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father, and his mother was left in straitened circumstances. Motoöri displayed an ardent taste for learning from his earliest childhood, and read every book, Chinese or Japanese, which came in his way. In 1752 he went to Kiôto, where he studied Chinese under Hori Keizan and medicine under Takégawa Hôgan, in accordance with his mother’s wish that he should become a doctor. During his stay at the capital of the Mikado he became acquainted with the works of Keichiu, and read them with avidity. Previous to this his notions of poetry had been the same as those of the later versifiers, but from Keichiu he learnt the principles of correct style. In 1757 he returned to his birth place and set up in practice as a children’s physician.
Shortly after his return a person who was passing through from Yedo lent him a copy of Mabuchi’s work on the makura kotoba, which had just been published. A first perusal failed either to interest on convince him, but after repeated readings he was compelled to acknowledge the justice of the author’s views, and their superiority over those of Keichiu. It was this book which inspired him with his love for the study of Japanese antiquity. In the year 1761 he had an opportunity of making the acquaintance of Mabuchi, when the conversation before quoted took place, and he continued to correspond with him and to profit by his lessons until the death of the elder scholar.[1]
The Kojiki den, which is an edition of the Kojiki with an elaborate commentary, unquestionably his greatest work, was commenced in 1764, but the first part, which contains the commentary on the first volume of the Kojiki was not completed until 1786. It must have at once established his reputation, and one of his biographers states that his fame drew nearly five hundred students from all parts of the country. The second part was finished in 1792. Three years later he was invited to Wakayama by the Prince of Kishiu, for whose sake he refused a pension of 300 koku
- ↑ Tamagatsuma, Vol. II., p. 35, et infra.
