Background
Mayori Kurokawa was born in Kiriyu in the province of Kozuke (present-day Gunma Prefecture), he had the original lineage name Kaneko.
Mayori Kurokawa was born in Kiriyu in the province of Kozuke (present-day Gunma Prefecture), he had the original lineage name Kaneko.
Mayori Kurokawa became interested in the study of Japanese classical poetry from an early age, and studied kokugaku in Edo, where he was adopted by Kurokawa Harumura, a proponent of Kariya Ekisai's school of kokugaku.
In 1869 Mayori Kurokawa became Junior Professor of the University (daigaku shojokyo), and subsequently held a variety of government positions in the Ministry of Education (Monbusho), the Genroin (Council of Elders, a legislative body preceding the establishment of the Diet), the Imperial Household Ministry (Kunaisho) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce (Noshomusho).
In 1879 Mayori Kurokawa became a professor at Tokyo Imperial University, where he remained until his retirement in 1902. In 1888 he obtained a doctorate and then he was promoted professor at Tokyo University (1893). While working for the Imperial Museum he made research and catalogued national treasures scattered all over the country. He sent all historical Imperial articles to the Shosom of Todaiji Temple. Among his works are an encyclopedia titled "Kojiruien", a picture book on archaeology and a 16-volume collection of his works titled "Complete Works of Kurokawa Mayori."
During his tenure in Tokyo Imperial University, he also served as an adjunct lecturer at Tokyo Normal School (Tokyo Shihan Gakko), Tokyo School of Fine Arts (Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko) and the Tokyo School of Music (Tokyo Ongaku Gakko), and the Upper Normal School (Koto Shihan Gakko). His responsibilities included editing several history textbooks including Shiryaku kōan and Kokushian and assisting in the compilation of the Koji ruien (Encyclopedia of Ancient Matters).
His academic specialty was primarily philology, but he also excelled in text-based research of art and architecture and was familiar with the history of ancient customs, making him a veritable encyclopedia of all aspects of kokugaku learning.