. sanskrit studies in early modern japan 993
chart and an evidential approach to clarify the correct pronunciation
and sounds of the ancient Japanese language. These scholars, who
tended to live in the provinces rather than in the traditional cultural
capital of Kyōto, elevated the sounds of the early Japanese language,
finding in these sounds the potential to re-embody a time before for-
eign influence.
The prominent nativist scholar Norinaga Motoori (1730–
1801), known especially for his rigorous studies of ancient Japanese
texts, acknowledged the necessity of training in Siddham for studying
the sounds of Japanese. In his Kanji Sanonkō , Norinaga
writes, “I will first explain the fundamentals of the study of Siddham
because its terms will be frequently cited herein; all those who study
phonetics must study Siddham” (quoted in Takeda 1937a, 44–45). Fur-
ther, his research on geminated consonants as well as the syllabic nasal
relied on categories gained from the study of Siddham (see Takeda
1937a, 1937b). Indeed, his famous discovery of the inversion “o” and
“wo” on the fifty-sounds chart developed from questions on the three
guttural lines “a,” “ya,” and “wa” in the chart first raised by Keichū
(see Kuginuki 2007).
In one of the few articles to focus on the influence of Siddham
studies in Norinaga’s work, Takeda Tessen argues that Keichū’s
scholarship, rooted in the study of Siddham, played a critical role in
Norinaga’s approach to phonetics.^31 Introduced to Keichū’s writings
by his Confucian teacher, Hori Keizan (1688–1757), Norinaga
assiduously read his works from 1752 through 1757.^32 Thereafter, he
reviewed works on Siddham, including Annen’s Shittanzō ,^33
Ennin’s Zaitōki ,^34 and Jōgon’s Shittan Sanmitsushō.
(^31) Takeda Tessen shows that it was likely through his research of Keichū’s texts, and
not from receiving training or transmission, that Norinaga learned the fundamentals
of Siddham (Takeda 1937a, 41). Like Keichū, Norinaga had also studied the Inkyō,
mentioned above.
(^32) Norinaga read the Seigo Okudan (fifth month of Hōreki 2), the Makura
Kotoba shō (eleventh month of Hōreki 2), the preface to the Kokin Yozaishō
(third month of Hōreki 3), the Koganshō (seventh month of
Hōreki 6), the Kankanshō (twelfth month of Hōreki 6), the Man’yō Daishōki
(1690), and the 33 Kokin Yozaishō (seventh month of Hōreki 7). See Takeda 1937a, 38.
Annen produced the first comprehensive study of Siddham in Japan, called the
Shittanzō 34 , in 880.
The Tendai priest Ennin, better known by his posthumous name Jikaku Daishi,
wrote the Zaitōki, which, among other topics, discusses Sanskrit sounds.