A Study on the Publications of Science Books relating to Dutch Studies

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1) In order to investigate the publications of science books relating to Dutch studies, quantitative analyses have been made on the books for astronomy, physics, chemistry, navigation and gunnery. The number of books for analyses is as follows: astronomy 333; physics 11; chemistry 84; navigation 8; gunnery 262.2) The forty-five percent of the whole 333 samples for astronomy is occupied by the category of calendar sciences, while the general astronomy books amount 33%, books for Buddhistic cosmology 16% and others 6%. The chronological analysis shows that its publication in the nineteenth century becomes double in number as in the eighteenth century. The tendency of such growth already can be observed in the fourth quarter of the eighteenth century but marks conspicuous in the nineteenth century. Generally speaking, the publication of the books for calendar sciences is dominant in the first half of the Edo Period whereas the one for astronomy books in the latter half. The turning point … More seems to be in the years 1772-1788.3) As for books on physics and navigation, meaningful results are not expected because of the paucity of its samples. However, the translation and studies of Western navigation was begun by official astronomers in the years 1854-1859 and this indicates that official astronomers, in addition to their traditional researches on astronomy and calendar sciences, launched their studies on such a new field as navigation in response to the trend of the age. The writings which have Dutch words Chemie or Chemica in their titles amount the forty-four percent of the whole eighty-four pieces and moreover its sixty-five percent was written by Udagawa Yoan, which reveals his great contribution to the introduction of Western chemistry in the Edo Period.4) Gunnery is taken up because it induces the campaign for the introduction of Western military science and technology. The first half of the seventeenth century shows the fourteen percent of the whole samples and then the figure presents slackening and rapidly grows, reaching the sixty-seven percent in the nineteenth century. This data is considered to be one of the representation of the crisis consciousness among the Japanese caused by Russian as well as British approach to Japanese coasts. The entire results confirm the argument that Dutch studies in the bakumatsu period turns their principal research interest towards the field of military science and technology. Less