thinkers whose works not only defined the contours of Joseon intellectual life (, 1392-1910) but also contributed to the wider development of East Asian philosophy. The thought of Yulgok Yi I ( , 1536-1584), emphasizing reverence, sincerity, self-cultivation, and the moral foundations of governance. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Ondol Civilization: The Warmth Beneath Korean Life and Culture explores the long, rich relationship between Korea's underfloor heating system (ondol), traditional home design, and daily social life.The global significance of this technology was underscored in the 1910s when American architect Frank Lloyd Wright encountered a heated "Korean room" in Tokyo. Deeply impressed by its invisible, uniform warmth, he adapted the concept into modern radiant floor heating in Western architecture. For Koreans, however, ondol was never just a clever heating technique; it was the foundation of family life.How Ondol Shaped Daily LifeA traditional ondol system used an outdoor firebox to channel heat and smoke through stone flues beneath the floor before escaping a chimney. A single fire cooked meals while storing long-lasting thermal energy underfoot. This simple innovation transformed how living space was used: Spatial Flexibility: Because the floor was warm, shoes were left at the door. Minimalist, low furnishings allowed one room to seamlessly shift between a dining area, study, family room, and bedroom.Seasonal Rhythm: Families gathered in breezy, elevated wooden halls during summer and retreated to snug ondol rooms in winter.Social Ethics: The warmest spot on the floor was instinctively given to elders, guests, mothers after childbirth, or the sick-teaching children respect, hospitality, and Confucian values through ordinary daily habits.Modern Evolution & HeritageIn 2018, the South Korean government designated "Ondol Culture" as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 135. Today, modern Korean homes use hot-water pipes under concrete instead of fireboxes and stone flues. While modern boilers preserve the physical comfort of warm floors, the traditional masonry skills, firebox rituals, and seasonal household customs are gradually disappearing.Ultimately, Ondol Civilization shows how a simple solution to harsh winters quietly evolved into a way of dwelling. Safeguarding it requires preserving not just excavated flues and stone structures, but the human memories, hospitality, and cultural habits born above the warm floor. Ondol Civilization shows how Korea's underfloor heating shaped homes, values, and daily life. Frank Lloyd Wright brought it West, while Korea named it Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 135-a winter fix turned way of dwelling. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Korea-Japan Confucian Studies Series, Volume IIto Jinsai (1627-1705) and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836): Mencius' Philosophy of Qi and Moral PracticeThe Korea-Japan Confucian Studies Series is founded on the conviction that the comparative study of Korean and Japanese Confucianism deserves a more prominent place within global scholarship. Although Confucian scholars in Tokugawa Japan and Joseon Korea studied many of the same canonical texts-including the Analects, the Mencius, the writings of Zhu Xi, and works on ritual, self-cultivation, and governance-they developed distinct philosophical traditions shaped by different historical, political, and intellectual circumstances. Shared concepts such as principle (li), qi, mind, ritual, and moral cultivation acquired different meanings as they were interpreted within their respective traditions.The series seeks to place these traditions in sustained dialogue. Rather than emphasizing questions of influence or hierarchy, it explores how common Confucian texts generated distinctive philosophical questions and responses in Korea and Japan. Through carefully grounded comparisons of thinkers, texts, and intellectual problems, the series presents Korean and Japanese Confucianism as interconnected currents within the broader history of East Asian thought, revealing both their shared foundations and their unique developments.The inaugural volume examines two of the most influential Confucian thinkers of early modern East Asia: Ito Jinsai (1627-1705) of Tokugawa Japan and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836) of late Joseon Korea. Although separated by time, geography, and intellectual context, both regarded the Mencius as an indispensable source for understanding human nature, moral cultivation, and ethical practice.Focusing on the celebrated passage concerning "knowing words and nourishing qi" (), this study offers a close comparative reading of Jinsai's Ancient Meanings of the Mencius (Mengzi Kogi, ) and Jeong Yak-yong's Essentials of the Mencius (Mengja Youi, ). It examines how each philosopher interpreted "flood-like qi" (), intention (zhi, ), righteousness (yi, ), the heart-mind (xin, ), and the cultivation of moral character.Jinsai approached the Mencius through the method of recovering its "ancient meanings," emphasizing the practical force of classical language through careful attention to words, historical context, and lived moral experience. Jeong Yak-yong, by contrast, employed rigorous philological analysis, evidential scholarship, and a strong concern for moral discipline, ethical responsibility, and practical governance. Their differing approaches illuminate two distinctive yet complementary paths within the Confucian tradition.Rather than treating Korean and Japanese Confucianism as separate intellectual worlds, this volume brings them into direct conversation. By demonstrating how the same classical passage inspired different accounts of qi, moral courage, and ethical cultivation, it offers a fresh perspective on the diversity and vitality of East Asian Confucian philosophy. The result is a comparative study that contributes not only to Confucian studies but also to the broader fields of comparative philosophy, intellectual history, and East Asian thought. A comparative study of Ito Jinsai and Jeong Yak-yong's interpretations of the Mencius, exploring qi, moral cultivation, and ethics in Korean and Japanese Confucianism. