Morishima Churyo

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A page from Morishima's Ryûkyû-dan, published 1790
  • Born: 1754
  • Died: 1808/12/4
  • Other Names: 森羅万象 (Shinra Banshou, Banzou, Manzou), 桂川甫粲 (Katsuragawa Hosan), 竹杖為軽 (Takezue Nosugaru), Tsukiji Zenkô
  • Japanese: 森島中良 (Morishima Chuuryou)

Morishima Chûryô was a prominent writer and Rangaku scholar of the late 18th century, known as the writer of numerous popularly-published books on foreign cultures, as well as for his gesaku and kyôka.

He was born into a samurai family in Edo, the second son of Katsuragawa Hochiku (aka Kuninori). He studied the writing of gesaku (humorous literature) under Hiraga Gennai, and published a number of gesaku, sharebon, and kibyôshi under his given name, Katsuragawa Hosan, or under the pseudonym Shinra Banshô[1]. He became known as a kyôka poet as well, under the poetry name Takezue Nosugaru, employing the names Morishima Chûryô and Tsukiji Zenkô[2] in writing and publishing his Rangaku works. Some of his most significant Rangaku publications include Kômô zatsuwa ("European Miscellany") published in 1787, Ryûkyû-dan (or Ryûkyû-banashi, "Ryûkyû Conversation") in 1790, and Bango-sen, a Japanese-Dutch dictionary, in 1798.

Morishima's elder brother, Katsuragawa Hoshû (aka Kuniakira), served for a time as court physician to the Tokugawa shogun.

References

  • Timon Screech, Obtaining Images, University of Hawaii Press (2012), 319.
  • "Katsuragawa Hosan," Digital-ban Nihon jinmei daijiten デジタル版 日本人名大辞典, Kodansha, 2009.
  • "Shinra Banshô," Daijirin 大辞林, Sanseido Ltd.
  1. Alternate readings of these characters include Shinra Banzô or Shinra Manzô.
  2. Screech, 195.