According to some records Hiraga Gennai was born in 1723. His true name was Kunitomo. Had many pseudonyms including Kyukei, Furai-Sanjin, Fukuuchi-Kigai, Godoken. He was born in Sanuki (Kagawa Prefecture). His father was a retainer of the Lord of Takamatsu, Shikoku.
Fond of learning since boyhood, he visited Nagasaki twice and learned Dutch under Dutchmen, Chinese classics under Heizan Miura, Japanese classics under Mabuchi Kamo and botany under Moto-o Tamura, who was a physician and pharmacologist of the Shogunate.
He became a warehouse keeper of the Takamatsu Clan (1749). Went to Edo (1759). His was a prolific mind and he wrote many books, especially satirical stories of fiction in the Edo tradition. His writings show that he was a forerunner of materialistic and critical way of thinking which was still unacceptable in the secluded Japanese society of his time. He sneered at the ways and manners of his time with discontent. He travelled often to gather medical herbs, held exhibitions of medicines and developed a wool textile which was called Kunitomo-ori.
His many satirical stories were written in snatches while he was thus busily engaged in various undertakings. He was one of the best writer of Joruri (ballad drama) and also made translations from Dutch books. On the night of January 21,1778, he murdered a man and was taken into custody at the Shogunate prison at Dem- macho, Edo. There he died on December 18 the same year. Many stories are told of the reason why he committed the murder. The most likely version is that he killed the man because he had seen a secret document which was connected with the clandestine trade Gennai was conducting with Hokkaido.
He invented Gennai-yaki, a porcelain he evolved on the basis of his study of Cochin China porcelain, which he attempted to export. Also made a thermometer and evolved new leather processing. In 1776，he made a small electric generator which he used for therapeutical purposes. He was the first Japanese to experiment with electricity. Learned oil painting and operated a mine in Chichibu (Saitama Prefecture) and engaged in charcoal burning, opened a shipping line on the Arakawa River, which connected Kai (Yamanashi Prefecture) and Musashi (Saitama Prefecture). Advised the Lord of Shinjo (Yamagata Prefecture) and Akita on mine operation.
