Terakado Seiken

Terakado Seiken  (1796  April 16, 1868) was a Confucian scholar. He lived in Japan during the Edo period. He is popular for his writings on Tokyo. He is also known as Yagozaemon.

 Early life 
Terakado was born in Mito Domain in 1796. His father was a minor government official. When Terakado was 13 years old, his father died. After his father's death he lived an unpleasant lifestyle. In his late twenties, he turned to Confucianism and opened a school. Like his father, he held a minor position as a samurai. He studied Chinese poetry under Ryokuin Yamamoto.

 Career 
In 1831 he wrote a series of essays titled . The essays were compiled as a book and published in 1838. His essays got fame as well as scrutiny from Edo officials. The essays were banned by Edo officials in 1835. After publication the woodblocks were confiscated in 1842. At the same time Terakado was also banned from being an official. After losing his position as a samurai, Terakado wandered Japan. He worked as a schoolteacher and writer. He died on 16 April 1868.

Edo Hanjoki was a very critical social satire of the Tokugawa government. He wrote most of the essays in literary kanbun. Kanbun was mostly used in government documents. This brought an additional seriousness to his writings. Whenever he wrote about wealthier districts like Honjo, he usually focused on unpleasant places such as brothels. He compared the upper and lower classes to expose economic inequalities within the Tokugawa government. The Edo Hanjoki influenced upcoming generations of social critics and writers. His other works include "Niigata Hanjoki" and "Essay of Seiken".

Terakado's work was mostly written by the scholar Andrew L. Markus.

 References 

Category:1796 births
Category:1868 deaths
Category:Japanese writers