Abstract

As an important representative of Confucianism, Mencius' political thought had a profound influence in the Warring States period. Bushido spirit, as the soul of the Japanese nation, has a core guiding role in the feudal society of Japan. Comparing the political thought of Mencius and the spirit of Japanese Bushido helps people to understand the political and moral values in different cultural contexts. The research aims to deeply explore and analyze the embodiment of these two ideological systems in history and their theoretical and practical significance to modern society, with the goal of providing practical suggestions for the development of contemporary Chinese society. By means of historical comparative analysis, literature review and philosophical analysis, this paper makes an in-depth study of Mencius' political thought and Japanese Bushido spirit. The research focuses on theoretical interpretation and cultural background analysis, in order to reveal the similarities and differences and internal relations between the two. It is found that although Mencius' political thought and Bushido spirit differ in cultural background and form of expression, they both emphasize moral norms and social responsibility. Mencius' people-oriented benevolent government thought emphasizes people-oriented, while Bushido spirit emphasizes loyalty and honor. Both of them provide valuable enlightenment to the political ethics and moral construction of modern society. Due to cultural differences and different historical backgrounds, there may be cultural errors in the comparison of the two studies, leading to one-sided interpretation. Future studies can further social investigation methods to avoid one-sided interpretation and misuse.