著者

伊藤 真実子 Ito Mamiko

出版者

19世紀学学会

雑誌

19世紀学研究 (ISSN:18827578)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.6, pp.59-78, 2012-03

---

Japan has incorporated aspects of different civilizations for hundreds of years. Until recently, most cultural imports came from China. Japan adopted Chinese characters into its writing system, Confucianism into its philosophy, and the Chinese form of the Encyclopedia (Leishu). For many years, the Japanese encyclopedia took the form of an edited translation of a Chinese one, especially in the Seventeenth and the Eighteenth Century. In 1637, "the Sancai Tuhui"(三才図会)was edited by Wang Qi in China. This work was quickly transmitted to Japan and translated within thirty years as "Wakan Sansei Zue"(和漢三才図会 )by Terashima Ryoan, in 1713. This Japanese encyclopedia was popular. The price was not so high since it was a printed book and not a hand-written manuscript, and the pictures made it easy to understand. Because of this, it was reprinted several times over 200 years. Why did these encyclopedias enjoy such popularity? One reason was the progress of print techniques that lowered prices, and another factor was the popularity of natural history. Natural history has had a wide appeal not only in Europe but also in Asia in the 100 years from the mid-Eighteenth century. Because of "closed country," Japan remained political stable. It allowed for a flourishing of culture and hobbies. One aspect of this was an interest in natural history. It spread not only among intellectuals and wealthy aristocrats, but also among the general public. With the popularity of natural history, many variations of the encyclopedia were edited, both digests (handbooks for daily use) and specialized ones. Natural history became popular as a scholarly pursuit as well. Li Shizhen’s "Bencao gangmu"(本草綱目)was published in 1596, and was imported to Japan by 1604. The most famous translation of it in Japan was "Yamato Honzo"by Kaibara Ekiken. He picked included things found in Japan, and added a large number of animals, plants, and minerals to the original. In the first half of the Eighteenth Century, the government adopted new policy: the development of domestic pharmacopeia. Therefore, new species or subspecies were sought. Scholars met to identify between things and names elaborated in books. In time, they brought rare articles together and organized exhibitions(薬品会) . In 1757, scholars nationwide attended the exhibition in Edo, and if they could not come to Edo, it was possible to send items through the network of the pharmacies. This is the origin of the modern exhibition in Japan. Around 1800 the Tokugawa government got a western encyclopedia from the chief of the Netherland’s factory at Nagasaki. It was the first encyclopedia from Europe. After the Meiji Restoration, huge western knowledge flowed into Japan. The Meiji government worked on translating western encyclopedias. It brought not only new knowledge, but transformed the existing order of knowledge. This paper will focus on the history of translation of encyclopedia in Japan. Encyclopedia was a mirror of culture, sense of value, custom, thought, idea, scholarship and trend at that age and at that country all over the world. Hence, in this paper, I argue how did the Japanese translate and incorporate another country’s encyclopedia into her own country.