Nakane Kōtei

Nakane Kōtei (中根 香亭, March 27, 1839 – January 20, 1913) was a Japanese writer who lived during the late Edo period and Meiji era. Writing under the pen name of Kōtei, his given name was Kiyoshi (淑). He was the second son of Sone Nao (曾根 直),^[1] and his patrilineal root was the Kai-Genji clan (甲斐源氏).

Biography

Nakane was born in Edo, and was adopted and raised by the Nakane family from childhood. His adoptive parents treated him as a real son and he served them faithfully. Nakane liked Japanese martial arts and read many books, however he had no formal teacher.

Military service

Nakane served

In 1873, Nakane was called to the Staff Bureau of Military (陸軍参謀局), and served as a

In about 1885, Nakane was offered a position by the publisher Kinkōdō to work as the chief editor and he accepted. While in this position Nakane published many novels written by a younger generation of authors, such as those by Futabatei Shimei and Kōda Rohan.

Nakane was close friends with other writers based in Negishi, a neighbourhood in what is now Taitō, such as Ozawa Keijiro.^[2] In 1875, he purchased an abandoned samurai residence and gardened in it extensively.^[2]

Death

After the deaths of his wife and son, Nakane believed that

Notable works

Nakane is noted for writing an excellent essay and short biographies. Nakane is not well known today, even in his native Japan, as he wrote using the old Japanese style of prose, or Classical Chinese. While Nakane did not write as a profession, his historical investigations were nonetheless skilfully authored. Possessing wide interests and a deep culture, Nakane's writings covered the history of Japan and China, including their literature. Mori Senzō, an expert on old Japanese literature, remarked that the works of Nakane have the character of a noble samurai.

Nakane's best known works include:

• Kōtei Gadan (香亭雅談), 1886^[3]
• Kōtei Zousou (香亭蔵草), 1913
• Kōtei Ibun (香亭遺文), 1916

See also

• Japanese literature
• Biographers

References