Career
Mabuchi conducted research into the spirit of ancient Japan through his studies of the Manitoba"yōshū and other works of ancient literature. A disciple of Kada no Azumamaro, Mabuchi is regarded as one of the four greats of Kokugaku. His disciples included Motoori Norinaga, Arakida Hisaoyu, Kato Chikage, Murata Harumi, Katori Nahiko, Hanawa Hokiichi, Uchiyama Matatsu, and Kurita Hijimaro.
The Okabe were a lower branch of Kamo Shrine in Kyoto.
At the age of 37, Mabuchi moved to Kyoto and became a disciple of Kada no Azumamaro. Following the master’s death in 1736, Mabuchi moved to Edo in 1738 where he taught Kokugaku.
In 1763, while Mabuchi was on his way to Ise Shrine, Motoori Norinaga sought him out and became a disciple. This single night of discussions, later known as ‘the night in Matsuzaka’, was the only occasion on which Norinaga directly received teaching from Mabuchi, although the two men later corresponded.
An explanatory marker stands at the site of Mabuchi’s residence in Edo (Hisamatsu-cho, Nihonbashi, Chūō, Tokyo).
His grave can be found in the Tokaiji cemetery in Shinagawa. A museum stands beside the house where he was born in Hamamatsu (Higashi-Iba, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka).