Kaibara Ekken
Encyclopedia
or Ekiken, also known as Atsunobu (篤信) was a Japan
ese Neo-Confucianist
philosopher and botanist.
Kaibara was born into a family of advisors to the daimyo
of Fukuoka Domain
in Chikuzen Province
(modern-day Fukuoka Prefecture
). He accompanied his father to Edo
in 1648, and was sent in 1649 to Nagasaki to study Western science. At his father's urging, he continued his studies in Nagasaki as a ronin
from 1650 through 1656. He then re-entered service to Kuroda
, which led to his continuing studies in Kyoto. After his father's death in 1665, he returned to Fukuoka.
Kaibara's two most significant contributions to Japanese culture were the study of nature on based on a blend of Euroamerican natural science and Neo-Confucianism, and the translation of the abstruse and forbidding writings of Neo-Confucianism into vernacular Japanese.
Kaibara's science was confined to Biology
and focused on the "natural law". Kaibara became as famous in Japan as people such as Charles Darwin
when it came to science. He advanced the study of botany in Japan when he wrote Yamato honzō, which was a seminal study of Japanese plants. The Japanologist Philipp Franz von Siebold
called him the "Aristotle of Japan."
Kaibara was known for his manuals of behavior, such as changing his Confucian ethical system based on the teachings of Zhu Xi
(also known as Chu Hsi) into an easy "self-help" manuals. As an educator and philosopher, it appears that Kaibara's main goal in life was to further the process of weaving Neo-Confucianism into Japanese culture. In this context, he is best known for such books as Precepts for Children and Greater Learning for Women (Onna daigaku); but modern scholarship argues that it was actually prepared by other hands. Although the genesis of the work remains unchallenged, the oldest extant copy (1733) ends with the lines "as related by our teacher Ekiken Kaibara" and the publisher's colophon states that the text was written from lectures of our teacher Kaibara."
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Neo-Confucianist
Neo-Confucianism
Neo-Confucianism is an ethical and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty....
philosopher and botanist.
Kaibara was born into a family of advisors to the daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Fukuoka Domain
Fukuoka Domain
The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Chikuzen Province .-List of lords:*Kuroda clan, 1600-1871 #Nagamasa#Tadayuki#Mitsuyuki#Tsunamasa#Nobumasa...
in Chikuzen Province
Chikuzen Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today part of Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Chikugo Province. Chikuzen bordered Buzen, Bungo, Chikugo, and Hizen Provinces....
(modern-day Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
). He accompanied his father to Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
in 1648, and was sent in 1649 to Nagasaki to study Western science. At his father's urging, he continued his studies in Nagasaki as a ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
from 1650 through 1656. He then re-entered service to Kuroda
Kuroda
-People:*Aki Kuroda , Japanese painter*Chris Kuroda, former lighting designer and operator for the band Phish*Emily Kuroda, actress*Fukumi Kuroda , Japanese actress...
, which led to his continuing studies in Kyoto. After his father's death in 1665, he returned to Fukuoka.
Kaibara's two most significant contributions to Japanese culture were the study of nature on based on a blend of Euroamerican natural science and Neo-Confucianism, and the translation of the abstruse and forbidding writings of Neo-Confucianism into vernacular Japanese.
Kaibara's science was confined to Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and focused on the "natural law". Kaibara became as famous in Japan as people such as Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
when it came to science. He advanced the study of botany in Japan when he wrote Yamato honzō, which was a seminal study of Japanese plants. The Japanologist Philipp Franz von Siebold
Philipp Franz von Siebold
Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold was a German physician and traveller. He was the first European to teach Western medicine in Japan...
called him the "Aristotle of Japan."
Kaibara was known for his manuals of behavior, such as changing his Confucian ethical system based on the teachings of Zhu Xi
Zhu Xi
Zhū Xī or Chu Hsi was a Song Dynasty Confucian scholar who became the leading figure of the School of Principle and the most influential rationalist Neo-Confucian in China...
(also known as Chu Hsi) into an easy "self-help" manuals. As an educator and philosopher, it appears that Kaibara's main goal in life was to further the process of weaving Neo-Confucianism into Japanese culture. In this context, he is best known for such books as Precepts for Children and Greater Learning for Women (Onna daigaku); but modern scholarship argues that it was actually prepared by other hands. Although the genesis of the work remains unchallenged, the oldest extant copy (1733) ends with the lines "as related by our teacher Ekiken Kaibara" and the publisher's colophon states that the text was written from lectures of our teacher Kaibara."
Published works
- Dazaifu jinja engi (History of Dazaifu Shrine).
- Jingikun (Lessons of the Deities).
- Onna daigaku, c. 1729.
- Shinju heikō aimotorazaru ron (Treatise on the Non-Divergence of Shinto and Confucianism).
- Yamato honzō.
- Yamato souhon (Grasses).
- Yōjōkun (The Book of Life-nourishing Principles), 1713.
External links
- East Asia Institute, University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
: Further reading/bibliography - National Archives of Japan, illustrated scrolls plus text by Kaibara Eiken: