Mozume Takami (物集高見)
Takami MOZUME (July 10, 1847 - June 23, 1928) was a scholar of Japanese classical literature from Bungo Province.
Career
His father was Takayo MOZUME, a scholar of Japanese classical literature. Takami was the first son among two sons and three daughters of Takayo, and was born in Kizukikitashin-machi Town, Hayami County of Bungo Province (present Oita Prefecture). His childhood name was Sutaro, later renamed to Zengoro. His pen names were Uguisudani, Sumireen, or Maisho Koji.
As a youngster, he studied Sinology and Japanese literature and culture in his hometown. In 1866, he went to Nagasaki to study Western learning. In 1867 at the age of 20, he went to Kyoto and studied sovereign's message under Misao TAMAMATSU and Yoshika MUTOBE.
He went to Tokyo in 1869. In May 1870, he became a disciple of Kanetane HIRATA (died in 1880 at the age of 82) and studied Japanese literature and culture. Also studied Sinology under Kindai TOJO (died in 1878 at the age of 84), an official of Jingikan (Department of Divinities). He gained a job as a Senkyoshisei (official worker for Senskyoshi) for Jingikan from the same year.
Since 1871 at the age of 24, he started to study Western studies. In 1872, he began to serve Kyobusho (Ministry of Religion) (churoku jutto). He planned to edit a dictionary while working.
Also, he published his research paper such as 'Honpogogenko' and 'Jibutsumeigiko.'
He came to be interested in languages around that time.
In 1874 at the age of 27, he married Natsuko IWATA who lived in Kitsuki. He thought learning English grammar was necessary for the study of Japanese grammar, and started to study English under Makoto KONDO since 1875. Since Kyobusho was abolished, he was transferred to Ministry of Interior. In 1879 at the age of 33, Takami was appointed by the Ministry of Interior as a Guji (chief of those who serves shrine, controls festivals and general affairs) of Gassan-jinja Shrine and a Guji of Haguroyama-jinja Shrine and Yudonosan-jinja Shrine. He concurrently worked as a professor at Gakushuin University and Women's Normal School. He endeavored as one of the founding members of Kokugakuin University.
On January 2, 1883, his father Takayo died. He was appointed to the post of "Goyo-gakari" (general affairs official) in charge of the affairs of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Letters (as the Jun hanninkan [vice junior official]) after serving as the "Goyo-gakari" in charge of the affairs of Kitsuki, Oita Prefecture.
In March 1886, he was appointed as a professor at the University of Tokyo. He concurrently worked in Tokyo normal school and served as Counselor for the Ministry of Education.
On January 7, 1887, he was appointed as a teacher of gokoshohajime (a ceremony in which a scholar gives lecture to members of the imperial families in the beginning of a new year) at the Imperial Court. In the summer, he met high officers such as the Imperial Household Minister Hisamoto HIJIKATA, the chief of Outadokoro (Imperial Poetry Bureau) Masakaze TAKASAKI and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police commissioner Michitsune MISHIMA at the summer resort in Tomioka, Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. One high official (it is said to have been Masayoshi MATSUKATA) almost recommended him as a diplomat, but he declined the offer.
Instead, he was promised to be provided with the fund for compiling a Japanese dictionary 'Nihondajjirin.'
At that time when monthly pay for elementary school teacher or police officer was 6 yen to 7 yen, the manuscript fee per sheet was 10 yen, which was a huge amount of financial support. Other than that, he once wrote a supplementary reading material for Gakushuin Girls' Senior High School at the request of a disciple Utako SHIMODA.
In 1890, he concurrently served as a professor at Gakushuin University (the old system).
In 1895 at the age of 49, Takami received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Silver Rays.
In March 1899, he became a doctor (literature). In April the same year, he retired from the university following the advice by Tetsujiro INOUE of the Tokyo Teikoku Daigaku Bunka Daigaku (Tokyo Imperial University, Faculty of Letters University). Behind this was a maneuver by a disciple Kazutoshi UEDA and his disciples which was triggered by a dispute over literature between the two. Takami held a grudge on Ueda about this and told his son Takakazu never to pass in front of Ueda's house located in Koishikawa Denzu-in. After the retirement, it is said that Takami practiced calligraphy for most of his time in order to calm him down.
Afterward, he used his personal asset and devoted himself to research as a scholar out of power. He pilgrimized across the country in poverty, collected about 50,000 books and read all of them. He published the first volume of 'Kobunko' (20-volume set of books) in 1916 from the publishing association of Kobunko, and published the rest of them by 1918. He published a 3-volume set of books of 'Gunshosakuin,' which became a bestseller.
In February 1927 at the age of 81, he published a 12-volume set of books 'Kogakusosho.'
Since the books were not published to make a profit, he ran into a huge amount of debt. On June 23, 1928, he died at home in Tera-machi, Kitsuki City, Hayami County, Oita Prefecture. Died at the age of 82.
His first son Takakazu MOZUME was an expert on Japanese literature. His daughters Teruko OKURA and Kazuko MOZUME were novelists.