Masumi Sugae

Background

Masumi Sugae was born in 1754 in Mikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.

Career

For reasons which remain largely unknown, he left on a journey in 1783, possibly intending from the very beginning to make his way to the island of Ezo (today known as Hokkaidô). After much traveling, in 1788 he finally found his way across the Tsugaru Strait, to Ezo, where he remained for four years, attempting to learn the language of the Ainu, and to assemble an Ainu-Japanese dictionary.

He returned to Honshû (Tôhoku), spending his remaining years in what is today Akita prefecture (i.e. parts of Dewa and Mutsu provinces), never returning south to Edo or Nagoya.

It is unclear if he ever met with other now prominent travelers, such as Furukawa Koshôken, who spent time in Tôhoku at the same time as Masumi was there, however, on several occasions, Masumi took note in his writings of preparations for an official group which scholars surmise was that with which Koshôken was traveling.

In his later years, he attempted to chart the complete topography of this area, a project he never completed.

Masumi died in 1829, leaving numerous diaries full of waka poetry, paintings, and descriptions in great detail of people and places.

Achievements

• His writings were collected and published in 1966 as Sugae Masumi yûranki ("Records of the Travels of Sugae Masumi").

Works

More photos

• book

  • Sugae Masumi yûranki