Through the Prism of a Plagiarism Debate: Eighteenth through Twentieth-Century Sino-Japanese Intellectual Relations

During the twentieth century Dai Zhen (1724-77) has been accused by some of plagiarizing the work of Itō Jinsai (1627-1705). Others refuted the accusations, and a debate has been raging on this subject. In this paper I explore the similarities between the works of the two scholars; analyze the possibility and plausibility of Dai using Jinsai's work; and historicize the plagiarism debate itself. In doing so I unravel the complexities of Sino-Japanese intellectual exchange, how texts and ideas traveled, and how scholars from each country perceived those across the sea, at different times and historical contexts.