Yasutaka Okamoto was a scholar. Pseudonym was Kyosai. He possessed a large library and was erudite in both Japanese and Chinese literatures. Wrote hundreds of books of historical researches in classics. One of the greatest historical researchers of literature in modern times. He also wrote Namiwae, a book of essays.
Background
Okamoto Yasutaka-sensei Den records that Okamoto Yasutaka was born on the 29th day of the seventh month of Kansei 9 according to the traditional Japanese calendar, or 1797 in the Gregorian calendar. His father was Wakabayashi Kanesada. Both his birth father and adoptive father, the head of the Okamoto Clan, were retainers of the Tokugawa shoguns. He was born the second son of Wakabayashi Kanesada and so originally bore the family name Wakabayashi. His given name at birth was Takashi, which he changed to Yasutaka when he took over the Okamoto clan in his late teens.
Education
In 1817 he became a disciple of the physician, waka poet and kokugaku scholar Shimizu Hamaomi (ja). In 1819, he met Kariya Ekisai (ja) and was deeply impressed with his scholarship.
Career
In 1870 he was offered a mid-level university teaching position, but resigned after a month. He instead moved to the university's editing and publishing department and devoted his energy to the compilation of the linguistic work Goi. In 1872, immediately following the completion of the first volume of the work, its production was cancelled and he was fired. He produced a large volume of writings, but did not publish any of it during his life, and requested that his works be burned after his death.
