Takano Choei
Encyclopedia
was a prominent scholar of Rangaku
of the late Edo period
.
Chōei was born as Gotō Kyōsai, the third son of Gotō Sōsuke who was a middle ranking samurai in Mizusawa Domain
of Mutsu Province
which is in present-day Iwate Prefecture
. At an early age, however, he was adopted by his uncle Takano Gensai who had studied medicine under Sugita Genpaku
and influenced Chōei to follow in the same profession.
He first studied medicine in Tokyo Edo
in 1820 after winning money in a lottery so as to pay his own way. There he studied under first Sugita Hakugen, then Yoshida Chōshuku who gave him the name Chōei. After the death of his teacher in 1824 he took over some of the teaching duties in the school.
A year later he left for Nagasaki to study under Philipp Franz von Siebold
. There he paid for his education by writing papers about Japanese life for von Siebold, gathering plants and translating books from Dutch to Japanese. After the school was shut down and von Siebold expelled from Japan in 1828 Chōei was forced to flee. He finally settled in Edo in 1830 where he wrote his Fundamentals of Western Medicine. There he met Watanabe Kazan
, a government official sharing an interest in Western learning. They both attended meetings of Shōshikai, a study group of intellectuals interested in foreign affairs.
In 1838 Chōei married and then published The Tale of a Dream, a book critical of the Tokugawa shogunate
's handling of the Morrison Incident
(1837). Since he was of samurai status he was dealt with rather harshly and sent to the Kodenmachō prison in Edo where he spent five years of his life sentence in the commoners section. In 1844 he arranged to have a fire started in the prison and made his escape. He then spent the rest of his life in hiding using various false identities. At one point he is said to have poured acid on his face to disguise his appearance and elude arrest.
He was finally caught by the police in 1850. Rather than return to prison or face execution Chōei resisted. He killed three police with his bare hands before he was either beaten to death or stabbed himself in the neck. It is not clear exactly how he died.
His works include:
Rangaku
Rangaku is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners, 1641–1853, because of the Tokugawa shogunate’s policy of national...
of the late Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.
Chōei was born as Gotō Kyōsai, the third son of Gotō Sōsuke who was a middle ranking samurai in Mizusawa Domain
Mizusawa Domain
The was a feudal domain in Mutsu Province of Japan during the Edo period. It was a subdomain of the Sendai Domain. Sometimes it was suggested that the domain be called "Naka-Tsuyama han"...
of Mutsu Province
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
which is in present-day Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
. At an early age, however, he was adopted by his uncle Takano Gensai who had studied medicine under Sugita Genpaku
Sugita Genpaku
was a Japanese scholar who was known for his translation of Kaitai Shinsho .Besides Kaitai Shinsho, he also authored Rangaku Kotohajime ....
and influenced Chōei to follow in the same profession.
He first studied medicine in Tokyo 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 1820 after winning money in a lottery so as to pay his own way. There he studied under first Sugita Hakugen, then Yoshida Chōshuku who gave him the name Chōei. After the death of his teacher in 1824 he took over some of the teaching duties in the school.
A year later he left for Nagasaki to study under 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...
. There he paid for his education by writing papers about Japanese life for von Siebold, gathering plants and translating books from Dutch to Japanese. After the school was shut down and von Siebold expelled from Japan in 1828 Chōei was forced to flee. He finally settled in Edo in 1830 where he wrote his Fundamentals of Western Medicine. There he met Watanabe Kazan
Watanabe Kazan
was a Japanese painter, scholar and statesman member of the samurai class.- Early life :He was born Watanabe Sadayasu in Edo to a poor samurai family, and his artistic talent was developed from an early age. His family served the lord of the Tahara Domain, located in present day Aichi prefecture....
, a government official sharing an interest in Western learning. They both attended meetings of Shōshikai, a study group of intellectuals interested in foreign affairs.
In 1838 Chōei married and then published The Tale of a Dream, a book critical of 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...
's handling of the Morrison Incident
Morrison Incident
The of 1837 occurred when the American merchant ship, Morrison headed by Charles W. King, was driven away from "sakoku" Japan by cannon fire...
(1837). Since he was of samurai status he was dealt with rather harshly and sent to the Kodenmachō prison in Edo where he spent five years of his life sentence in the commoners section. In 1844 he arranged to have a fire started in the prison and made his escape. He then spent the rest of his life in hiding using various false identities. At one point he is said to have poured acid on his face to disguise his appearance and elude arrest.
He was finally caught by the police in 1850. Rather than return to prison or face execution Chōei resisted. He killed three police with his bare hands before he was either beaten to death or stabbed himself in the neck. It is not clear exactly how he died.
His works include:
External links
- Choei Takano Memorial Hall (Japanese only)