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Paper short abstract

This presentation focuses on the cosmic diagrams depicted in two movements that emerged during Edo period. One was Buddhist calendar movement, and the other was Kokugaku movement. Both movements created cosmic diagrams which were based on Western astronomy introduced by Jesuit missionaries.

Paper long abstract

From the late 18th century through the 19th century, new cosmologies emerged and spread by two movements throughout Japanese society. One was the Buddhist calendar movement, spearheaded by the Tendai sect monk Entsū, which attempted to revive the theory of Mount Sumeru. The other was Kokugaku movement which created cosmic diagram by Hattori Nakatsune and Motoori Norinaga. Both Entsū and Hattori were inspired by You Yi's Tianjing huowen, an introductory text on Western astronomy, to create new cosmologies. Jesuit missionaries brought tools like world maps, globes, and telescopes to China and Japen, but also Aristotelian solar system diagrams and natural philosophy, utilizing them for missionary work. Yu Yi was not a Christian but rather held Confucian views; nevertheless, he became an introducer of Western astronomy brought by the Jesuit missionaries. Tianjing huowen illustrated the solar system, a spherical Earth, and the mechanisms of solar and lunar eclipses, and it was widely read in Japan. Interestingly, while there is little evidence that Tianjing huowen was widely read in China, it became a bestseller in Japan.

Entsū, however, reacted against Western astronomy, asserting that the Mount Sumeru theory represented the authentic cosmos and advocating for the revival of the Buddhist calendar. Entsū's Buddhist calendar movement gained supporters across sectarian lines within the Buddhist community. Meanwhile, Hattori, a disciple of Motoori, illustrated the birth processes of the sun, moon, and earth based on Kojiki Den. This earned him Motoori's praise, and Norinaga incorporated Hattori's diagrams into Kojiki Den. But among Motoori's disciples, a serious controversy erupted over Hattori's diagrams.

The Buddhist calendar movement and Kokugaku movement have often been treated as unrelated and contradictory ideologies, yet they shared a common foundation in expressing their cosmologies through geometric models. Entsū sought to return Buddhism to its Indian roots by illustrating the Mount Sumeru theory, while Norinaga and Hattori attempted to unravel the secrets of cosmic creation using Kojiki, aiming to return to the utopian prehistoric Japan.