Namikawa Seisho (並河誠所)
Seisho NAMIKAWA (1668-1738) was a Confucian scholar and a geographer, who was prominent in the middle of the Edo period.
He was also known as ' Ei NAMIKAWA,' 'Goichi NAMIKAWA,' or 'Goichiro NAMIKAWA.'
He spent six years on field research to compile the topography "Gokinaishi" (Topography of Kinai Region). While conducting field research, he identified many Shikinai-sha (shrine listed in Engishiki laws).
Biography
In 1668, he was born to affluent farmers in Yamashiro Province.
He studied under Jinsai ITO in Kyoto and opened a private school in Edo.
In 1726, he opened 'Gyoshi-kan College', a private school for the study of Chinese classics, in the north of Mishima-shuku (the eleventh of the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido [the most important route in the Edo period]).
He completed the "Gokinaishi" in 1734.
He passed away in 1738.
His grave was located in Kanaborizuka (inside the present Shizuoka Prefectural Mishima-kita High School), but was later transferred to Hongaku-ji Temple (Mishima City) in 1919.