Background
Toju Nakae was born on the 21st of April 1608 in in the village of Ogawa in the province of Omi, his personal name was Hajime. His father died and he was adopted at the age of eight by his grandfather Nakae Yoshinaga, a samurai of the domain of Yonago, and when Kato, the lord of Yonago, was transferred to the domain of Osu in Iyo Province in Shikoku, Toju and his grandfather accompanied him there. Upon his grandfather’s death in 1622, Toju became head of the family and an official in the local administration.
Education
Fond of learning, at the age of sixteen Toju Nakae studied on his own Chu Hsi’s commentaries on the Four Books and acquainted himself with the teachings of the Chu Hsi school of Neo-Confucianism.
Career
Toju Nakae served for Lord Osu of Iyo Province, Ehnne Prefecture. Upon the death of his father in 1625, he returned to his native place in Omi. Although he tried to take his widowed mother to Iyo, she would not consent. He, therefore, left the service and lived with his mother. He opened the Toju Shoin, a private school. At the age of 36, he had read all the books of Wang Yang-ming, a Chinese Confucian, and was converted to his doctrine. He emphasized personal practice rather than learning and highly valued filial piety. He wrote books enlightening the masses on filial piety and other Confucian virtues. Although Mitsuinasa Ikeda, Lord of Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, and other daimyo asked for his service, he declined on the pretext of illness.