Under the name “Modern Classics of Japanese,” we have read nine scholars one by one, in the original. In each feature we checked the contents of that person’s main work. In the five summary articles beginning with this one, we look at the nine side by side: who wrote what, when, and on which thread each one stands. We add no new claims; we use only what was confirmed in the features.
Setting the nine on a timeline
What we notice first from the chart is that the nine overlap in nearly one era. From the eldest, Ōtsuki Fumihiko (1847–1928), to the youngest, Arisaka Hideyo (1908–1952), the birth years span about sixty years. The publication years of the main works run about fifty years, from Ōtsuki’s Genkai (1889–1891) to Arisaka’s Onin-ron (1940).
The nine at a glance
| Scholar | Years | Main work read in this feature | Core confirmed in the feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ōtsuki Fumihiko | 1847–1928 | Genkai (1889–1891) | Designed, almost from zero, the model of a dictionary: gojūon order, pronunciation, parts of speech, definitions in Japanese |
| Ueda Kazutoshi | 1867–1937 | Kokugo no tame (1897), Part 2 (1903) | The ha-row was once P. The same man spoke of “kokugo” as a task of the state |
| Kanazawa Shōzaburō | 1872–1967 | Kokugo no kenkyū (1910) | An etymologist’s eye: action words are born from names of things. The Japanese–Korean kinship theory is unproved |
| Yamada Yoshio | 1873–1958 | Nihon bunpō-ron (1908) | “Chinjutsu” (predication) and kakari-musubi. Examined his predecessors by name before stating his own view |
| Shinmura Izuru | 1876–1967 | Nihon no kotoba (1940) | Traced etymologies by documentary evidence, limited what he claimed, and corrected himself when wrong |
| Matsushita Daizaburō | 1878–1935 | Hyōjun Nihon Bunpō (1924) | O and ni are not words but parts of words. Removed particles and auxiliaries from the parts of speech |
| Hashimoto Shinkichi | 1882–1945 | Shin bunten bekki (1935), Kodai kokugo no on’in ni tsuite (1942) | The bunsetsu, and jōdai tokushu kanazukai. Built on “verifiable facts” |
| Orikuchi Shinobu | 1887–1953 | “Kokugo to minzokugaku” (1937), “Gokon-ron no danpen” (1931) | Read words from the life and beliefs of ancient people. Himself set the limits of his conjectures |
| Arisaka Hideyo | 1908–1952 | Onin-ron (1940) | Closed in on the identity of the “two sounds” Hashimoto found, and rebuilt the question “what is a sound?” |
Four threads
The nine each did different things. But set side by side, they can be read along four threads.
- The sound thread — Ueda’s P, Hashimoto’s jōdai tokushu kanazukai, Arisaka’s law and Onin-ron. (Article 2)
- The grammar thread — Ōtsuki’s parts of speech, Yamada’s predication and kakari-musubi, Hashimoto’s bunsetsu, Matsushita’s “parts.” (Article 3)
- The word thread — Ōtsuki’s dictionary, Shinmura’s etymologies, Kanazawa’s etymologies, Orikuchi’s reading of words. (Article 4)
- The thread of “kokugo” as a task — Ueda’s “Kokugo to kokka to,” Kanazawa’s “Chōsen ni okeru kokugo mondai,” and the fact that dictionaries and grammars were made in the name of “kokugo.” (Article 5)
One scholar can span several threads. For example, Hashimoto appears in both the sound thread and the grammar thread. Ueda appears in the sound thread and the “kokugo” thread. Kanazawa appears in the word thread and the “kokugo” thread.
What the nine share
Across the nine features, two things came up repeatedly.
One is the attitude of separating “what can be verified” from “conjecture.” Hashimoto built on “verifiable facts,” Shinmura wrote that he corrects himself when wrong, Orikuchi himself marked the limits of his conjectures, and Kanazawa too said “still incomplete.” Where that line was not drawn firmly enough (for example, Kanazawa’s comparisons without regular sound correspondences), later times have sorted it out as unproved.
The other is taking everyday Japanese as the object. “Hana o,” “okorippoi,” “namida,” “totemo,” “itoshi.” From small facts of the Japanese people use every day, the nine drew out large questions.
How to read this group of articles
These five articles do not replace the nine features. For each person’s content, please read that feature’s articles.
- Ōtsuki Fumihiko: overview
- Ueda Kazutoshi: overview
- Kanazawa Shōzaburō: overview
- Yamada Yoshio: overview
- Shinmura Izuru: overview
- Matsushita Daizaburō: overview
- Hashimoto Shinkichi: overview
- Orikuchi Shinobu: overview
- Arisaka Hideyo: overview
Summary
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| The nine | Ōtsuki, Ueda, Kanazawa, Yamada, Shinmura, Matsushita, Hashimoto, Orikuchi, Arisaka (born 1847–1908) |
| Era | Birth years span about sixty years; their lifetimes overlap |
| Four threads | Sound, grammar, words, the task of “kokugo” |
| What they share | Separating “what can be verified” from “conjecture”; starting from everyday Japanese |
In a nutshell — The nine faced one and the same Japanese through different entrances: dictionary, grammar, etymology, sound. From the next article we see the differences of those entrances as four threads.