朱舜水（1600-1682）與日本德川前期的朱子學者、陽明學者乃至古文學派學者，直接或間接有所往來，和當時日本儒教的發展有著深遠的關係。綜觀朱舜水的文章、書簡、筆語以及其諸多門生的相關文獻，可以窺見舜水常與日本的官、學界人士闡論其學問主張。在朱舜水居留過的長崎、江戶、水戶，乃至不曾前往的九州鹿島藩（今佐賀縣）、柳川藩（今福岡縣）以及遠在日本海的加賀藩（今石川縣）等，都有其推展儒家思想的事跡。本文從（1）德川前期儒教發展的「雜學性」；（2）朱舜水與水戶藩儒教發展的兩個角度切入，以「興教育、行禮制」、「養君德、親賢士」等儒家基本德目「禮」的思想為探討主軸，檢視朱舜水與德川光圀（1628-1700）的關係及其對水戶藩的禮教主張與實踐情形。

Zhu Shunshui’s (1600-1682) direct or indirect contact with scholars of the Zhu Xi school, the Yangming school or even the Old Text school in the early Tokugawa period had a great influence on the development of Confucianism in Japan. Through a comprehensive review of Zhu Shunshui’s essays, correspondences and many writings from his disciples, it was found that he often expressed his viewpoints to Japanese government officials and scholars. Zhu Shunshui stayed in Nagasaki, Edo, and Mito. Nevertheless, his promotion of Confucianism can be traced from Kashima (modern Saga), to Yanagawa (modern Fukuoka) to Kaga (modern Ishikawa) around the Sea of Japan—all places he had never been. This paper is focused on the study of (1) the development of a broad-ranging Confucianism in the early Tokugawa period and (2) the perspective of Zhu Shunshui and the development of Mito Confucianism, and the fundamental principles of Confucianism—the concepts of ceremonial rites, xing jiaoyu xing lizhi (promote education, perform rituals), and yang junde qin xianshi (develop a sovereign virtue, get close to virtuous gentlemen) between Zhu Shunshui and Tokugawa Mitukuni (1628-1700) and its impact on the practices of rites advocated by Seignior Mito.