Honda Toshiaki

Honda Toshiaki ( Japanese 本 多 利明 ; born 1744 in Murakami ( Niigata Prefecture ); died January 25, 1821 ) was a Japanese mathematician, cartographer, and economist.

life and work

Honda Toshiaki, born in Echigo Province (now Niigata Prefecture), went to Edo at the age of 18 to study mathematics and astronomy. Before seven years were up, he opened his own school under the name Otowajuku. He also tried hard to learn Dutch. As an excellent expert on localization methods, he kept in close contact with explorers such as Mogami Tokunai and Mamiya Rinzō , who explored Hokkaidō and the areas adjacent to the north. In 1801 Honda was the captain of a ship exploring the coasts of Ezo ( 蝦 夷 ), as Hokkaidō was then called.

Honda was convinced that Japan's economic problems could be overcome by following European systems, especially the English one. In his book "Secret Plan to Rule the Country" ( 経 世 秘 策 , Keisei hisaku ) from 1798, Honda described the four most important problem areas in Japan: gunpowder, metals, shipping and the colonization of Ezos.

In his work "Tales of the West" ( 西域 物語 , Seiiki monogatari ; 1798) he suggested moving the capital of Japan from Edo to Kamchatka so that it would be level with London. He also suggested that Japan abandon its isolation in favor of state-directed foreign trade and overseas colonization.

Further works are "Free comments on the economy" ( 経 済 放言 , Keizai hōgon ), "Overseas diary" ( 渡海 日記 , Tokai nikki ), "Theory of length measuring devices " ( 長 器 論 , Chōki-ron ).

literature

• S. Noma (Ed.): Honda Toshiaki . In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X , p. 556.

Web links

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Honda is the family name, Toshiaki the first name.