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Roughly five years later, at age 19, Nankei moved to [[Kyoto]] to study medicine. After studying under [[Kagawa Shuan|Kagawa Shûan]] and [[Yoshimasu Todo|Yoshimasu Tôdô]] for a time, he remained in Kyoto (moving to [[Fushimi]] and [[Osaka]] for brief spells, but then returning to Kyoto) and took on students of his own. His mother came to Kyoto and lived with him for a time, but died on [[1781]]/7/17.
Roughly five years later, at age 19, Nankei moved to [[Kyoto]] to study medicine. After studying under [[Kagawa Shuan|Kagawa Shûan]] and [[Yoshimasu Todo|Yoshimasu Tôdô]] for a time, he remained in Kyoto (moving to [[Fushimi]] and [[Osaka]] for brief spells, but then returning to Kyoto) and took on students of his own. His mother came to Kyoto and lived with him for a time, but died on [[1781]]/7/17.
Nankei married a daughter of a ''[[haikai]]'' poet around [[1778]], taking her surname, Tachibana; around the same time, he adopted the [[art-name|pseudonym]] Nankei.
==Travels==
==Travels==
Leaving Nagasaki, he traveled to [[Shimabara castle]] and to [[Amakusa]], and on the last day of the 7th month, recorded seeing the famed ''[[shiranui]]'' fires out over the [[Ariake Sea]] (aka Yatsushiro Sea). Commenting also on the [[Great Tenmei Famine|widespread famine]] being suffered in Kyushu at the time, he entered [[Kagoshima]] on 8/15, remaining there until the New Year. While there, he visited various sites in [[Satsuma province|Satsuma]] and [[Osumi province|Ôsumi provinces]], including [[Yamakawa]], [[Sakurajima]], and [[Kajiki]], where one of Satsuma's many sub-castles was located. Normally, it would have been quite difficult for an outsider to gain entry into Satsuma, due to the strict policies of the domain's government, but Nankei, along with his contemporary [[Furukawa Koshoken|Furukawa Koshôken]] and a few other prominent scholar-travelers, were fortunate at this time, as [[Shimazu Shigehide]], lord of Satsuma from [[1755]] to [[1787]], eased up considerably on these policies, opening up the domain to travelers and merchants to a greater extent. Given the unfamiliar, and normally inaccessible, nature of this region, Nankei wrote particularly extensively about these two provinces in his ''Saiyûki'', the travelogue of this journey which he would later publish in [[1795]].
Leaving Nagasaki, he traveled to [[Shimabara castle]] and to [[Amakusa]], and on the last day of the 7th month, recorded seeing the famed ''[[shiranui]]'' fires out over the [[Ariake Sea]] (aka Yatsushiro Sea). Commenting also on the [[Great Tenmei Famine|widespread famine]] being suffered in Kyushu at the time, he entered [[Kagoshima]] on 8/15, remaining there until the New Year. While there, he visited various sites in [[Satsuma province|Satsuma]] and [[Osumi province|Ôsumi provinces]], including [[Yamakawa]], [[Sakurajima]], and [[Kajiki]], where one of Satsuma's many sub-castles was located. Normally, it would have been quite difficult for an outsider to gain entry into Satsuma, due to the strict policies of the domain's government, but Nankei, along with his contemporary [[Furukawa Koshoken|Furukawa Koshôken]] and a few other prominent scholar-travelers, were fortunate at this time, as [[Shimazu Shigehide]], lord of Satsuma from [[1755]] to [[1787]], eased up considerably on these policies, opening up the domain to travelers and merchants to a greater extent. Given the unfamiliar, and normally inaccessible, nature of this region, Nankei wrote particularly extensively about these two provinces in his ''Saiyûki'', the travelogue of this journey which he would later publish in [[1795]].
In the 2nd month, [[1783]], he left Kagoshima to begin the journey home.
In the 2nd month, [[1783]], he left Kagoshima to begin the journey home. After a lengthy journey, including a stop in [[Hitoyoshi]], where he practiced medicine for 15 days, he arrived back in Kyoto, via Shikoku, in the summer.
===Return===
===Return===
Following his return, in 1783, he and a group of scholars including [[Koishi Genshun]] took part in the dissection of a human body. He is also known to have constructed an electric dynamo, as [[Hiraga Gennai]] had also done.
Following his return, on 1783/6/25, he and a group of scholars including [[Koishi Genshun]] took part in the dissection of a human body. He is also known to have constructed an electric dynamo, as [[Hiraga Gennai]] had also done.
