born Aug. 30, 1627, Ky 014D; to, Japan
died April 4, 1795, Ky 014D; to
Japanese Confucian scholar.
The son of a lumberman, he devoted himself to scholarship. He opposed the authoritarian Neo-Confucianism of the Tokugawa shogunate (see Tokugawa period ) and advocated a return to the authentic teachings of Confucius and Mencius . He helped establish the Kogaku school of Neo-Confucianism and, with his son, founded the Kogi-d 014D; academy in Ky 014D; to, which was run by his descendants until 1904. His writings include G 014D; m 014D; jigi (1683), a commentary on Confucianism that tried to develop a rational basis for morality and the pursuit of happiness.