Xu Guangqi - Jokkoukei

A Chinese scholar and politician at the end of the Ming Dynasty. He contributed to the spread of Christianity and Western science and technology. He was from Shanghai, and his pen name was Zixian, his title was Xuanhu, his posthumous name was Wending, and his Christian name was Paulo. In 1596, he was initiated into Christianity by the Jesuit Lazarus Cattaneo (1560-1640, Chinese name Guo Jujing) in Shaozhou, Canton Province. In 1597, he passed the local exam in Beijing with the highest score, but failed the exam the following year in 1598 and returned home. There, he was impressed by the world map drawn by Matteo Ricci, and in 1599, he met him in Nanjing. He also failed the Beijing examination in 1601, and visited Nanjing, but Ricci had already left for Beijing, and he was baptized by João da Rocha (1566-1623, Chinese name Luo Ruwang) instead (1603). He passed the examination in 1604 and was appointed a Shokitsushi of the Hanlin Academy (the Hanlin Academy is the office that handles imperial edicts from the Emperor. Shokitsushi is the official title of the Hanlin Academy for those who pass the civil service examination with excellent results). He lived near Ricci's residence and took notes on his lectures until he returned home in mourning in 1607, and translated geometry and surveying books together with Ricci and others, including "Surveying the Law of Measurement", "Quzixi", the first half of Euclid's "Geometry of the Elements", and others. In 1608 he welcomed Cattaneo to Shanghai and laid the foundations for what would later become Xujiahui Cathedral. He was unsuccessful in defending his faith during the persecution caused by Shen Mi in 1616, but in 1619, when the Ming forces were defeated by the Manchu forces, he petitioned for the need for military training and was appointed Shao Zhanshi (Deputy Minister in charge of general affairs to the Prince's Office) and Censor of Henan Province (a censor was a supervisor), and succeeded in having the missionaries who had been exiled to Macau recalled for the casting of Western cannons. In 1623, he became the Right Attorney of the Ministry of Rites (the Ministry of Rites is an office in charge of etiquette, rituals, and civil servant examinations. A Attorney is a vice minister), and after losing his job following impeachment by Wei Zhongxian and others, he returned to the Left Attorney of the Ministry of Rites and worked to promote agriculture, writing the Complete Book of Agricultural Policy (published in 1639). In 1630, he was promoted to Minister of Rites (Director), and in 1632 he also served as a member of the cabinet as a Grand Scholar of the Eastern Pavilion, and the following year, in 1633, he was given additional positions such as Prince Taibao (education officer) and Grand Scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, but died of illness that same year and was buried in Xujiahui in 1641. The area around his grave is now Xu Guangqi Memorial Park. Prior to this, from 1629, he worked with Adam Schall and Li Zhimo on a calendar reform based on Western astronomy, which was completed after his death as the Chongzhen Calendar and submitted by Li Tianjing (1579-1659). The calendar reform based on this calendar did not come to fruition during the Ming dynasty, but was reorganized and implemented during the Qing dynasty as the Shixian Calendar (New Western Calendar).

[Kazuhiko Miyajima, November 17, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、明(みん)朝末の学者、政治家。キリスト教および西洋科学技術の普及に貢献した。上海(シャンハイ)の人で、字(あざな)は子先、号は玄扈(げんこ)、諡(おくりな)は文定、キリスト教名は保禄(パウロ)。1596年広東(カントン)省韶州(しょうしゅう)でイエズス会士カッタネオLazarus Cattaneo（1560―1640。中国名は郭居静(かくきょせい)）からキリスト教の手ほどきを受け、1597年北京(ペキン)で郷試に首席で合格したが、翌1598年の会試に失敗、帰郷した。そこでマテオ・リッチの著した世界地図を見て感服、1599年南京(ナンキン)で面会した。1601年の北京での会試にも失敗し、南京を訪れたが、リッチは北京に去っており、かわりにダ・ローチャJoão da Rocha（1566―1623。中国名は羅如望）からキリスト教の洗礼を受けた（1603）。1604年会試に合格し翰林院(かんりんいん)庶吉士(しょきつし)（翰林院は天子の詔勅をつかさどる役所。庶吉士は官吏登用試験に優秀な成績で合格した者がなる翰林院の官名）に任ぜられた。1607年に喪に服して帰郷するまで、リッチの居宅近くに住んでその講義を筆受するとともに、『測量法義』『句股義(こうこぎ)』、ユークリッドの『幾何学原本』の前半その他、幾何学・測量学関係書をリッチらと共訳した。1608年カッタネオを上海に迎えて、のちの徐家匯(じょかわい)天主堂の基をつくり、1616年に沈漼(しんさい)が起こした教難では護教に成功しなかったが、1619年、明軍が満州軍に敗れると、練兵の必要を上申して少詹事(しょうせんじ)（太子官の庶務担当の次官）兼河南道御史(かなんどうぎょし)（御史は監督官）となり、西洋大礮(たいほう)（砲）鋳造のために、マカオに追放中の宣教師たちを召還させることに成功した。1623年礼部右侍郎（礼部は礼儀・祭祀(さいし)・官吏の試験などをつかさどる役所。侍郎は次官）となり、魏忠賢(ぎちゅうけん)らの弾劾で失職後、礼部左侍郎に復して農業の振興に努め、『農政全書』を撰(せん)した（1639年刊）。1630年礼部尚書（長官）に上り、1632年には内閣の一員たる東閣大学士を兼任、翌1633年太子大保（教育係）・文淵閣(ぶんえんかく)大学士などの職を加えられたが、その年に病没、1641年徐家匯に葬られた。現在、墓の一帯は徐光啓記念公園となっている。それより先、1629年よりアダム・シャールや李之藻(りしそう)らと西洋天文学による改暦に携わり、死後、『崇禎暦書(すうていれきしょ)』として完成、李天経(りてんけい)（1579―1659）により奏進された。この暦による改暦は明代には実現せず、清(しん)朝に至って『時憲暦(じけんれき)』（『西洋新法暦書』）として再編・施行された。

［宮島一彦　2017年11月17日］

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