From “Tatars” (韃靼) to “The Great Qing” (大清): The Construction of the Image of the Qing Dynasty by the Japanese Bakufu in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Abstract In the mid-seventeenth century, during the dynastic transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Japanese bakufu , concerned about a potential invasion by the “Tatars,” actively collected overseas intelligence through various channels such as Chinese and Dutch vessels coming to Japan, as well as sources from Ryukyu and Joseon, to maintain close observation of the developments in East Asia, particularly within China proper. However, as the Qing dynasty unified all of China in 1683, gradually consolidated its political power, and lifted the maritime ban, these concerns subsequently disappeared. For Japan, the peaceful and prosperous China of the eighteenth century represented, to some extent, a revival of “Zhonghua.” Although the concepts of “ yifeng ” and “ yisu ” persisted, the massive influx of “Zhonghua” cultural and institutional artifacts through Nagasaki gradually diminished Japan’s disdain for China under Machu rule. This reality is reflected in official documents by the change in terminology from the early use of “Tatar” to the adoption of “the Great Qing” after the eighteenth century. Even though some Japanese Confucian scholars attempted to universalize the Confucian learning of the Way of the Sages, separating it from China, and some kokugaku (national learning) scholars denied and attacked Chinese culture, most educated Japanese still took pride in being able to interact with Chinese literati and even gain recognition from Chinese scholars. This, in turn, created a contradiction with the Japanese ideology of “Hua-Yi” that emerged after the Ming-Qing transition. Considering such complex sentiments, how did Japanese intellectuals of the Edo period view the preservation of traditional “Zhonghua” culture and the issue of importing Chinese cultural artifacts under “Tatar” rule? This is a topic worthy of exploration. This paper primarily utilizes official documents from the Edo period to examine how Japan, from the turbulent period of the late Ming and early Qing in the seventeenth century to the rise of a stable international situation in East Asia during the Qianlong reign of the eighteenth century, constructed a new view of China through the collection of overseas intelligence, the importation of books and cultural artifacts, and dialogues with Chinese merchants and literati.