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Nosa Gi Jeong-jin: The Defense of Right Learning and the Absoluteness of LiVolume 7 of the Korean Neo-Confucian Masters SeriesNosa Gi Jeong-jin ( , 1798-1879): Nosa, writing in the turbulent nineteenth century, provided much of the philosophical grounding for the Wijeong cheoksa () movement. Faced with the challenge of Western sciences, Catholic doctrine, and shifting geopolitical pressures, he sought to articulate a coherent defense of what he understood as the essential moral and cultural framework of Confucian civilization. His work exerted significant influence on loyalist thinkers confronting the crises of the late Joseon period.This volume examines the thought of Nosa Gi Jeong-jin, often described as a final defender of Neo-Confucian orthodoxy. While not without basis, such characterizations are ultimately limiting. This study argues that Nosa should instead be understood as a philosopher of reconstruction, engaged in rethinking the conceptual foundations of the tradition at a moment when their coherence could no longer be assumed.At the center of his work is a reinterpretation of the classical formulation "unity of principle and differentiation" (). Against views that separate unity from multiplicity or reduce differentiation to material force, Nosa insists on their internal relation: differentiation is the articulation of unity, and unity exists only through differentiation. From this follows a broader reconfiguration of nature, mind, and moral cultivation.Rather than dividing his thought into discrete domains, this book traces its internal coherence, showing how metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics remain inseparable. Through a close textual approach, it reconstructs a line of inquiry shaped by the need to preserve clarity amid the gradual destabilization of shared concepts. In doing so, it presents Nosa not as a figure at the end of a tradition, but as one who reopens its most fundamental philosophical questions.The Korean Neo-Confucian Masters Series has emerged from a long-standing sense that the intellectual achievements of Korean Confucianism deserve fuller recognition within global scholarship than they have thus far received. While studies of Song-Ming () Confucianism in China, and of its diverse reinterpretations in Japan, have accumulated over many decades, the Korean tradition-despite its remarkable subtlety and sustained philosophical creativity-has often remained at the margins of broader academic discussions. The present series aims, in a modest but deliberate way, to redress that imbalance. It introduces seven thinkers whose works not only defined the contours of Joseon intellectual life (, 1392-1910) but also contributed to the wider development of East Asian philosophy. Nosa Gi Jeong-jin ( , 1798-1879) emphasizing the absoluteness of li, moral cultivation, and the preservation of Confucian right learning. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Yulgok Yi I: The Practice of Reverent SincerityVolume 4 of the Korean Neo-Confucian Masters SeriesYulgok Yi I ( , 1536-1584): A generation later, Yulgok sought to integrate metaphysical inquiry with the practical demands of governance. His writings articulate a continuity between personal moral cultivation and the institutional structures of education, administration, and national defense. Few thinkers in the Korean tradition matched his breadth of concern, and his proposals for large-scale reform remain among the most ambitious in Confucian statecraft.This volume examines the thought of Yi I, often characterized as a pragmatic reformer and institutional thinker. While such descriptions offer a useful starting point, they obscure the deeper coherence of his work. A close reading of the Yulgok jeonseo reveals a sustained engagement with fundamental questions: the relation between principle and vital force, the integrity of the mind, and the challenge of giving moral insight durable institutional form.Modern scholarship has tended to divide Yulgok's writings into discrete domains, separating metaphysical reflection from political proposals. Yet his texts resist such distinctions. Across memorials, letters, and philosophical treatises, a shared conceptual language-reverence, sincerity, righteousness, and mind-moves fluidly between moral psychology and statecraft. This study approaches these materials as an interconnected whole, in which speculative clarity and practical responsibility remain inseparable.Grounded in close textual analysis, the book traces recurring conceptual patterns as they emerge within Yulgok's corpus and historical context. In doing so, it presents him not as a figure divided between philosophy and politics, but as a thinker concerned with their unity-one who confronts the enduring problem of how inner cultivation and public order can be sustained together.The Korean Neo-Confucian Masters Series has emerged from a long-standing sense that the intellectual achievements of Korean Confucianism deserve fuller recognition within global scholarship than they have thus far received. While studies of Song-Ming () Confucianism in China, and of its diverse reinterpretations in Japan, have accumulated over many decades, the Korean tradition-despite its remarkable subtlety and sustained philosophical creativity-has often remained at the margins of broader academic discussions. The present series aims, in a modest but deliberate way, to redress that imbalance. It introduces seven thinkers whose works not only defined the contours of Joseon intellectual life (, 1392-1910) but also contributed to the wider development of East Asian philosophy. The thought of Yulgok Yi I ( , 1536-1584), emphasizing reverence, sincerity, self-cultivation, and the moral foundations of governance. