MEDICATING THE GODS: KOKUGAKU, NATURE, AND THE BODY IN MID-EIGHTEENTH CENTURY JAPAN A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by I-Zhuen Lee August 2018 © 2018 I-Zhuen Lee MEDICATING THE GODS: KOKUGAKU, NATURE, AND THE BODY IN MID-EIGHTEENTH CENTURY JAPAN I-Zhuen Lee, Ph. D. Cornell University 2018 This dissertation examines the relation between scholars of kokugaku (often translated as “nativism”) and the rise of empirical rationalism as a paradigm for knowledge in Mid-Eighteenth Edo Japan. In particular, I trace the shifts in the ways language, the human body, and nature came to be intertwined in a complex network of relations that redefined the way knowledge came to be produced. By emphasizing the crucial relation between kokugaku and empirico-practical fields, such as the medical-pharmacological rise of honzōgaku (ch. bencaoxue) in the 1700s, I seek to show how anatomy and nature came to be central in the ways kokugaku scholars imagined the role of people in the world. Mindful of the immense changes occurring in Eighteenth Century Edo intellectual landscape, I argue that it is impossible to account for the rise of kokugaku without taking into consideration the shifts in social perception of the role of nature. Instead of anchoring kokugaku within the teleological paradigm of incipient nationalism – a relation foregrounded since the Meiji period, and later championed by philosophers in the decades of Japanese empire – my dissertation shows how the excess of nature, as a repository of conceptual and practical knowledge about the world, often guided these scholars’ philological archaeology of the “pristine” relation between language and the body. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH I-Zhuen Lee (Clarence) completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore in 2009 before entering the Doctoral program at the Department of Asian Studies at Cornell University where he specialized in Early Modern Japanese Literature, Philosophy and Thought. Upon receiving the Japan Foundation Fellowship for Japanese Studies in 2014, he was a visiting researcher at the Department of Japanese Literature at Sophia University, Tokyo, from 2014-2015. He is presently an Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of Colorado- Boulder. iv To my parents, Lee Hoe Hin and Teo Bee Chin, whose support and encouragement made this dissertation possible. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This Ph.D. dissertation is the outcome of a long arduous journey filled with negotiation, self-doubt, and growth. It could not have been possible without the support and encouragement from my advisor and committee chair, Brett de Bary, who had been there at every major decision and juncture throughout my stay in Cornell. I could always count on her for much needed advice and concern even when she was burdened with other duties. Without her assuring presence, I would not have completed this dissertation. My committee co-chair, Naoki Sakai, had constantly provided me with timely intellectual stimulation. He had always been open to me trying out my poorly conceived ideas and theories while leading me towards greater thinking. I could always count on his knowing smile and his patience as he pushed me beyond the boundaries of my own work to consider other possible perspectives and areas. I have also been in debt intellectually to Jonathan Monroe and Hirano Katsuya of UCLA who had been guiding forces during the formative years of my research and had made me think of kokugaku in ways I have previously never considered. Andrea Bachner has been generous with both her time and counsel despite joining my Ph.D. committee at a later stage. I could always depend on her prompt and apt responses even as her own schedule turned into living nightmares. And last but not least, I would like to express gratitude to the late Kigoshi Osamu of Sophia University. Kigoshi-sensei took me under his wing during my year in Tokyo as a Japan Foundation fellow. His magnanimity made me feel that I had always been his disciple despite our little time together. It is needless to say that I continue to benefit from his teachings and the intellectual network he had provided me. Sensei, I will miss your little chuckles and your smiles. Iro iro Arigatō Gozaimashita. I would also like to express appreciation to my colleagues over in Asia. Fellow Kigoshi-disciples, Marui Takafumi, Amino Kanae, and Katsumata Motoi-sensei had greatly assisted in the research for this project. Members of Ueda Akinari Research Group in Tokyo, especially Inoue Yasushi, Konoe Noriko, Takamatsu Ryōta, had always treated me as part of their community while allowing me keep up with their cutting-edge research. Yamamoto Yoshitaka of Osaka University was essential in my navigation of the research (and restaurant) landscapes in Tokyo. Stateside, the Cornell Classical Chinese Colloquium provided me with an avenue to escape