===Journey to the East===
===Journey to the East===
After several experiences getting lost, or facing difficulties due to weather along with his traveling companion Yôken, Nankei composed a series of five rules for himself as a traveler: Do not ford a river on foot, do not eat strange foods, do not travel by night, do not travel by sea, and do not associate with low-class women.
After several experiences getting lost, or facing difficulties due to weather along with his traveling companion Yôken, Nankei composed a series of five rules for himself as a traveler: Do not ford a river on foot, do not eat strange foods, do not travel by night, do not travel by sea, and do not associate with low-class women.
===Return===
Nankei's ''[[Saiyuki (Nankei)|Saiyûki]]'' ("Journey to the West") and ''[[Toyuki (Nankei)|Tôyûki]]'' ("Journey to the East"), accounts of the two journeys, were both published, in five volumes each, in 1795, the former in the 3rd month, and the latter in the 8th month. Unlike many other prominent scholar travelers of his time, who wrote for more private purposes, Nankei wrote with the intention of publishing. Several artists contributed to the illustrations of the ''Tôyûki'', chief among them [[Maruyama Okyo|Maruyama Ôkyo]], head of the [[Maruyama school]], his student [[Maruyama Ozui|Maruyama Ôzui]], and the [[Eccentric painter]] [[Nagasawa Rosetsu]].
Nankei had by this time gained some prominence; he was appointed an Imperial physician in [[1786]]/12, was granted the [[court ranks|court rank]] of Lower Senior Seventh Rank 正七位下 in [[1787]]/2, and was named [[Iwami province|Iwami]]-no-suke the following month (1787/3). In the 11th month of that same year, he was also invited to [[Emperor Kokaku|Emperor Kôkaku]]'s investiture ceremony. In addition to writing numerous books on medicine, Nankei also compiled a volume on Chinese poetry, and one on Japanese poetry. In [[1796]], he was called to official service, and took the tonsure shortly afterwards, continuing to write and to study medicine. Sequels to his ''Tôyûki'' and ''Saiyûki'' were published in [[1797]]/1 and [[1798]]/6 respectively. His travel writings are organized more thematically, rather than in a geographically chronological order. He does not focus on the narrative of his own travels so much as on the surprising and strange things he saw or found, and on ruminations about them. Despite being a physician and herbalist, he shows far less skepticism, or rational empiricism, than certain other travel writers (e.g. [[Furukawa Koshoken|Furukawa Koshôken]]) when presented with local legends and other fantastic stories.
He was promoted to the court rank Lower Junior Sixth Rank 従六位下 in [[1794]]. In [[1788]], Nankei lost his house in a fire which destroyed much of Kyoto. As a result, he moved briefly to Fushimi, and during that time, returned to his hometown in Hisai han for the first time in eighteen years. He returned to Kyoto in [[1790]], having had a new house built, but maintained his second home in Fushimi.
He had a son the following year, naming him Harutoku<!--春徳--> (the child's other names included Hôkei and Tôsen<!--芳谿・桃仙-->). This was not his first child; Nankei already had at least one daughter by this time.
Nankei had by this time gained some prominence; he was appointed an Imperial physician in [[1786]] and granted the title of [[Iwami province|Iwami]]-no-suke, and was invited to [[Emperor Kokaku|Emperor Kôkaku]]'s investiture ceremony the following year. In addition to writing numerous books on medicine, Nankei also compiled a volume on Chinese poetry, and one on Japanese poetry. In [[1796]], he was called to official service, and took the tonsure shortly afterwards, continuing to write and to study medicine. Sequels to his ''Saiyûki'' and ''Tôyûki'' were published in 1796 and 1797 respectively. His travel writings are organized more thematically, rather than in a geographically chronological order. He does not focus on the narrative of his own travels so much as on the surprising and strange things he saw or found, and on ruminations about them. Despite being a physician and herbalist, he shows far less skepticism, or rational empiricism, than certain other travel writers (e.g. [[Furukawa Koshoken|Furukawa Koshôken]]) when presented with local legends and other fantastic stories.
Nankei took the [[tonsure]] on [[1796]]/5/11, adopting the Buddhist name Baisen<!--梅仙-->, turning to devoting more time to practicing, and writing about, medicine. The following year, he traveled briefly in southern [[Kii province]].
Nankei retired to [[Fushimi]] at the age of 50, and died two years later, in [[1805]].
Nankei fell ill and retired to [[Fushimi]] in [[1799]], at the age 47. He died on [[1805]]/4/10, and is buried at [[Konkaikomyo-ji|Konkaikômyô-ji]] in eastern Kyoto; a number of his writings were published posthumously.
==References==
==References==
