Hayashi Shihei
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
military
scholar and a retainer of the Sendai Domain
.
His name is sometimes misread (according to the Sino-Japanese reading) as Rin Shihei.
Shihei was born as a second son of Hayashi Gonhyoue Yoshimichi, a hatamoto
who served the Tokugawa shogunate
. However Yoshimichi was expelled for some reason; some argue it was the result of a conflict with his colleagues (perhaps a duel
.) After that, Shihei was brought up by his uncle Hayashi Jyugo, a physician.
His elder brother, Hayashi Kazen became one of the Sendai domain's official doctors. Years before Commodore Perry sailed into Japan in 1853, Shihei was pushing for Japan to adopt Western military science and the reeducation of the samurai. He complained of the lack of organized drill exercises, and stressed the importance of chōren, or teamwork drill, rather than mere individual martial training. He gave a lot of technical descriptions about shipbuilding, cannons and other military designs. He published these thoughts in his work titled Kaikoku Heidan (i.e. Discussion concerning military matters of a maritime nation), printed without permission of the bakufu in the year 1791. The printing blocks were confiscated soon afterwards. Another famous work is Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (Illustrated Description of Three Countries), printed 1786.
Together with Takayama Hikokurō
and Gamō Sanbei, Hayashi is known as one of the "Three Excelling Men of the Kansei
Period" (Kansei no san-kijin 寛政の三奇人).
His grave is in Sendai. A plaque commemorating his accomplishments can also be found at the site of Sendai Castle.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
scholar and a retainer of the Sendai Domain
Sendai Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Most of its holdings were contiguous, covering all of modern-day Miyagi Prefecture, small portions of southern Iwate Prefecture, and a portion of northeastern Fukushima Prefecture. The domain's capital, and the ruling family's castle, were located in what...
.
His name is sometimes misread (according to the Sino-Japanese reading) as Rin Shihei.
Shihei was born as a second son of Hayashi Gonhyoue Yoshimichi, a hatamoto
Hatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
who served the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
. However Yoshimichi was expelled for some reason; some argue it was the result of a conflict with his colleagues (perhaps a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
.) After that, Shihei was brought up by his uncle Hayashi Jyugo, a physician.
His elder brother, Hayashi Kazen became one of the Sendai domain's official doctors. Years before Commodore Perry sailed into Japan in 1853, Shihei was pushing for Japan to adopt Western military science and the reeducation of the samurai. He complained of the lack of organized drill exercises, and stressed the importance of chōren, or teamwork drill, rather than mere individual martial training. He gave a lot of technical descriptions about shipbuilding, cannons and other military designs. He published these thoughts in his work titled Kaikoku Heidan (i.e. Discussion concerning military matters of a maritime nation), printed without permission of the bakufu in the year 1791. The printing blocks were confiscated soon afterwards. Another famous work is Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (Illustrated Description of Three Countries), printed 1786.
Together with Takayama Hikokurō
Takayama Hikokurō
is one of "Three Excelling Men of the Kansei Period" ....
and Gamō Sanbei, Hayashi is known as one of the "Three Excelling Men of the Kansei
Kansei
was a after Tenmei and before Kyōwa. This period spanned the years from January 1789 through February 1801. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
Period" (Kansei no san-kijin 寛政の三奇人).
His grave is in Sendai. A plaque commemorating his accomplishments can also be found at the site of Sendai Castle.
Further reading
- Boxer, C.R. (1932). Rin Shihei and his picture of a Dutch East-India ship, 1782. Tokyo: Asiatic Society of Japan.
- Lederer, Friedrich (Transl./Ed.) Diskurs über die Wehrhaftigkeit einer Seenation München, Iudicium, 2002 (Diss. LMU Munich) First Translation of Kaikoku Heidan in a foreign language, i.e. German.