Complete Calendar Book - Rekisanzensho

This book was published in 1723 by Kensaido in 76 volumes of 29 books compiled from 80 books on mathematics and calendar science written by Mei Wending, a Chinese calendar mathematician from the early Qing Dynasty. Wending became familiar with Western calendar science through Chinese translations of calendar mathematician books. Later, his grandson Mei Kokusei (1681-1763) revised the "Rekisan Zensho" and compiled the 62-volume "Bai Shi Sosho Shuyo". The "Rekisan Zensho" was imported to Japan in 1726 (Kyoho 11), and the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, ordered mathematician Takebe Katahiro to translate and revise it. Takebe's student Nakane Genkei added kunten and okurigana to the text, and Katahiro wrote a preface and presented it to the emperor. The introduction of this book led to the spread of Western mathematics, including trigonometry, in Japan, and made a great contribution to Japanese calendar mathematics.

[Toshio Watanabe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、清(しん)朝初期の暦算学者梅文鼎(ばいぶんてい)の数学・暦学に関する80種に及ぶ著書のうち、29種76巻を集録して、1723年兼済堂で刊。文鼎は漢訳の暦算書を通じ西洋の暦算学に精通した。のちに孫の梅穀成(ばいこくせい)（1681―1763）は『暦算全書』を改編して、『梅氏叢書輯要(そうしょしゅうよう)』62巻を編集した。『暦算全書』は日本には1726年（享保11）に舶載し、8代将軍徳川吉宗(よしむね)はその訳述を数学者の建部賢弘(たけべかたひろ)に命じたが、建部の弟子の中根元圭(なかねげんけい)がこれに訓点送り仮名を付し、賢弘がこれに序を書いて上呈した。この書の伝来により本邦に三角法をはじめ西洋数学が広まり、日本の暦算学に大きく貢献をした。

［渡辺敏夫］

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