Motoori Norinaga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Motoori Norinaga
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Self-portrait by Motoori
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| Born | 21 June 1730 |
| Died | November 5, 1801 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Other names | 本居 宣長 |
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Notable work
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Kojiki-den |
| Era | Edo period |
| Region | Eastern philosophy
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Main interests
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Japanese literature, grammar |
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Notable ideas
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Lyman's Law |
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Influences
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Motoori Norinaga (本居 宣長, 21 June 1730 – 5 November 1801) was a famous Japanese scholar who lived during the Edo period. He is known as one of the "Four Great Men of Kokugaku." Kokugaku was a special way of studying ancient Japanese language and culture.
Contents
Motoori Norinaga's Early Life
Motoori Norinaga was born in a place called Matsusaka, which is now part of Mie Prefecture. His family had been samurai (Japanese warriors) for many years. However, during the early Edo period, they stopped being samurai. They changed their family name to Ozu and became cotton sellers in Matsusaka.
His family was successful at first, even having a shop in Edo (which is now Tokyo). After his older brother passed away, Norinaga became the head of the Ozu family. For a short time, he was adopted by a family who made paper. But Norinaga loved books more than business.
Studying in Kyoto
When Norinaga was 22, his mother suggested he go to Kyoto to study medicine. While in Kyoto, he also studied Chinese and Japanese languages. He learned from a teacher named Hori Keizan, who followed a philosophy called Confucianism.
During this time, Norinaga became very interested in old Japanese stories and writings. He decided to study kokugaku, which focused on understanding Japan's own culture and history. Old Japanese texts were hard to understand back then because the language had changed a lot. Studying in Kyoto also made Norinaga love the traditional Japanese court culture.
Becoming a Doctor and Scholar
After his studies, Norinaga returned to Matsusaka. He became a doctor, mainly treating babies. In his free time, he gave talks about The Tale of Genji and studied the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan).
When he was 27, he bought books by another famous scholar, Kamo no Mabuchi. This made him start his own deep research into Kokugaku. As a doctor, he started using his family's old samurai name, Motoori.
Meeting Kamo no Mabuchi
In 1763, Norinaga finally met Kamo no Mabuchi in Matsusaka. This meeting is famous in history. Norinaga asked Mabuchi to help him with his notes on the Kojiki ("Records of Ancient Matters"). Mabuchi told him to first work on the Man'yōshū to get used to old Japanese writing.
This was the only time the two scholars met in person. But they kept writing letters to each other. With Mabuchi's encouragement, Norinaga continued his important research on the Kojiki. Even though his studies were very important, Norinaga worked as a doctor for 40 years. He saw patients until just ten days before he passed away in 1801.
Motoori Norinaga's Important Works
Norinaga's most important work is the Kojiki-den (Commentaries on the Kojiki). He spent about 35 years writing it. He also wrote important notes on The Tale of Genji.
Norinaga believed the Kojiki was the oldest Japanese text still existing. He used this idea to develop thoughts about ancient Japanese religion and laws. These ideas later helped shape what is known as State Shinto.
Japanese Feelings and Literature
Norinaga thought that ancient Japan's culture was about natural feelings and spirit. He felt that Confucianism, which came from China, went against these natural feelings. He also criticized another scholar, Ogyū Sorai, for valuing Chinese culture too much.
Norinaga believed that the Tale of Genji was a great example of a special Japanese feeling called mono no aware. This means a gentle sadness about things not lasting forever. He said this feeling was at the heart of Japanese literature. He also spoke about magokoro, which means a "true heart" or "sincere heart." He believed ancient Japanese literature showed this true heart best.
敷島の大和心を人問はば，朝日に匂ふ山桜花。
If someone asks you about the spirit of a true Japanese, point to the wild cherry blossom shining in the morning sun.
Contributions to Japanese Grammar
While studying old Japanese texts, Norinaga also made big contributions to understanding Japanese grammar. He especially looked at small words like particles and auxiliary verbs. During his research, he discovered a language rule called Lyman's Law. This was about how sounds change in Japanese words. He found this rule about 100 years before it was officially named after Benjamin Smith Lyman.
Key Dates in Motoori Norinaga's Life
- 1730 - Born as the second son.
- 1752 - Went to Kyoto to study medicine.
- 1757 - Read Kamo no Mabuchi's first book.
- 1760 - Married Murata Mika, but they divorced after 3 months.
- 1762 - Married Kusubuka Tami. Their son Haruniwa was born a year later.
- 1763 - Met Kamo no Mabuchi.
- 1764–1771 - Studied the Kojiki and began sharing his ideas.
- 1799 - Motoori Ōhira became his adopted son.
- 1801 - Passed away.
Motoori Norinaga's Former Home
Motoori Norinaga's old house, called Motoori Norinaga kyu-taku (本居宣長旧宅), was built in 1691 by his grandfather. It was a quiet place for his grandfather to retire. The house was originally in a different part of Matsusaka. In 1909, it was moved to where it is now, inside the grounds of Matsusaka Castle. Norinaga lived in this house from when he was 12 until he died at 72.
When Norinaga was 11, his father passed away. His family's business started to struggle. The next year, Norinaga had to move to this house with his mother, younger brother, and two younger sisters. He lived there for the rest of his life, except for seven years when he studied medicine in Kyoto.
After his brother-in-law died, Norinaga took over the family. But he stopped the business and worked as a town doctor from this house. He also used the house to study Japanese classical literature and write his famous "Kojikiden." When Norinaga was 53, he changed the storeroom on the second floor into a new study. He hung a bell (suzu) in his study and named it "Suzunoya" (House of the Bell).
His family continued to live in the house until the Meiji period. As Norinaga's writings became more important to the new government, people wanted to save his house. In 1909, it was moved to Matsusaka Castle. Efforts have been made to keep the inside looking just like it did when Norinaga lived there. In 1953, the house and its original location were named a Special National Monument.
Part of the building is open to the public as the Motoori Norinaga Commemorative Museum (本居宣長記念館, Motoori Norinaga kinenkan). You can see some of his original writings in his study on the second floor. The museum has many important items, but only a few are shown at a time.
Motoori Norinaga's Grave
After Motoori Norinaga died, he was buried on top of Mount Yamamuro in Matsusaka. His grave was placed so it could look over the town, the hills of Mikawa, and even Mount Fuji far away across Ise Bay. A poem from the Man'yōshū is written on his grave.
Norinaga had given detailed instructions for his burial in his will. He had even visited the spot before he died to plant cherry trees and design his tomb. However, the area around his grave has changed a lot since then, especially with the building of the Yamamuroyama Jinja Shinto shrine in 1875. Next to his tomb is a memorial for his teachers, Hirata Atsutane and Uematsu Arinobu. This grave site was named a National Historic Site in 1936. The grave was also fixed up in 1999.
Motoori Norinaga has a second tomb at his family's cemetery in the Jukyō-ji temple in downtown Matsusaka. This tomb, along with his son Motoori Harunaga's tomb, was also named a separate National Historic Site in 1936.
See also
In Spanish: Motoori Norinaga para niños
- Kamo no Mabuchi
- Kokugaku
- Japanese poetry
- Japanese nationalism
- Hagiwara Hiromichi
- List of Historic Sites of Japan (Mie)
- Magokoro
- Mono no aware
- Motoori Ōhira
- Motoori Haruniwa
