Sorai Ogyu | Brief Biography
Sorai Ogyu | Brief Biography
Sorai Ogyu (1666-1728) was a prominent Japanese thinker, scholar, and writer of the Edo period. He is considered one of the most important figures in the development of the Nativism (kokugaku) movement in Japan, and his ideas have had a lasting impact on Japanese culture and intellectual life.
Ogyu was born in 1666 in the Edo (modern-day Tokyo) area, the son of a lower-ranking samurai. Despite his relatively humble origins, he showed a talent for learning from a young age, and he went on to study a wide range of subjects, including classical Chinese literature, Confucianism, and Japanese classical literature.
In his early twenties, Sorai Ogyu became a disciple of the Confucian scholar Kinoshita Jun’an, who was one of the leading intellectuals of the time. Under Jun’an’s tutelage, Ogyu developed a deep appreciation for Confucian thought, and he went on to become one of the leading Confucian scholars of his era.
However, despite his admiration for Confucianism, Sorai Ogyu also became interested in the Nativism movement, which was emerging in Japan at the time. Nativism sought to reclaim Japan’s cultural and intellectual heritage, which was thought to have been lost due to centuries of cultural and political domination by China. Sorai Ogyu saw in Nativism an opportunity to rediscover and reinvigorate Japan’s own unique traditions and values, and he began to write and speak on the subject.
Ogyu’s ideas and writings had a profound impact on Japanese intellectual life. He was a major figure in the Nativism movement, and his works helped to shape the movement’s philosophy and goals. In particular, Ogyu is remembered for his ideas about the importance of Japan’s own classical literature and traditions, and for his belief in the superiority of Japanese culture over Chinese culture.
In addition to his writings on Nativism, Ogyu is also remembered for his contributions to Confucian thought. He was one of the first scholars in Japan to write about Confucianism in the Japanese language, and his works helped to introduce Confucianism to a wider audience in Japan. He also wrote extensively on the subjects of ethics and government, and his ideas on these subjects had a lasting impact on Japanese political thought.
Ogyu died in 1728 at the age of 62, but his legacy lived on. His ideas and writings continued to be widely read and studied in Japan, and he is remembered today as one of the most important figures in the development of Japanese thought and culture.
In conclusion, Sorai Ogyu was a towering figure in Japanese intellectual history, and his ideas and writings continue to be of great interest and importance to scholars and students of Japanese culture and thought. His contributions to Nativism, Confucianism, and Japanese political thought have had a lasting impact on Japanese culture and society, and his legacy lives on to this day. 0 0 0.
N. B. This article originally belongs to the book, ‘Brief Biographies of Ancient Thinkers and Writers‘ by Menonim Menonimus.
Books of Biography by M. Menonimus:
- The World Writers-Brief Biographies
- Introduction to World Writers
- Introduction to World Personalities
- Love of Reputed Persons ..
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