Arai Hakuseki

Hakuseki Arai (Japanese新 井 白石, Arai Hakuseki; * March 24, 1657 in Edo, † June 29, 1725 ibid ) was neokonfuzianischer scholar, economist, writer and advisor to the Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu. Hakuseki was a pseudonym, the real first name was Kimiyoshi (君 美) or in a respectful reading Kinmi. He is known mainly because he postulated a law in his writings, know the economists under the name of quality theory of money or Gresham's law. He also wrote books on Shinto ( Koshitsu, Koshitsu wakumon and TOGA ) and historical and geographical works. He also left numerous poems in chinese style.

Life

Hakusekis father was Masazumi Arai (新 井 正 済) of the domain Kururi was in the service of the royal house Tsuchiya. Hakuseki showed as a child an alert mind, according to legend, he is said to have copied a Confucian work one character at the age of three years. Because he in one of the largest fires in the Edo period ( " Meireki - Conflagration " Meireki no taika明暦 の 大火) was born, and because his eyebrows to the character火( hi, fire) moved in together when he was angry, gave him the prince Toshinao Tsuchiya, who relished in him the nickname Hi -no- ko (火 の 子, " Firestarter "). After Toshinaos death it went with the house Tsuchiya downhill. The deranged son and successor, Naoki Tsuchiya lost the fief, the castle was even destroyed. The unbound Hakuseki so had to find a new master. Finally, he entered the service of Hotta Masatoshi, who held the highest position in the Imperial Council of the Shogun as Regent ( Taïro ). However, after a stop in 1684 Masatoshi Inaba Masayasu his cousin fell victim to the fief was transferred and the house Hotta lost influence, Hakuseki had to adjust his life new once more. Finally he took in 1686 the study of Confucianism under the renowned scholar Kinoshita Anzhen ( 1621-1699 ) on. Here he learned some illustrious heads as Amenomori Hoshu know who had a great career ahead of him.

1693 he joined the domain Kōfu, Tsunatoyo Tokugawa ( 1662-1712 ) in the service of the princes ( daimyo ). Tsunatoyo was a grandson of Iemitsu, the third Shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. When the Shogun Tsunayoshi died childless in 1709, the 48 -year-old Tsunatoyo succeeded him and reigned under the name Ienobu. During the few years before his death he expressed powerful supporters of his predecessor from office and began to reform the financial system and foreign trade with the help of Arai Hakuseki and Manabe Akifusa. This policy was continued by the two under the sole surviving son and successor Ietsugu, who took office as a four year old and died the age of seven. In particular, it was necessary to get the public finances under control. An analysis of the trading books showed that in foreign trade abflossen 75 % of the gold and 25 % silver, which destabilized their own currency because of the lack of coverage. By " New regulations for overseas trade " ( Kaihaku Goshi Shinrei ,海 舶 互市 新 例) the annual number of vessels calling at Nagasaki Chinese and Dutch ships as well as the volume of trade was limited. In addition, the imported goods were paid as possible with Japanese products, such as silk, porcelain and dried seafood. Nagasaki was under direct control of the government. The over the provinces of Tsushima and Satsuma ongoing trade with Korea and the Ryukyu Kingdom (today Okinawa Prefecture ) was operated largely independent of the local royal families. Because here essential goods such as ginseng came to the land, the payment in silver also was inevitable, Arai quickly encountered resistance and the central government to the limits of their ability to control. Protests from Tsushima there was also, as the costly ceremony for the embassy has been simplified, which sent every time the Korean Joseon Dynasty to Edo when a new Shogun began his reign.

In 1709 he interviewed with the help of the talented interpreter Imamura Gen'emon Eisei (see Engelbert Kaempfer ) the illegal immigrants Jesuit Giovanni Battista Sidotti and built him a relationship of trust, which he received much information. On this basis, in 1715 compiled font Seiyo Kibun are in the first part of Arai's talks with Siddotti again. The second part is dedicated to the five continents, the third Catholicism. A second, arising about 1713 text describes under the title Sairan Igen geography, history, customs and living creatures in the world.

After Ietsugu death, he gave up his post at court and devoted himself entirely to writing. When he died in 1725 he was first in Hoon Temple ( Hoon -ji ,报恩寺) in Asakusa (now Taitō -ku, Tokyo) buried, the grave but later in the Kōtoku Temple ( Kōtoku -ji ,高 徳 寺) ( Nakano, Tokyo ) installed.

Works (selection)

• Hankanfu (藩 翰 谱) - Family trees of different princes ( daimyo )
• Koshitsu (古史 通) - A work on the ancient Japanese
• Oritaku Shiba -no- ki (折り たく 柴 の 記) - memoirs. English Translation: Joyce Akroyd, Told round a brushwood fire: The autobiography of Arai Hakuseki. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1979.
• Sairan igon (采 覧 异言) - A five-volume description of many regions of the world (geography, history, customs, wildlife, etc.)
• Seiyō Kibun (西洋 记 闻) - A three-part description of Europe
• Tokushi Yoron (読 史 余 论) - a work of history. Annotated English translation: Ackroyd, Joyce, Lessons from History. The Tokushi Yoron by Arai Hakuseki. St. Lucia: University of Queensland, 1982