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 very important Japanese scholar. He lived during the Edo period (1603-1868). He is known for his studies of ancient Japanese culture, called Kokugaku. Many people consider him one of the four greatest scholars of this field.
Contents
Motoori Norinaga's Early Life and Studies
Motoori Norinaga was born in 1730 in a place now called Matsusaka. His family had a long history as samurai, who were like knights. However, they later became cotton merchants. They even had a shop in the big city of Edo (now Tokyo).
Norinaga was not very good at business. When his older brother passed away, Norinaga was supposed to take over the family business. But he preferred books and learning.
Becoming a Doctor and Scholar
When Norinaga was 22, his mother suggested he study medicine in Kyoto. While there, he also learned about Chinese and Japanese languages and texts. This is called philology. He became very interested in old Japanese stories and poems.
He was inspired by other scholars like Ogyū Sorai and Keichū. They helped him decide to study Kokugaku. This field focused on understanding ancient Japanese writings. Many old texts were hard to understand back then because the language had changed.
After his studies, Norinaga returned to Matsusaka. He became a doctor for children. In his free time, he taught about famous Japanese stories like The Tale of Genji. He also studied the Nihon Shoki, which are the ancient chronicles of Japan.
Meeting Kamo no Mabuchi
When Norinaga was 27, he started reading books by another famous scholar, Kamo no Mabuchi. This made him even more dedicated to his Kokugaku research. He even changed his family name back to Motoori, his ancestral samurai name.
In 1763, Norinaga finally met Mabuchi in Matsusaka. This meeting is famous in history. Norinaga asked Mabuchi for help with his studies of the Kojiki. The Kojiki is a very old book of Japanese myths and history. Mabuchi told him to first study the Man'yōshū, an ancient collection of poems. This would help Norinaga understand old Japanese writing styles.
They only met once, but they wrote many letters to each other. Mabuchi encouraged Norinaga to continue his deep research into the Kojiki. Norinaga had many students who followed his teachings. He worked as a doctor for 40 years, even until just before he passed away in 1801.
Motoori Norinaga's Important Works and Ideas
Norinaga's most famous work is the Kojiki-den. This means "Commentaries on the Kojiki". He spent about 35 years writing it! He also wrote important notes on The Tale of Genji.
Understanding Ancient Japan
Norinaga used his Kokugaku methods to study these old texts. He believed the Kojiki was the oldest Japanese book still existing. He used it to understand ancient Japanese religion and laws. His ideas later helped shape the concept of State Shinto, which was a national religion.
Norinaga thought that ancient Japan had a natural way of feeling and thinking. He believed that ideas from China, like Confucianism, sometimes went against these natural Japanese feelings. In one of his books, he said that Japanese poetry, called Waka, showed the true and simple nature of the Japanese "heart." He thought Chinese poets had "artificially clever hearts."
He also criticized another scholar, Ogyū Sorai, for valuing Chinese culture too much. However, Norinaga actually used some of Sorai's methods for studying texts. Norinaga was also influenced by a Chinese thinker named Wang Yangming. Wang Yangming believed people had an "innate knowing" – a natural ability to tell right from wrong without needing to be taught.
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.
The Tale of Genji and Japanese Feelings
Before Norinaga, many scholars preferred the strong, masculine poems of the Man'yōshū. They didn't like The Tale of Genji as much, thinking it was too feminine. But Norinaga brought The Tale of Genji back into favor.
He saw it as a perfect example of mono no aware. This is a special Japanese feeling of "sadness at things passing away." Norinaga believed this feeling was at the heart of Japanese literature. He also talked about magokoro, which means a "true heart." He thought ancient Japanese literature showed this true heart best.
Norinaga also made big contributions to Japanese grammar. He studied how small words and parts of words work in Japanese. He even discovered a rule about how sounds change in Japanese words, now called Lyman's Law. He found this rule about 100 years before it was officially named after Benjamin Smith Lyman!
Important Dates in Motoori Norinaga's Life
- 1730 – Born as the second son in his family.
- 1737 – At age seven, he could already read and write.
- 1741 – By age 11, he was reciting traditional Japanese plays and reading important Chinese books.
- 1743 – At 13, he visited the famous shrine of Yoshino.
- 1746 – At 16, he practiced archery.
- 1748 – At 18, he learned the Japanese tea ceremony.
- 1749 – At 19, he continued advanced studies of Chinese philosophy.
- 1752 – He moved to Kyoto to study medicine.
- 1752–1757 – During these years, he was very productive. He wrote 2000 poems and 40 books, and copied 15 others.
- 1757 – He read Kamo no Mabuchi's first book. Because he needed money, he returned home to open a medical practice.
- 1760 – He had an arranged marriage with Murata Mika, but they divorced after only three months.
- 1762 – He married Kusubuka Tami. Their son, Haruniwa, was born a year later.
- 1763 – He met Kamo no Mabuchi, who advised him to study the Nihonshoki and the Man'yōshū.
- 1764–1771 – He deeply studied the Kojiki and began to share his teachings with others.
- 1799 – Motoori Ōhira became his adopted son.
- 1801 – He passed away.
Motoori Norinaga's Former Home
Motoori Norinaga's old house, called the Motoori Norinaga kyu-taku (本居宣長旧宅), was built in 1691. His grandfather built it as a quiet place to live after retiring. It was originally in a different part of Matsusaka.
When Norinaga was 11, his father passed away. The family business started to struggle. The next year, Norinaga and his mother, brother, and sisters had to move into this smaller house. Norinaga lived here for most of his life, from age 12 until he died at 72. The only time he left was for seven years when he studied medicine in Kyoto.
Norinaga eventually took over the family name but stopped the business. He used the house as his doctor's office. At the same time, he worked on his studies of Japanese classical literature, including his famous Kojikiden.
The Suzunoya Study
When Norinaga was 53, he changed the storeroom on the second floor into a new study. He hung a bell (suzu) on a pillar in his study. Because of this, he named his study "Suzunoya," which means "Bell Room."
His family continued to live in the house for many years. Later, the Japanese government recognized how important Norinaga's work was. People wanted to save his house. So, in 1909, the house was moved to the grounds of Matsusaka Castle. Great care was taken to make sure the inside looked just as 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 now open to visitors 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. The museum also has many important historical items, though only a few are shown at a time.
Motoori Norinaga's Graves
After Motoori Norinaga passed away in 1801, he was buried on top of Mount Yamamuro in Matsusaka. He had given very specific instructions for his grave. He wanted it to overlook Matsusaka town and even Mount Fuji in the distance. He had even planted cherry blossom trees there himself. His tomb has a poem from the Man'yōshū carved on it.
The area around his grave has changed a lot since then. A Shinto shrine was built nearby in 1875. Next to his tomb, there is also a memorial for his teachers, Hirata Atsutane and Uematsu Arinobu. In 1936, this tomb and its surroundings were named a National Historic Site. The grave was updated in 1999.
Motoori Norinaga also has a second tomb. It is in the Motoori family cemetery at Jukyō-ji temple in downtown Matsusaka. This tomb, along with his son Motoori Harunaga's tomb, was also named a National Historic Site in 1936.
See also
- 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
