KAMO MABUCHI

born 1697, Iba, Japan died Oct. 31, 1769, Edo [now Tokyo] one of the earliest representatives of the Kokugaku (National Learning) school, a movement to restore the true Japanese spirit by a return to ancient traditions and culture. The school was revived in World War II in connection with resurgent nationalism. Mabuchi was born into a branch of the old Shinto Kamo family, who served as priests of the famous Kamo shrine near Kyoto. Under the tutelage of Shinto priests, he began a study of Japanese literature. Through his studies he became convinced of the importance of the earliest collection of Japanese poems, the Manyo-shu, and of the collection of Shinto rituals called Norito. Insisting that these ancient works were free of foreign influence and that they were therefore representative of the pure Japanese spirit, he helped foster a revival of the early poetic style. His chief original work, the Kokuiko, contains a biting rejection of Chinese thought and literature and a hymnal glorification of Japanese antiquity. His writings, collected in 12 volumes, are made up primarily of commentaries on Old Japanese literature.