Hirata Atsutane

Hirata Atsutane

Atsutane's tomb in Akita

Hirata Atsutane ( Japanese 平 田 篤 胤 ; born October 6, 1776 in Akita , Dewa Province , today: Akita Prefecture ; died November 2, 1843 ) was a Japanese scholar, the last of the "Four Greats of the Kokugaku " and one of the most important explorers of Shinto . His author's name was Ibukinoya, he was revered as "Great Valley" ( 大 壑 , Daigaku).

Life

Atsutane was born in Akita (Dewa) as the son of the simple samurai Ōwada Sachitane ( 大 和田 祚 胤 ) and was initially called Ōwada Masayoshi ( 大 和田 胤 行 ). At the age of 20 he illegally withdrew from the Han , went to Edo and then on to Matsuyama ( Bitchu Province ), where he was adopted in 1800 by Hirata Atsuyasu, a samurai of the Itakura clan . He studied history and ancient literature without a teacher, became a follower of the Kokugaku doctrine, called himself Masuge-no-ya ( 真 菅 乃 屋 ), then Ibuki-no-ya ( 気 吹 乃 屋 ).

Atsutane dealt with Confucianism as taught by Yamazaki Ansai ( 山崎 闇 斎 ; 1619–1682). Then he turned to the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi , studied Taoism and the works of Motoori Norinaga, one of the founders of the Kokugaku school. Like Norinaga, Atsutane also rejected Confucianism and Buddhism and sought to revive the Japanese way of doing things . In this he differed from Motoori, whom he only studied after his death: instead of literally following the traditions, he sought a contemporary interpretation.

Atsutane's first publications include Kamōsho , which appeared in 1803 and in which he criticized the work Bendōsho ( 弁 道 書 ) of the Confucian thinker Dazai Shundai (1680-1747). Above all, he contributed significantly to the revival of Shinto and helped strengthen the emperor. The Yoshida family invited him as a teacher as part of the Yoshida Shinto . Atsutane was one of those who believed in the existence of a separate Japanese script before the adoption of the Chinese characters , in the authenticity of the Jindai Moji .

His advocacy for the rights of the emperor aroused the suspicion of the shogunate . In 1841 he was asked to stop writing. Atsutane then retired to Akita, where he died soon afterwards.

Atsutane's students include his adoptive son Kanetane ( 銕 胤 ; 1799–1880) among others Ōkuni Takamasa ( 大 国 隆 正 ; 1793–1871), Suzuki Shigetane ( 鈴木 重 胤 ; 1812–1863), Mutobe Yoshika ( 六 人 部 是 香 ), Ikuta Yorozu ( 生 田 万 ), Konda Naosuke ( 権 田 直 助 ; 1809–1887), Yano Harumichi ( 矢野 玄 道 ; 1832–1887) and others. After Atsutane's death, his successors' religious references took a back seat, and the nationalist tendencies related to the emperor intensified.

Works (selection)

• Kodō taii ( 古道 大意 ; 1811,1824) Introduction to Kokagu. Rejection of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Western science.
• Shintō taii ( 俗 神道 大意 )
• Kinshin shinron ( 鬼神 新 論 ; 1805), a new contribution to the gods.
• Koshi seibun ( 古 史成文 )
• Kadō taii ( 歌 道 大意 )
• Tama no mihashira ( 霊 能 真 柱 ; 1812)
• Tama-dasuki ( 玉 襷 ; 1824)
• Koshi-den ( 古史 伝 ; 1825), these are detailed commentaries on the world of gods in Kojiki and Nihonshoki .
• Koshi-chō ( 古史 徴 ): work on Kokugaku. 4 volumes. appeared from 1818 to 1819. One does not have to take old writings literally, but in their sense.
• Ibukinoya kashū ( 気 吹 乃 屋 歌集 )
• Honkyō gaihen ( 本 教 外 篇 )
• Senkyō ibun ( 仙境 異 聞 )

Remarks

1. ↑ The other three are Kada no Azumamaro , Kamo no Mabuchi, and Motoori Norinaga .
2. ↑ So with Louis Frédéric: Japan Encyclopedia . Otherwise reading from 胤 行 unsure.

literature

• S. Noma (Ed.): Hirata Atsutane. In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia . Kodansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X , p. 538.
• Suzuki, Toshihiko (Ed.): Hirata Atsutane. In: Nihon daihyakka zensho (Denshibukku-han). Shogakukan, 1996.

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Hirata is the family name, Atsutane the first name.