Oka Rokumon

Oka Rokumon (岡 鹿門, 12 December 1833 – 18 February 1914) was a Japanese sinologist (kangakusha) of the late Edo and Meiji periods.

Oka Rokumon was born on the second day of the eleventh month of Tenpō 4 according to the traditional Japanese calendar (12 December 1833 in the Gregorian calendar).^[1] He was born into a buke family in Sendai Domain.^[1]

While he was still young he moved to Edo^[1] and studied at the Shōhei-kō [ja], an educational institute under the auspices of the shogunate.^[1] He eventually became the director (舎長) of the institution.^[1] While a student there, he developed close friendships with several of his classmates, notably Shigeno Yasutsugu [ja], Matsumoto Keidō [ja], Matsubayashi Hanzan [ja] and Nanma Tsunanori [ja].^[1]

In late 1861, he travelled to Kinki,^[1] and while there, to help Keidō (who was not receiving a government salary),^[1] planned with Hanzan to establish a school in Osaka.^[1] They called the school Sōshōkō-juku (双松岡塾), literally "Two Matsus and Oka School".^[1] The school became a meeting place for various figures associated with the sonnō-jōi movement, attracting negative attention from the authorities, and Oka was forced to shut the school down after less than a year.^[1]

He was at this time ordered by his superiors in Sendai to perform reconnaissance work in Kyoto (the seat of the emperor and a hotbed of restorationist rebels).^[1] During the Boshin War, he opposed the union of the domains of Mutsu and Dewa provinces, drawing the ire of the government, and was imprisoned.^[1] Following the Meiji Restoration, he served in various government positions.^[1]

After retiring early, he devoted himself to writing.^[1] In 1884 he visited China, writing a travel diary recounting his experiences, Kankō kiyū (観光記遊).^[1]

He died on 18 February 1914.^[1] His grave is in Yūtenji in Meguro, Tokyo.^[1]

Rokumon was his art name.^[1] His original given name was Tenshaku (天爵),^[1] and his courtesy name was Shibun (子文).^[1] He went by the name Keisuke (啓助) for a time,^[1] and changed his name to Senjin (千仭)^[1] and his courtesy name to Shin'i (振衣) at various times.^[1]

• Andō, Kikuji (1983). "Oka Rokumon". Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典 (in Japanese). Vol. 1. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. pp. 468–469. OCLC 11917421.