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Hwadam Seo Gyeong-deok (1489-1546) was one of the most original figures in the early development of Korean Neo-Confucianism. Despite his intellectual significance, his philosophy has remained largely unknown outside Korea and is frequently overlooked in broader accounts of Confucian thought.This volume examines the life, writings, and philosophical orientation of Hwadam Seo Gyeong-deok within the intellectual context of early Joseon Korea. The study focuses on his distinctive understanding of qi and his rejection of dualistic interpretations that subordinate qi to li. Particular attention is given to his articulation of the Great Void as qi, through which he developed a coherent and internally consistent philosophical position that set him apart from many of his contemporaries.Grounded in close readings of primary classical sources, the book reconstructs Hwadam Seo Gyeong-deok's conceptual framework with careful attention to historical context and textual precision. Rather than offering a general survey, it presents a sustained interpretation of his thought and clarifies its place within the broader discourse of Neo-Confucian philosophy.Written for scholars, graduate students, and serious readers of East Asian philosophy, this volume contributes to a deeper understanding of Korean Neo-Confucianism and its significance within global intellectual history. This volume #1 introduces Hwadam Seo Gyeong-deok (1489-1546) as a pioneering yet underrecognized thinker in early Korean Neo-Confucianism, examining his life and philosophy within the intellectual context of Joseon Korea. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Korea-Japan Confucian Studies Series, Volume IIto Jinsai (1627-1705) and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836): Mencius' Philosophy of Qi and Moral PracticeThe Korea-Japan Confucian Studies Series is founded on the conviction that the comparative study of Korean and Japanese Confucianism deserves a more prominent place within global scholarship. Although Confucian scholars in Tokugawa Japan and Joseon Korea studied many of the same canonical texts-including the Analects, the Mencius, the writings of Zhu Xi, and works on ritual, self-cultivation, and governance-they developed distinct philosophical traditions shaped by different historical, political, and intellectual circumstances. Shared concepts such as principle (li), qi, mind, ritual, and moral cultivation acquired different meanings as they were interpreted within their respective traditions.The series seeks to place these traditions in sustained dialogue. Rather than emphasizing questions of influence or hierarchy, it explores how common Confucian texts generated distinctive philosophical questions and responses in Korea and Japan. Through carefully grounded comparisons of thinkers, texts, and intellectual problems, the series presents Korean and Japanese Confucianism as interconnected currents within the broader history of East Asian thought, revealing both their shared foundations and their unique developments.The inaugural volume examines two of the most influential Confucian thinkers of early modern East Asia: Ito Jinsai (1627-1705) of Tokugawa Japan and Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836) of late Joseon Korea. Although separated by time, geography, and intellectual context, both regarded the Mencius as an indispensable source for understanding human nature, moral cultivation, and ethical practice.Focusing on the celebrated passage concerning "knowing words and nourishing qi" (), this study offers a close comparative reading of Jinsai's Ancient Meanings of the Mencius (Mengzi Kogi, ) and Jeong Yak-yong's Essentials of the Mencius (Mengja Youi, ). It examines how each philosopher interpreted "flood-like qi" (), intention (zhi, ), righteousness (yi, ), the heart-mind (xin, ), and the cultivation of moral character.Jinsai approached the Mencius through the method of recovering its "ancient meanings," emphasizing the practical force of classical language through careful attention to words, historical context, and lived moral experience. Jeong Yak-yong, by contrast, employed rigorous philological analysis, evidential scholarship, and a strong concern for moral discipline, ethical responsibility, and practical governance. Their differing approaches illuminate two distinctive yet complementary paths within the Confucian tradition.Rather than treating Korean and Japanese Confucianism as separate intellectual worlds, this volume brings them into direct conversation. By demonstrating how the same classical passage inspired different accounts of qi, moral courage, and ethical cultivation, it offers a fresh perspective on the diversity and vitality of East Asian Confucian philosophy. The result is a comparative study that contributes not only to Confucian studies but also to the broader fields of comparative philosophy, intellectual history, and East Asian thought. A comparative study of Ito Jinsai and Jeong Yak-yong's interpretations of the Mencius, exploring qi, moral cultivation, and ethics in Korean and Japanese Confucianism. