Sakamoto Tenzan
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Sakamoto Toshiyasu (Japanese: 坂本 俊豈; 1745-1803), better known as Sakamoto Tenzan (坂本 天山), was a Japanese samurai, master of hōjutsu, and scholar of kokugaku. He established the Tenzan school (天山流, Tenzan-ryū) of gunnery.[1][2]
Sakamoto Tenzan | |
|---|---|
坂本 天山 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 21, 1745 Takatō Domain, Shinano Province, Japan |
| Died | April 20, 1803 (aged 57) Japan |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Takatō Domain |
Biography
Sakamoto Tenzan was born the eldest son of Sakamoto Unshirō Hideomi (坂本 運四郎 英臣), a retainer of the Naitō clan and master of the Ogino school (荻野流, Ogino-ryū) of gunnery.
In 1767, when he was 22 years old, Sakamoto traveled to Osaka to study under the instruction of Ogino Rokubee Terukiyo (荻野 六兵衛 照清).
In 1778, Sakamoto published an advanced design for a portable swivel gun called a shūhatsudai (周発台; lit. 'panoramic firing platform').[1] He explained the gun using concepts from the Yijing.[3]
In his later years, Sakamoto investigated measures for erosion and flood control. Earning the ire of his colleagues, he was ordered into house arrest for several years before being released. He died in 1803.
Family
Sakamoto's grandson, Sakamoto Toshisada (坂本 俊貞), defended Osaka Castle from Ōshio Heihachirō's army of revolt in 1837.[1] His granddaughter, Shimazaki Kei (島崎 桂), was the stepmother of Shimazaki Masaki, father of noted author Shimazaki Tōson.[4]
See also
- Takashima Shūhan
- Kume Michikata
- Katagiri Harukazu, kokugaku scholar known for advocating mass production of firearms
Bibliography
- 信濃偉人遺墨顕彰会 Shinano Ijin Iboku Kenshōkai, ed. (1933). Sakamoto Tenzan sensei ibokushū 坂本天山先生遺墨集 Posthumous Manuscripts of Sakamoto Tenzan. Japan: Published privately.