Abstract
This article investigates the study of the Yijing (易經 Book of Changes) written by Nakai Sekitoku 中井積德 at Osaka's Kaitokudo 懷德堂 during the Tokugawa 德川 period. Through an investigation of Nakai's work, Shūeki hōgen 周易逢原, this article examines not only his propositions regarding the Yijing but also the way he criticizes and modifies Zhu Xi's 朱熹 work, Zhouyi benyi 周易本義. This article attempts to demonstrate that Nakai's approach of ＂questioning and modifying classics＂ enabled him to restore the ancient Zhouyi 周易, and with this restored version, proceed to seek the essence of the classics. Secondly, the analysis presented in this article contends that, despite the ostensible similarity between Nakai's and Zhu's approaches to the Zhouyi, there is a world of difference between the implications of their views.