Gyokuzan Akiyama

Japanese: 秋山玉山 - あきやま・ぎょくざん

Year of death: December 12, 1764 (January 14, 1764)
Year of birth: June 29, 15th year of the Genroku era (July 23, 1702)
A Chinese scholar from the mid-Edo period. Born in Tsurusaki, Bungo (Oita City). His given name was Gi, Sadamasa, his pen name was Koba, and he was commonly known as Giemon. He was also known as Gyokuzan and Seika. He was the second son of Nakayama Sadakatsu, a samurai of the Kumamoto domain. At a young age, he was adopted by his uncle, Akiyama Noboru, a physician of the Kumamoto domain. He studied Confucianism under Mizutari Byozan, and is said to have also been fond of Zen. In 1723 (Kyoho 8), at the age of 22, his academic talent was recognized and he gave up medicine and became a servant to the sixth feudal lord, Hosokawa Nobuyuki. The following year, he went to Edo and studied under Hayashi Houko. While his studies were centered on Neo-Confucianism, he was not bound to any one school of thought, and instead actively incorporated the Sorai school of thought that was popular at the time, creating a free style of learning. When the feudal lord died in 1717, he followed the coffin back to Japan. He became an academic instructor for the domain, serving closely under the 7th lord Munetaka and the 8th lord Shigekata, and always accompanied them when they made alternate attendance trips to Edo. He had a particularly strong bond with Shigekata, who was renowned as a wise ruler, and played a major role in reforming the domain's government. A major initiative was the opening of the domain school Jishukan in 1755 (the 5th year of the Horeki era), ahead of other domains, and the school regulations selected by Gyokuzan, the Jishukan School Rules, later became the standard for other domain schools. After he became a professor at the domain school, his students produced many talented scholars. He was also highly renowned for his poetry and prose, having close ties with Hattori Nankaku and Takano Rantei, and his writing about climbing Mount Fuji, "Fugaku-ki," became widely known. He was also well versed in calligraphy and painting. <Works> "Collection of Poems by Gyokuzan Sensei"

(Masahiko Takahashi)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：宝暦13.12.12(1764.1.14)
生年：元禄15.6.29(1702.7.23)
江戸時代中期の漢学者。豊後鶴崎(大分市)の人。名は儀,定政,字は子羽,通称は儀右衛門。玉山,青柯と号す。熊本藩士中山定勝の次男。幼くして叔父であった熊本藩医秋山需庵の養子となる。水足屏山に儒学を学び,また禅学をも好んだという。享保8(1723)年22歳のとき,その学才を認められて医を廃し,6代藩主細川宣紀の中小姓となる。翌年江戸に上り,林鳳岡に師事。その学は朱子学を中心に据えながらも,一派に拘泥することなく,当時盛んに行われていた徂徠学を積極的に取り入れるなど,自由な学風を作り出していった。17年,藩主が亡くなるとその柩に従って帰国。藩の学問指南役となり,7代宗孝,8代重賢の側近くに仕え,参勤交代の折には必ず供となった。特に明君として名高い重賢との絆は強く,藩政改革において大きな役割を果たした。宝暦5(1755)年,他藩にさきがけての藩校時習館の開設は,その主たるもので,玉山の選した学則「時習館学規」は,のちに各藩校の規範となった。藩校教授となってからは,その門より多く逸材が輩出した。また詩文の名声も高く,服部南郭や高野蘭亭などと深く交わり,富士登山を記した文「富岳記」は人々の広く知るところとなった。さらには書画にも精通していた。<著作>『玉山先生詩集』

(高橋昌彦)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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