Aochi Rinso (青地林宗)
Rinso AOCHI (1775-April 11, 1833) was a Dutch scholar in Japan. His name was Ei, his azana (nickname) were Shion and Rinso and his go (second name or alias) was Hoko. His disciple was Sodo HORINOUCHI.
Biography
Career
Rinso was born in the Iyo-Matsuyama domain of Iyo Province in 1775. His father was Kaian AOCHI who was the doctor working for the Matsuyama domain. After learning Chinese (herb) medicine which was his family business, he went to Tokyo at the age of 20 and became the disciple of Sajuro BABA, the translator of Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) to study Dutch. He also learned in Tenshinro which was the private school of Ryukei SUGITA and Fuundo which was the private school of Genshin UDAGAWA. He temporarily returned home to succeed his family business, the doctor for the Matsuyama domain at the death of his father, Kaian when Rinso was 26 years old. Though he had stayed in Matsuyama for five years, he quit his job in Matsuyama domain to travel to study Western learning. After traveling to Osaka, Nagasaki and other places related to Western learning, he went to Tokyo again.
He was invited from bakufu to become the translator of astronomical observatory at his age of 47 and was engaged in translating Western books (Western academic books.)
He also translated "Nihon Yusyuki" by Vasilii Mikhailovich Golovnin. Though he was asked to serve Nariaki TOKUGAWA who was the lord of the Mito domain later, he died 4 years later, in April 11, 1833. The age of his death was 59.
Achievement
He translated many books written by Dutch Johannes Buys and published 'Kikaikanran' which was the book on physics in Japan. He was referred to as the ancestor of Japanese physics. Since the early stage, he had been concerned about translations and terms created by people in translating words which did not exist in Japanese as the translation versions of Western studies increased. Therefore, he proposed to establish 'Doshikai', the organization for proper and unified translation, which provided a great direction for translation business in Japan.
Episode
Rinso had five daughters; the husband of the first daughter, Kume was Shindo TSUBOI, that of the second, Michiko was Gencho ITO, that of the third, Hideko was Komin KAWAMOTO, that of the fourth, Miyako was Choei TAKANO (Miyako died young at the age of 32 in April 29, 1849, 6 months later of their marriage) and they married famous Dutch scholars as seen in above. His fifth daughter, Nobuko died of illness at the age of 11.