Donghak () was an academic movement in Korean

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) i ...

founded in 1860 by

Choe Je-u Choe Je-u (; 18 December 1824 – 15 April 1864), art name Su-un (), was a Korean religious leader. He was the founder of Donghak, a religious movement which was empathetic to the hardships of the '' minjung'' (the marginalized people of Korea), ...

. The Donghak movement arose as a reaction to

seohak Seohak was the introduction of technology, philosophy and most prominently, Catholicism and Western ideas to Joseon Korea in the 18th century. It is also occasionally referred to as ''Cheonjuhak'' () which means 'Heavenly Learning'. Literally me ...

(), and called for a return to the "Way of Heaven". While Donghak originated as a reform movement and revival of Confucian teachings, it gradually evolved into a religion known today as

Cheondoism Cheondoism (Hanja: 天道敎; spelled Chondoism in North Korea) is a Korean indigenous religion that emerged as a continuation and development of Donghak, which was founded by Choe Je-u (Su-un) in 1860 during the late Joseon Dynasty as an anti ...

in Korea under the third patriarch Son Byong-hi.

History

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

, which patronized

as the state ideology, saw an increasing polarization between orthodox Confucian scholars and efforts by other Confucian scholars to revive social ethics and reform society. The increasing presence and pressure from the West created a greater sense of urgency among reformers, and thus

first penned his treatise, ''Comprehensive Book of Eastern Learning'', or ''Dongkyeong Daejeon'' (). This treatise marked the first use of the term "Eastern Learning" and called for a rejection of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

(in the Christian sense), and other aspects of Christian theology. Choe was alarmed by the intrusion of Christianity (, ''Cheonjugyo''; Catholicism), and the Anglo-French occupation of

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. He believed that the best way to counter foreign influence in Korea was to introduce

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

, establish

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and create a paradise on Earth independent of foreign interference. He started a peasant rebellion by converting them to Donghak and, along with other anti-government civic activists, took over parts of southern Korea from 1862 to 1864 until Choe was executed. The movement was continued by

Choe Si-hyeong Choe Si-hyeong (; 1827–1898), birth name Choe Gyeong-sang, was born in Gyeongju. His posthumous name was Si-hyeong and his honorific title was Hae-wol (), and he is referred to hereafter by that name. He was the second leader of Donghak during ...

(1829–1898), who systematized its doctrine. He too was executed. In 1898, following the execution of Choe Si-hyeong, the leader of Donghak,

Son Byong-hi Son Byong-hi (; 8 April 1861 – 19 May 1922) was a Korean religious leader and independence activist. His religious name was Uiam. He was the third leader of Donghak, an indigenous religious movement founded from 1860 to 1864. The founder of ...

, sought

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

in nearby

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. After the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

in 1904, he returned to Korea and established the Chinbohoe ("progressive society"), a new cultural and reformist movement designed to reverse the declining fortunes of the nation and to create a new society. Through Donghak he conducted a nationwide movement that aimed at social improvement through the renovation of old customs and ways of life. Hundreds of thousands of members of Donghak cut their long hair short and initiated the wearing of simple, modest clothing.

Non-violent Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

demonstrations for social improvement organized by members of Donghak took place throughout 1904. Under the third patriarch of the Donghak movement, Son Byeong-hui, the movement became a religion called ''Cheondogyo'', or

, which is followed today in both North and South Korea.

Choe Je-u

Choe Je-u's treatise argued a return to the Confucian understanding of

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

, with emphasis on self-cultivation and improving one's nature. As Choe wrote, the Way of Heaven was within one's own mind, and so by improving one's nature, one also attained the Way of Heaven. Donghak was not accompanied by a specific agenda or systematic doctrine. Choe believed in improvising as events occurred. He had no practical plans or visions of how one would go about establishing a paradise on Earth, let alone what paradise meant except that all people were equal. Nevertheless, Choe's advocacy of

and

Korean nationalism Korean nationalism can be viewed in two different contexts. One encompasses various movements throughout history to maintain a Korean cultural identity, history, and ethnicity (or "race"). This ethnic nationalism was mainly forged in opposition ...

struck a chord among the peasant guerrillas and Donghak spread across Korea rapidly. Progressive revolutionaries waded in and organized the peasants into a cohesive fighting unit.

References

{{Authority control Religion in Korea Donghak Peasant Revolution Cheondoism Religion in Korea under Japanese rule

History

Choe Je-u

See also

References