HIRATA, Atsutane.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Koten bun'i ("Collection of Sacred Texts"). Second edition, following the first of 1837, with a new introduction by the scholar Kushida Hokusho. This work collects the introductions to important and canonical works for the educated samurai, ranging from the Kojiki and Nihon-shoki chronically Japan's mythical past, to the Konin-shiki detailing the laws of the Heian period, to poetry anthologies like the Kokin wakashu.Hirata Atsutane (1776-1843) was a prolific scholar, theologian, and historian who was a driving force in the emergence of kokugaku ("national studies"). This academic movement aimed to refocus scholarship away from Chinese examples and towards Japanese classics, in a response to the Neo-Confucian policies of the Tokugawa government. His writings had significant impact on the rise of nationalism in 19th century and particularly influenced the Sonno joi movement that would topple the shogunate and reinstate the emperor in 1868.This work, along with many of Hirata's other writings, was used as a textbook until the late 19th century. It was also used as a standard reference at the imperial academies in Kyoto and Tokyo following the Meiji Restoration, accounting for its wide circulation.Provenance: Ohya Shobo Ltd, April 2006 - Martin Schøyen (b. 1940), the Norwegian collector of rare books and manuscripts.

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