was a Japanese '' kokugaku'' scholar, '' kyōka'' poet and writer of '' yomihon'' of the late Edo period.

Biography

Ishikawa Masamochi was born Nukaya Shichihē. According to the autobiographical ''Rokujuen Jihitsu Kirekiroku'' (六樹園自筆忌歴録), he was born on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month of Hōreki 3 according to the traditional Japanese calendar (1753/4 in the Gregorian calendar). He was the eighth child of the ,

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

innkeeper Nukaya Shichihē, better known as the '' ukiyo-e'' master

Ishikawa Toyonobu was a Japanese ''ukiyo-e'' print artist. He is sometimes said to have been the same person as Nishimura Shigenobu, a contemporary ''ukiyo-e'' artist and student of Nishimura Shigenaga about whom very little is known. A pupil of Nishimura Shig ...

. His mother was Toyonobu's second wife, the younger sister of his first wife. According to Masamochi's autobiographical ''Towazu-gatari'' (とはずがたり), all of the children of his father's first wife died young. He died on the 24th day of the third month of Bunsei 13 (1830). He was buried in the Kaya-dera (かや寺, official name 正覚寺 ''Shōkaku-ji'') in Asakusa. His grave still exists, but the grave marker was destroyed in a fire.

Names

Masamochi's real birth name was ''Nukaya Shichihē'' (糠谷七兵衛). In his childhood he was known by the name ''Kiyonosuke'' (清之助). He changed his name to ''Ishikawa Gorobē'' (石川五郎兵衛) at one point. His courtesy name was ''Shisō'' (子相). His '' kyōmei'' (狂名, '' kyōka'' pen name) was ''Yadoya Meshimori'' (宿屋飯盛), a reference to his family business as innkeepers (宿屋 ''yadoya''). He used numerous art names, including ''Rokujuen'' (六樹園), ''Gorō Sannin'' (五老山人), ''Gyakuryo Shujin'' (逆旅主人) and ''Gajutsusai'' (蛾術斎). His posthumous dharma name is ''Rokuju-in Daiyo Gorō Kyoshi'' (六樹院台誉五老居士).

Writings

Scholarly works

Perhaps because of his father's connections in the world of art and culture, Masamochi first began his Japanese studies under and Chinese studies ('' kangaku'') under Furuya Sekiyō (古屋昔陽). As a '' kokugaku'' scholar, his main research interest was '' The Tale of Genji'', on which he regularly lectured. These lectures formed the basis of his commentary, ''

Genchū Yoteki ''Genchū Yoteki'' (源註余摘) is a commentary on '' The Tale of Genji'' by the Edo period ''kokugaku'' scholar Ishikawa Masamochi. It criticizes earlier Edo commentaries by Keichū and others, based on Masamochi's original linguistic scholarsh ...

'', and his ''gago'' (雅語, "elegant language") dictionary '' Gagen Shūran'' (雅言集覧).

Poetry

He first took up ''kyōka'' composition under , but in 1783 became a disciple of

Yomo no Akara Jose Alberto Torres Abreu (born June 17, 1980 in Chicago), known professionally as Yomo, is an American reggaeton singer of Puerto Rican descent. He was raised in Humacao. Before becoming a professional artist, he used to work as a handyman o ...

. The same year, his ''kyōka'' appeared in ''Kyōka-shi Saiken'' (狂歌師細見; ed. ) as those of a disciple of Fuguri Tsurikata (普栗釣方), and in ''Kyōka Shittariburi'' (狂歌知足振) as those of a disciple of Yomo no Akara.

References

Works cited

External link

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ishikawa Masamochi Kokugaku scholars Kyōka poets Yomihon writers 1754 births 1830 deaths