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==The Confucian Gentleman==
==The Confucian Gentleman==
Confucius' teachings include both considerations of politics and statecraft, and of ideals for personal behavior, etiquette, refinement and cultivation. Scholar-bureaucrats and [[literati]] throughout East Asia cultivated an identity informed by the latter, and by Confucius' concept of the ideal "gentleman" (士, C: ''shì'', J: ''shi'', or 君子, C: ''jūnzi'', J: ''kunshi'').
Confucius' teachings include both considerations of politics and statecraft, and of ideals for personal behavior, etiquette, refinement and cultivation. Scholar-bureaucrats and [[literati]] throughout East Asia cultivated an identity informed by the latter, and by Confucius' concept of the ideal "gentleman" (士, C: ''shì'', J: ''shi'', or 君子, C: ''jūnzi'', J: ''kunshi''), who epitomized the values of humanity or humaneness (仁, C: ''rén'', J: ''nin''), justice or righteousness (義, C: ''yì'', J: ''gi''), and [[filial piety]] (孝, C: ''xiào'', J: ''kô'').
However, the character of the figures commonly described in English as "Confucian scholars" in fact developed out of a combination of philosophies and other cultural elements and influences, including [[Taoism]] and [[Buddhism]]. The disconnect between this tradition and the core, original, Confucian philosophy is evident in the fact that the standard Japanese terms for "Confucianism" do not incorporate the name Confucius (孔子) itself, but rather employ the term ''ju'' (C: ''rú''). The most common Japanese term for "Confucianism" is thus not ''Kôshigaku'' (孔子学), "the teachings of Confucius," but rather ''jugaku'' (儒学, "the study of ''rú''"), ''jukyô'' (儒教, "the teachings of ''rú''"), or ''judô'' (儒道, "the way of ''rú'')<ref>Not to be confused, of course, with the martial art [[judo|jûdô]] 柔道.</ref>. ''Ju'', or ''rú'' in Chinese, literally meaning "gentle," was used as early as Confucius' own time to refer to his followers, and has come to refer to the broad set of concepts associated with this tradition of the refined "Confucian" gentleman, and the various teachings such a gentleman-scholar is said to follow and espouse.
However, the character of the figures commonly described in English as "Confucian scholars" in fact developed out of a combination of philosophies and other cultural elements and influences, including [[Taoism]] and [[Buddhism]]. The disconnect between this tradition and the core, original, Confucian philosophy is evident in the fact that the standard Japanese terms for "Confucianism" do not incorporate the name Confucius (孔子) itself, but rather employ the term ''ju'' (C: ''rú''). The most common Japanese term for "Confucianism" is thus not ''Kôshigaku'' (孔子学), "the teachings of Confucius," but rather ''jugaku'' (儒学, "the study of ''rú''"), ''jukyô'' (儒教, "the teachings of ''rú''"), or ''judô'' (儒道, "the way of ''rú'')<ref>Not to be confused, of course, with the martial art [[judo|jûdô]] 柔道.</ref>. ''Ju'', or ''rú'' in Chinese, literally meaning "gentle," was used as early as Confucius' own time to refer to his followers, and has come to refer to the broad set of concepts associated with this tradition of the refined "Confucian" gentleman, and the various teachings such a gentleman-scholar is said to follow and espouse.
==Values and Ideals==
In addition to the core values of ''rén'', ''yì'', and ''xiào'' which every Confucian gentleman should epitomize, Confucius also emphasized the concept of ''[[li (rites)|lǐ]]'' (礼, J: ''rei''), meaning proper ritual behavior or decorum. To live in accordance with Confucianism meant observing correct etiquette, and doing so with the correct mindset or emotion behind it.
The correct performance of proper decorum also extends into behaving properly according to one's role, or place, and properly according to hierarchical relationships with others. Thus, another of the key concepts expressed in the Analects is that of the five relationships: ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, older and younger brother, and between friends. All other relationships were taken to be modeled on one of these. Four of the five relationships are unequal, and hierarchical, but all are reciprocal: the ruler has obligations to his subjects, just as they have to him; the father has obligations to his sons, and the husband to his wife. These ideals also meant that rulers, peasants, artisans, merchants, and so forth each had their requisite roles to play in society, and that high or low one should perform one's role correctly and to the fullest, in order for all of society to function harmoniously and prosperously.
==Confucianism in Japan==
==Confucianism in Japan==