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Toegye Yi Hwang- The Metaphysics of Moral PrincipleVolume 2 of the Korean Neo-Confucian Masters SeriesToegye Yi Hwang ( , 1501-1570): If Hwadam set certain questions in motion, it was Toegye who gave Korean Neo-Confucianism its enduring intellectual architecture. His li-centered metaphysics, his subtle analysis of the Four-Seven Debate (), and his persistent attention to the moral psychology of self-cultivation together shaped the very framework of Joseon learning. Toegye's influence extended far beyond his own circle, reaching scholars throughout Korea and across East Asia.This volume examines the thought of Yi Hwang, one of the most influential figures in Korean Neo-Confucianism. His writings helped shape the intellectual vocabulary of the Joseon period and continue to inform discussions of metaphysics, moral psychology, and self-cultivation. Despite the breadth of his corpus, his thought is often approached through isolated doctrines-particularly his interpretations of principle and vital force or his role in the Four-Seven debate. This study seeks instead to recover the coherence of his philosophical vision.Drawing on a wide range of texts, from formal treatises to correspondence and pedagogical reflections, this book traces how Toegye integrates cosmology, the study of mind, and ethical practice within a disciplined framework of learning grounded in reverence and moral seriousness. It attends especially to a central tension in his work: between his commitment to preserving doctrinal clarity and his sensitivity to experiential nuance and the limits of conceptual expression.Adopting a contextual, text-centered approach, this study reads his arguments within their historical settings while following recurring concepts across genres. In doing so, it presents Toegye not simply as a transmitter of orthodoxy, but as a reflective thinker engaged in the enduring problem of uniting philosophical clarity with moral life.The Korean Neo-Confucian Masters Series has emerged from a long-standing sense that the intellectual achievements of Korean Confucianism deserve fuller recognition within global scholarship than they have thus far received. While studies of Song-Ming () Confucianism in China, and of its diverse reinterpretations in Japan, have accumulated over many decades, the Korean tradition-despite its remarkable subtlety and sustained philosophical creativity-has often remained at the margins of broader academic discussions. The present series aims, in a modest but deliberate way, to redress that imbalance. It introduces seven thinkers whose works not only defined the contours of Joseon intellectual life (, 1392-1910) but also contributed to the wider development of East Asian philosophy. This volume explores the philosophy of Yi Hwang (Toegye, 1501-1570), a central figure in Korean Neo-Confucianism whose thought shaped Joseon metaphysics, moral psychology, and self-cultivation. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Nosa Gi Jeong-jin: The Defense of Right Learning and the Absoluteness of LiVolume 7 of the Korean Neo-Confucian Masters SeriesNosa Gi Jeong-jin ( , 1798-1879): Nosa, writing in the turbulent nineteenth century, provided much of the philosophical grounding for the Wijeong cheoksa () movement. Faced with the challenge of Western sciences, Catholic doctrine, and shifting geopolitical pressures, he sought to articulate a coherent defense of what he understood as the essential moral and cultural framework of Confucian civilization. His work exerted significant influence on loyalist thinkers confronting the crises of the late Joseon period.This volume examines the thought of Nosa Gi Jeong-jin, often described as a final defender of Neo-Confucian orthodoxy. While not without basis, such characterizations are ultimately limiting. This study argues that Nosa should instead be understood as a philosopher of reconstruction, engaged in rethinking the conceptual foundations of the tradition at a moment when their coherence could no longer be assumed.At the center of his work is a reinterpretation of the classical formulation "unity of principle and differentiation" (). Against views that separate unity from multiplicity or reduce differentiation to material force, Nosa insists on their internal relation: differentiation is the articulation of unity, and unity exists only through differentiation. From this follows a broader reconfiguration of nature, mind, and moral cultivation.Rather than dividing his thought into discrete domains, this book traces its internal coherence, showing how metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics remain inseparable. Through a close textual approach, it reconstructs a line of inquiry shaped by the need to preserve clarity amid the gradual destabilization of shared concepts. In doing so, it presents Nosa not as a figure at the end of a tradition, but as one who reopens its most fundamental philosophical questions.The Korean Neo-Confucian Masters Series has emerged from a long-standing sense that the intellectual achievements of Korean Confucianism deserve fuller recognition within global scholarship than they have thus far received. While studies of Song-Ming () Confucianism in China, and of its diverse reinterpretations in Japan, have accumulated over many decades, the Korean tradition-despite its remarkable subtlety and sustained philosophical creativity-has often remained at the margins of broader academic discussions. The present series aims, in a modest but deliberate way, to redress that imbalance. It introduces seven thinkers whose works not only defined the contours of Joseon intellectual life (, 1392-1910) but also contributed to the wider development of East Asian philosophy. Nosa Gi Jeong-jin ( , 1798-1879) emphasizing the absoluteness of li, moral cultivation, and the preservation of Confucian right learning. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…