Vol. 5 No. 1 (2021)
Historical Articles

Udagawa Youan (1798-1846), Pioneer of Chemistry Studies in Japan from Western Sources and his Successors

PDF
Editorial History
  • Yona Siderer
Yona Siderer
Edelstein Center for the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/Substantia-963

Published 2021-03-01

Keywords

  • Japan,
  • Western Authors,
  • Udagawa Youan,
  • Seimi Kaiso – Introduction to Chemistry,
  • Dutch Studies in Japan

How to Cite

Siderer, Y. . (2021). Udagawa Youan (1798-1846), Pioneer of Chemistry Studies in Japan from Western Sources and his Successors. Substantia, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.36253/Substantia-963

Copyright (c) 2020 Yona Siderer

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Abstract

This work presents chemistry studies of the Japanese scholar Udagawa Youan (1798-1846), specifically, his pioneering book Seimi Kaiso, introduction to Chemistry, and includes a short biography of Youan. The first aim of this work is to present Youan's contribution to Western chemistry in Japan. Youan studied many Western books and listed their authors. The new terms he invented for chemistry in Japanese influenced the development of chemistry writing and application in Japan. The seven books of Seimi Kaiso that were published during 1837-1847 and republished with annotation in Japanese in 1975 are discussed in this article.

The impact of Youan' terminology on the history chemistry writing in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is discussed.  The conditions of knowledge transfer among Japanese and Western scholars were very different. Youan had severe difficulties facing the strict attitude of the Tokugawa authorities toward studying and distributing knowledge coming from foreign countries.  The later development of Japanese chemistry language and studies is also described.

