elements: water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. The second comment related to a
disagreement with the celestial-terrestrial dichotomy. He insisted that the composition of the heaven and the earth is the same, that both were composed of five
elements. Mukai’s arguments are mostly based on ancient Taoism in China. Thus,
he defended traditional Chinese and Japanese philosophy.
1.3.2 Kobayashi Kentei and Aristotelian Cosmology
Kobayashi Kentei (小林謙貞, or Kobayashi Yoshinobu 小林義信, 1601–1684) was
a surveying engineer and an astronomer who was interested in cosmological ideas
(Hirose 1971a, b).
Kentei was born in Nagasaki and learned Western technology and astronomy
from Hayashi Kichiemon (林吉右衛門), who was a Christian scholar later executed
for his forbidden faith. As a student of Hayashi, Kentei was sent to prison for
21 years. After his release from prison, he became a surveying engineer in Nagasaki
and introduced Dutch and Portuguese surveying techniques to Japan. In astronomy,
Kentei wrote a book entitled Nigi Ryakusetsu (二儀略説, Outline Theory of Terrestrial and Celestial Globes) (ca. 1667), which was based on Pedro Gomez’s book On
the Spheres (ca. 1593), which dealt with cosmology, meteorology, and matter
theory. Kobayashi introduced Aristotelian cosmology, as in the case of Mukai, but
he restricted himself to a faithful translation of the core of cosmology without
commentary.
1.3.3 Motoki Ryoei and Copernican Cosmology
Motoki Ryoei (or Motoki Yoshinaga, 本木良永, 1735–1794) was a translator of
Dutch books and known as the first person to introduce Copernican cosmology to
Japan.
Motoki was born the son of a physician, Nishimatsu Sen, and became an adopted
son of the Dutch interpreter Motoki at age 13. Besides working as an interpreter, he
studied natural science by reading Dutch books, almost entirely independently.
On astronomy, Motoki’s first work, Tenchi-Nikyu Yoho (天地二球用法, The Use
of Celestial and Terrestrial Globes, 1774), was based on a book by Wellem J. Blaeu
(or Blaaw, 1572–1635, Dutch cartographer and atlas maker), which consisted of two
volumes on Ptolemy’s and Copernicus’s cosmologies (1666).
Motoki’s first book, Tenchi-Nikyu Yoho, was restricted to a treatment of Ptolemaic geocentric theory. After around 20 years, Motoki wrote a sequel to TenchiNikyu Yoho in 1792–1793. This sequel was based on Copernican cosmology.
1.3 Acceptance of Western Cosmology
7
disagreement with the celestial-terrestrial dichotomy. He insisted that the composition of the heaven and the earth is the same, that both were composed of five
elements. Mukai’s arguments are mostly based on ancient Taoism in China. Thus,
he defended traditional Chinese and Japanese philosophy.
1.3.2 Kobayashi Kentei and Aristotelian Cosmology
Kobayashi Kentei (小林謙貞, or Kobayashi Yoshinobu 小林義信, 1601–1684) was
a surveying engineer and an astronomer who was interested in cosmological ideas
(Hirose 1971a, b).
Kentei was born in Nagasaki and learned Western technology and astronomy
from Hayashi Kichiemon (林吉右衛門), who was a Christian scholar later executed
for his forbidden faith. As a student of Hayashi, Kentei was sent to prison for
21 years. After his release from prison, he became a surveying engineer in Nagasaki
and introduced Dutch and Portuguese surveying techniques to Japan. In astronomy,
Kentei wrote a book entitled Nigi Ryakusetsu (二儀略説, Outline Theory of Terrestrial and Celestial Globes) (ca. 1667), which was based on Pedro Gomez’s book On
the Spheres (ca. 1593), which dealt with cosmology, meteorology, and matter
theory. Kobayashi introduced Aristotelian cosmology, as in the case of Mukai, but
he restricted himself to a faithful translation of the core of cosmology without
commentary.
1.3.3 Motoki Ryoei and Copernican Cosmology
Motoki Ryoei (or Motoki Yoshinaga, 本木良永, 1735–1794) was a translator of
Dutch books and known as the first person to introduce Copernican cosmology to
Japan.
Motoki was born the son of a physician, Nishimatsu Sen, and became an adopted
son of the Dutch interpreter Motoki at age 13. Besides working as an interpreter, he
studied natural science by reading Dutch books, almost entirely independently.
On astronomy, Motoki’s first work, Tenchi-Nikyu Yoho (天地二球用法, The Use
of Celestial and Terrestrial Globes, 1774), was based on a book by Wellem J. Blaeu
(or Blaaw, 1572–1635, Dutch cartographer and atlas maker), which consisted of two
volumes on Ptolemy’s and Copernicus’s cosmologies (1666).
Motoki’s first book, Tenchi-Nikyu Yoho, was restricted to a treatment of Ptolemaic geocentric theory. After around 20 years, Motoki wrote a sequel to TenchiNikyu Yoho in 1792–1793. This sequel was based on Copernican cosmology.
1.3 Acceptance of Western Cosmology
7