into the joys of close-reading in fields beyond my own. The Japanese teachers, especially Naomi Larson, had also made me think more about my own pedagogical methods while being generous in their guidance and comments. Kim Scott, the graduate field assistant of Asian Studies, made administrative procedures a bliss, and I thank her for her constant vigilance making sure I do not end up on the wrong side of the university administration. Of course, any academic project would not be manageable without the emotional support from mentors and friends. I am especially appreciative to TJ Hinrichs for all cordial yet insightful moments. Her generosity and approachability will remain ideals which I will aim for as I embark on my own career as a faculty. Dan McKee and Mai Cota had been towers of strength; they were always there to listen to my problems especially when I had no one to turn to. I am also grateful to Ding Xiang Warner who vi had always shared my moments of joy and sadness, especially as I struggled to finish this dissertation. Lim Beng Choo and Scot Hislop had always pointed me in the right directions since my undergraduate days at the National University of Singapore. They were the first to encourage me to pursue an academic career and remain two of my greatest supporters. Junliang Huang has always been on my side of the fence while steering me in more productive directions. She has been the elder sister I have never had. Lee Yanling had given me indispensable advice for the revision of some of the material in this dissertation. She had also been a source of comfort and support especially in the later portions of the writing process. It goes without saying that it is thanks to the friendships of Zhang Ning, Masaki Kinjo, Eriko Akamatsu, Cristina Hung, Chan Cheow-Thia, Tyran Grillo, Jeff Dubois, Boxu Tan, Shumay Lin, Keiji Kunigami, Jack Chia, Sean Tang, Qiuwei Liu, Xiang Jing Chen, Eddie Tay, Ku Ka Leung, Yao Hui Jun, Bernard Shee Carolyn Pang, Yuen Shumin, Seng Guoquan, Jerrine Tan, Clarinda Kuan, and Alan Yeo, that I could remain (relatively) sane in the depressive environment graduate students are often exposed to. This project is dedicated to my parents, Lee Hoe Hin and Teo Bee Chin; it could not have been possible without their ceaseless encouragement and love. Despite being half-way around the world, they have always been present, with unconditional support, at every juncture of my journey through my graduate work. My older brother, Samuel, although immensely pragmatic and practical in every way, had always provided me with the much needed reaffirmation of my dream as a scholar and academic. I would also like to thank my sister, Nianrong, for all the light chats, and laughter she has provided me as I navigate the solemnness of my research topic. My nephews, Emmanuel and Ean, had constantly reminded their ah-chek of the sacrifices he has had to make missing their growing up. Despite my being away, they continue to remind me how much love is waiting for me back in Singapore. My bi-annual meals with my god-daughter Eva and her parents, Priscilla and Vincent, had given me occasions to reset and appreciate the important people around me. My American family, Carlo Caci and Lynn Miko, always had my best interest in mind while at the same time showering me with familial love. I thank them for all the Sunday Bellinis and for their annual efforts to fatten me up before the long dreary Ithaca winters. Lastly, I would like to thank Sookyeong Hong, who has been there through the good and bad times, and for picking me up when I am down in spite of it all. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi LIST OF FIGURES ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x INTRODUCTION 1 DIAGNOSING THE WORLD IN KOKUGAKU DISCOURSE CHAPTER ONE 20 KOKUGAKU AND THE BODY IN THE WORLD CHAPTER TWO 89 THE POLITICS OF REPRESENTATION: MIMESIS AND POESIS IN KOKUGAKU FUMI CHAPTER THREE 181 MEDICATING ANTIQUITY: UEDA AKINARI AND THE INVESTIGATION OF HERBS CONCLUSION: 228 KOKUGAKU IN A SHIFTING WORLD: SUPERNATURAL WRITING, MEDICINE AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SENSIBLE. BIBLIOGRAPHY 246 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Prefaces of Kishitsu Benran and Kaiyō Kojidan Figure 2: Kishitsu Benran and Kaiyō Kojidan, same contents, different titles Figure 3: Kyojitsu Zatsudan-shū; the incident of a tanuki in Suwato, Awaji ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS UAZ Ueda, Akinari. Ueda Akinari Zenshū Volumes 1-12. Tokyo: Chūō Koronsha, 1990. KMZ Kamo, Mabuchi. Kamo no Mabuchi Zenshū. Tokyo: Zoku Gunsho Ruijū Kanseikai, 1977. TAZ Nakae, Tōju. Tōju Sensei Zenshū Volumes 1-5. Tokyo: Kōbundō, 1976. x INTRODUCTION DIAGNOSING THE WORLD IN KOKUGAKU DISCOURSE The Problematic In 1764, the kokugaku scholar Kamo no Mabuchi (1697-1769) wrote an important treatise on the centrality of native Japanese poetry in understanding the world in his time.