Nagata Hosei (永田方正)
Hosei NAGATA (March 26, 1838-August 22, 1911) was an educator in the Meiji period. In his later life, Hosei immersed himself in the enlightenment of the Ainu tribe and in research on the Ainu language.
Brief Personal History
He was born in Edo as a son of Uko family, a retainer of Saijo Domain in Iyo Province.
He was adopted by Kippei NAGATA, and he named himself 'NAGATA.'
He studied at the National Academy in Shoheizaka and became a tutor for the lord of Saijo Domain in 1861. From the Meiji period, he made living out of translation of English literature into Japanese. His main translation works include "Western Education." In 1881, he joined the members of Hokkaido Development Commission and migrated to Hokkaido, where he worked as a teacher at Hakodate Merchant Ship College and Hakodate Normal School (school for teachers). In addition, upon the decree of Hakodate Prefecture, he engaged in the education of the Ainu tribe in Yurappu (present Yagumo town). In 1883, he wrote "Hokkai Small Dictionary," an Ainu language grammar book. From 1886, under order of the Hokkaido government, he started investigating place names of Ainu origin. He presented the results of his study in "Dictionary of Place Names of Ainu Origin in Hokkaido," which was published in 1891. After becoming a teacher at Sapporo Agriculture School, Hosei moved out to Tokyo, where he taught Japanese literature at Tokyo Girl's High School.
Dictionary of Place Names of Ainu Origin in Hokkaido
The book is commonly known as 'Nagata's name place dictionary.'
The book features about 6,000 place names of Ainu origin across Hokkaido, whose original pronunciation and meaning are recorded. In general, the book is written based on information that Nagata collected from elders of the Ainu tribe through direct visits, but many parts are explained based on Nagata's speculation. Later, many errors were pointed out by scholars such as Mashiho CHIRI. Nagata's name place dictionary,' however, is a priceless document in that it recorded the pronunciation of the Ainu language of the day, when it was commonly used as daily language, with considerable accuracy. The fact remains that the book has occupied an important place in the study of Ainu language name places to this day.