What is the Twelve Level Cap in regards to Confucianism?
Twelve Level Cap and Rank System The Twelve Level Cap and Rank System (冠位十二階 , Kan'i Jūnikai ) , established in 603, was the first of what would be several similar cap and rank systems established during the Asuka period of Japanese history. It was adapted from similar systems that were already in place in Sui dynasty China, Paekche and Koguryŏ. The officials wore silk caps that were decorated with gold and silver, and a feather that indicated the official's rank. The ranks in the twelve level cap and rank system consisted of the greater and the lesser of each of the six Confucian virtues: virtue (徳 , toku ) , benevolence (仁 , jin ) , propriety (礼 , rei ) , sincerity (信 , shin ) , justice (義 , gi ) and knowledge (智 , chi ) .
Edo Neo-Confucianism Edo Neo-Confucianism, known in Japanese as Shushi-Gaku (朱子学 , shushigaku ) , refers to the schools of Neo-Confucian philosophy that developed in Japan during the Edo period. Neo-Confucianism reached Japan during the Kamakura period. The philosophy can be characterized as humanistic and rationalistic, with the belief that the universe could be understood through human reason, and that it was up to man to create a harmonious relationship between the universe and the individual. The 17th-century Tokugawa shogunate adopted Neo-Confucianism as the principle of controlling people and Confucian philosophy took hold. Neo-Confucians such as Hayashi Razan and Arai Hakuseki were instrumental in the formulation of Japan's dominant early modern political philosophy.