PDF
Editorial History

References

  1. T. Azuma Udagawa Youan's Acceptance of Western Chemistry as seen through Ky?-U Library Collection in Osaka. Part 1: An Analysis of his manuscripts translated from Adolphus Ypey's Chemical Books in Dutch. Published in Kagakushi, The Journal of the Japanese Society for the History of Chemistry Vol. 40, no. 4 2013, pp. 189 (19), in Japanese (J) with English abstract.
  2. T. Azuma Youan's Acceptance of Chemistry: An Analysis of His Translation of Kastelijn's Journal, Kagakushi, The Journal of the Japanese Society for the History of Chemistry Vol. 33, no. 3 2006. (J) with English abstract.
  3. T. Azuma Udagawa Youan's Acceptance of Western Chemistry as seen through Ky?-U Library Collection in Osaka. Part 2: An Analysis of his two manuscripts about the substances called "earths", Published in Kagakushi, The Journal of the Japanese Society for the History of Chemistry, Vol. 41, no. 1 2014, p. 1. (J) with English abstract.
  4. C. Blacker, The Japanese Enlightenment, a study of the writing of Fukuzawa Yukichi, Cambridge at the University Press, p. 25. 1969.
  5. M.N. Chomel en J.A. Chalmot, Algemeen Huishoudelijk, Natuur-, Zedekundig –en Konst Woordenboek, 2de druk, Leyden, 1778.
  6. T. D?ke, Y?an Udagawa—a pioneer scientist of early 19th century feudalistic Japan. Japanese Studies in the History of Science No. 12, 99–120 1973.
  7. D?ke Tatsumasa, Udagawa Youan, his life and work, in Udagawa Youan, Seimi Kaiso, republished and translated to modern era language with comments. M. Tanaka Ed. Kodansha Publishing house. 1975. p. 67. p. 84: Youan's three letters to Ito Keisuke (J).
  8. D?ke Tatsumasa ????: nihon no kagaku no yoake ?????????The Dawn of Science in Japan ???? Iwanami Publishers 1979. (J).
  9. Encyclopedic Dictionary of the History of Chemistry, Edited by the Japanese Society for the History of Chemistry. Published by Kagaku-Dojin Publishing Co., Inc. Kyoto 2017 ?????????? ? (J).
  10. Sh?ji Endo, Nobushige Kato, Masataka K?da, Kiyoshi Matsuda, Studies on Udagawa Youan's Botanical works housed in the Ky?-U Library, Takeda Science Foundation. ?? ??, ?? ??, ????, ?? ??????? ???????? ???????2014. In Japanese with an English abstract.
  11. B. Frellesvig, A History of the Japanese Language, Cambridge. 2011.
  12. Y. Furukawa, 2019, Book of Abstracts 12th ICHC Maastricht, Exploring the History of Chemistry in Japan, Morris Award Lecture. 1 August 2019, p. 18.
  13. Grant. W. Goodman, Japan and the Dutch 1600-1853. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group London and New York 2014 (2000) ISBN 978-1-138-86321.
  14. W. Henry, An Epitome of Chemistry: in three parts / From the 4th English ed. : much enlarged and illustrated with plates, to which are added notes by a professor of chemistry in this country. New York: Printed and sold by Collins & Perkins, 1808. Part II, Chapter 1: Analysis of Mineral Waters. In Edelstein Collection, National Library of Israel.
  15. Y. Kikuchi, Historia Scientiarum, Redefining Academic Chemistry: J?ji Sakurai and the Introduction of Physical Chemistry into Meiji Japan. 2000, vol. 9. P. 215
  16. Y. Kikuchi, 2013, ch. 2, p. 27
  17. Invitation to Chemistry History. ??????? Published by the Japanese Society for the History of chemistry, Ohmsha, 2019, On Kawamoto K?min p. 242. (J).
  18. M. Kurahara, W.E. Bulletin of Musashigaoka College 3, 1-10, Griffis' chemistry classes at Meishinkan of Fukui-han Hanko in 1871-1872. 1995-03-31. (J) With an English abstract.
  19. Kaji Masanori, Chemical Classification and the Response to the Periodic Law of Elements in Japan in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries, in Early Responses to the Periodic System, (Eds.: M. Kaji, H. Kragh, G. Palló), Oxford University Press 2015, 283.
  20. Kikuchi Yoshiyuki, Anglo-American Connections in Japanese Chemistry, The Lab as a Contact Zone, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
  21. Ky?-U Library of Takeda Science Foundation, Illustrated Catalog of Rare Books in the Ky?-U Library ????????????? ???????????? in Osaka, pp. 69–71, 72–76 2008.
  22. L. A. Lavoisier, Traité Élémentaire de Chimie 1789. Dutch translation by N. C. de Fremery, P. van Werkhoven, Grondbeginselen der Sheikunde 1800.
  23. J. Mac Lean, Japanese Studies in the History of Science, The Introduction of Books and Scientific Instruments into Japan, 1712-1854. 1974, No. 3, p. 9
  24. Misaki Shosuke ???? (1847-1873) seimikyoku kaiko no setsu, Chemistry Theory Course, 1869.
  25. Misaki, 1869; Shihara and McAbee, 1988, Sugawara, 1984, 27. Uchida et al.
  26. Okayama Dutch Learning Group??????? Udagawa Youan, De Vinci of Edo era, the man who coined the character(s) for [coffee]???????????? ????????? ????? The Sanyo Broadcasting Foundation, 2016. p. 91 (J).
  27. M. Osawa, A historical development of chemical analysis of mineral spring waters in Japan from Edo to early Meiji era. In??Onsen, winter 2018, pp. 35-34. Siebold and Burger chemical research on hot springs in Kyushu (Japan). (J).
  28. M. Osawa, A historical development of chemical analysis of mineral spring waters in Japan from Edo to early Meiji era. The Proceedings of the 62nd General Assembly and International Thermalism/Scientific Congress of the World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy (FEMTEC) at Yokohama, Japan. 2009, p. 84.
  29. M. Osawa, in??Onsen, The Evolution of the Research on Hot Springs in Japan from Siebold and Burger to Udagawa Youan. Spring 2019. p. 35, (J).
  30. M. Sakaguchi, Investigating Seimi Kaiso ???? ???? ?pp. 1-66 in Tanaka Ed. 1975.
  31. M. Sakaguchi, Octave Ségur ???????????? Notes on the Letters on Chemistry of Octave Ségur cited by Youan Udagawa. In Kagakushikenkyu II, 14, 1975. (J), English abstract.
  32. Sakaguchi 1970 in Kagaku kenkyu No. 96, p. 185.
  33. I. Shiihara and M. McAbee, C&EN, Western Chemistry comes to Japan A Historical Account, October 31 1988 p. 26.
  34. Shiba Tetsuo, Chemistry and Industry ????? vol. 63-7 July 2010 (J).
  35. Y. Siderer, Foundations of Chemistry, Udagawa Youan’s (1798–1846) translation of light and heat reactions in his book Kouso Seimika, 2017 vol. 19(3) pp. 224-240.
  36. Y. Siderer, The Life of Udagawa Youan and his Natural Science Translation; His Translation of Light and Heat Reactions in Kouso Seimika. Perspectives on Chemical Biography in the 21st Century, Edited by Isabel Malaquias and Peter J.T. Morris, Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2019. p. 207.
  37. Marie-Christine Skuncke, Carl Peter Thunberg Botanist and Physician. Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study 2014.
  38. Sugawara Kunika, A Historical Study of the use of the Term Kagaku for Chemistry in Japan, in Kagakushi ????? 1987 p. 29?(J) English abstract.
  39. Takata Seiji, ????? ?????????????????????? Scientific Spirit of Meiji Restoration written as seen in Industry and Technology World (in) [A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation through the United States of America and Europe]. ???? 547 ?????. (J). Asahi Shimbun Publisher 1995.
  40. M. Tanaka, M. Sakaguchi, T. D?ke, T. Kikuchi, Seimi Kaiso Kenkyu, Seimi Kaiso Research. Kodansha, Tokyo, 1975 (J).
  41. Tanaka Minoru, Seimi Kaiso ni okeru Yoan no kagaku ninshiki ??????????????? in Udagawa youan seimi kaiso fukkoku togendai koyaku ?chuu ???????????? ??????” Udagawa Youan Seimi Kaiso Republishing, (its) Recent Language and Explanatory Notes” Kodansha Publishing House, Tokyo, 1975 (J), pp. 99–114.
  42. M. Tanaka, “Part 2 Chemistry” Chapter 6 Seimi Kaiso section 3, in Yuji Shibata ed. Meiji-zen Butsuri Kagaku Shi, History of Physical and Chemical Science before Meiji Era, p. 281, p. 321, 1964.
  43. T. Takahashi, Siebold and Udagawa Youan, Edo Dutch Studies Friendship Account, Heibonsha, Tokyo, Japan (J).????: Siebold to Udagawa Youan Edo rangaku kouyuuki ?????? ????? ??????? ??: ???. 2002.
  44. T. Tsukahara, Affinity and Shinwa Ryoku, Introduction of Western Chemical Concepts in Early Nineteenth-Century Japan. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Leiden, Holland, J.C. Gieben Publishers, Amsterdam 1993.
  45. Tsujimura Natsuko, An Introduction to Japanese Linguistics, Blackwell Publishing 2007. p. 422.
  46. Uchida Takane, Oki Hisaya, Sakan Fujio, Isa Kimio, and Nakata Ryuji, William Elliot Griffis' Lecture Notes on Chemistry, In Foreign Employees in Nineteenth Century Japan. (E.R. Beauchamp and Akira Iriye Eds.), Boulder San Francisco and London. West View Press 1990. p. 247
  47. Udagawa Youan, Seimi Kaiso. In Edo: Suharaya Ihachi 1837-1847, in Japanese.