Seika ron

Seika ron is an essay on family government written by Ishida Baigan, a Japanese scholar who originated the moral education movement known as Shingaku. Published in 1774, Seika ron espouses the Confucian view that a person unable to govern their own family cannot effectively govern a nation. Ishida Baigan sought to popularize ethics among common people, drawing from Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Shinto. He used simple language and parables in his lectures and writings to explain moral education directly to the populace. The Shingaku movement, founded by Ishida in 1729, continued to grow after his death, though it eventually declined in popularity.1