Additionally, as a major characteristic of Ju-kyo in Japan, Ko-gaku (learning about ancient teachings), such as Sei-gaku (learning about saints) (Ko-gaku), Kogi-gaku (learning about ancient morals), and Komonji-gaku (learning about ancient words), which directly and empirically studied scriptures such as the Analects of Confucius without referring to interpretation by Neo-Confucianism or Yomei-gaku in the later ages, were started by Soko YAMAGA, Jinsai ITO, and Sorai OGYU, respectively.
また、日本の儒教の大きな特色として、朱子学や陽明学などの後世の解釈によらず、論語などの経典を直接実証的に研究する聖学（古学）、古義学、古文辞学などの古学が、それぞれ山鹿素行、伊藤仁斎、荻生徂徠によって始められた。