Tokugawa period was derived by Watanabe, which includes not only calendar
making and the acceptance of Western cosmology (Chap. 1) but also a history of
astronomical technology such as astronomical instruments, telescopes, clocks, celestial maps, and the records of observations of solar and lunar eclipses, comets, and
planetary phenomena (Watanabe 1987).
4.5.4 History of Astronomy in Postwar Period
In the Kyoto region, the research style of Yabuuchi Kiyoshi, which treats the history
of astronomy as part of science and technology, was taken up by the next generation,
which included Yoshida Mitsukuni, Yamada Keiji, Hashimoto Keizo, Miyajima
Kazuhiko, and others (Miyajima 2008).
Yoshida Mitsukuni (吉田光邦, 1921–1991) of the Research Institute for Humanistic Studies (人文科学研究所) of Kyoto University worked on science and technology in China and Japan in the pre-Meiji period (Yoshida 1955, 1972).
With respect to Chinese history in the Han Dynasty, Yoshida traced the social
background of the development of science and technology with a main focus on the
history of iron, ceramic, textiles, and military technologies. On astronomy, he argued
that the spherical armillary and spherical globe were constructed against the technological background of the time and contributed to great improvements in calendar
making (Yoshida 1972). According to him, the development of science is always
due to social background, reflecting the research style of Yabuuchi.
Yamada Keiji (山田慶児) of Kyoto University contributed to Chinese history
with respect to two topics. The first is the natural philosophy of the Zhu Xi school
(朱子学), which covers the broad fields of astronomy, meteorology, and physics, in
addition to classical Confucianism in the South Song period (南宋) (Yamada 1978).
The other topic is the relation of science and social system in medieval China as a
background on the formation of the Shou-Shih calendar (授時暦, 1281) (Yamada
1980). Hashimoto Keizo (橋本敬造) of Kansai University was interested in the
paradigm theory of Joseph Needham and considered the production of the
Chongzhen calendar (崇禎暦, 1635) by Xú Guangqi (徐光啓) as a scientific revolution in China partly introduced from European countries. Europe in those days was
in a stage of transition from Ptolemy to Copernican cosmology, and Tycho Brahe’s
geocentric system was widely accepted as an interim step. Tycho Brahe’s system
was also incorporated into the Chongzhen calendar (Hashimoto 1972).
Miyajima Kazuhiko (宮島一彦) of Doshisha University worked on the history of
East Asian countries (China, Korea, and Japan) with practical investigations of
instrumentation. In 1998, a celestial map was discovered on the ceilling of the
Kitora Tumulus (キトラ古墳) in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture. Miyajima
identified Chinese constellations as shown in Fig. 4.27. The map covers a wide
northern sky with three concentric circles around the North Pole and a circle
presumed to be the ecliptic. The central circle denotes the celestial equator and the
outer circle the southern boundary observable from China. This tumulus was
4.5 History of Oriental Astronomy
113
making and the acceptance of Western cosmology (Chap. 1) but also a history of
astronomical technology such as astronomical instruments, telescopes, clocks, celestial maps, and the records of observations of solar and lunar eclipses, comets, and
planetary phenomena (Watanabe 1987).
4.5.4 History of Astronomy in Postwar Period
In the Kyoto region, the research style of Yabuuchi Kiyoshi, which treats the history
of astronomy as part of science and technology, was taken up by the next generation,
which included Yoshida Mitsukuni, Yamada Keiji, Hashimoto Keizo, Miyajima
Kazuhiko, and others (Miyajima 2008).
Yoshida Mitsukuni (吉田光邦, 1921–1991) of the Research Institute for Humanistic Studies (人文科学研究所) of Kyoto University worked on science and technology in China and Japan in the pre-Meiji period (Yoshida 1955, 1972).
With respect to Chinese history in the Han Dynasty, Yoshida traced the social
background of the development of science and technology with a main focus on the
history of iron, ceramic, textiles, and military technologies. On astronomy, he argued
that the spherical armillary and spherical globe were constructed against the technological background of the time and contributed to great improvements in calendar
making (Yoshida 1972). According to him, the development of science is always
due to social background, reflecting the research style of Yabuuchi.
Yamada Keiji (山田慶児) of Kyoto University contributed to Chinese history
with respect to two topics. The first is the natural philosophy of the Zhu Xi school
(朱子学), which covers the broad fields of astronomy, meteorology, and physics, in
addition to classical Confucianism in the South Song period (南宋) (Yamada 1978).
The other topic is the relation of science and social system in medieval China as a
background on the formation of the Shou-Shih calendar (授時暦, 1281) (Yamada
1980). Hashimoto Keizo (橋本敬造) of Kansai University was interested in the
paradigm theory of Joseph Needham and considered the production of the
Chongzhen calendar (崇禎暦, 1635) by Xú Guangqi (徐光啓) as a scientific revolution in China partly introduced from European countries. Europe in those days was
in a stage of transition from Ptolemy to Copernican cosmology, and Tycho Brahe’s
geocentric system was widely accepted as an interim step. Tycho Brahe’s system
was also incorporated into the Chongzhen calendar (Hashimoto 1972).
Miyajima Kazuhiko (宮島一彦) of Doshisha University worked on the history of
East Asian countries (China, Korea, and Japan) with practical investigations of
instrumentation. In 1998, a celestial map was discovered on the ceilling of the
Kitora Tumulus (キトラ古墳) in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture. Miyajima
identified Chinese constellations as shown in Fig. 4.27. The map covers a wide
northern sky with three concentric circles around the North Pole and a circle
presumed to be the ecliptic. The central circle denotes the celestial equator and the
outer circle the southern boundary observable from China. This tumulus was
4.5 History of Oriental Astronomy
113