Zensai Ota

A scholar of Chinese classics and phonology in the late Edo period. His given name was Ho, and his pen name was Shukuki. He was born into a family of samurai of the Fukuyama domain, and later rose to the position of a senior official in the domain. He had a deep knowledge of Chinese classics, and left behind several works, such as "Han Feizi," "Mozi," and "Lüshi Chunqiu," but his influence on later generations was mainly due to his work on phonology. His main work, "Han Wu Yin Tu," and its supplements, "Yin Zheng Fujin," "Tong Qiao Yin Tu," and "Yin Tu Kugi," are particularly well known. He is also known as the author of "Genen," a collection of slang from the Edo period, and its revised edition, "Rigen Shuran."

[Katsuaki Numamoto October 19, 2018]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸後期の漢学者、音韻学者。名は方(ほう)、字(あざな)は叔亀(しゅくき)。代々の福山藩士の家に生まれ、のちに同藩御年寄役にまで進む。『韓非子(かんぴし)』『墨子(ぼくし)』『呂氏春秋(りょししゅんじゅう)』など漢学関係にも造詣(ぞうけい)が深く、数種の著述を残しているが、後世に与えた影響はおもに音韻学に関する業績によるもので、主著『漢呉音図(かんごおんず)』およびその補説『音徴不尽(おんちょうふじ)』『同窠(どうか)音図』『音図口義(くぎ)』はとくに著名である。また、江戸時代の俗語類を集成した『諺苑(げんえん)』およびその改編本『俚言集覧(りげんしゅうらん)』の著者としても知られている。

［沼本克明　2018年10月19日］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例