Kaibara Ekiken

Kaibara Ekiken

(born Dec. 17, 1630, Fukuoka, Japan—died Oct. 5, 1714, Japan) Japanese philosopher, travel writer, and pioneer botanist. Trained as a physician, he left the medical profession in 1657 to study the Neo-Confucian writings of Zhu Xi. He wrote about 100 philosophical works, which stressed the hierarchical nature of society and translated Confucian doctrine into terms understood by Japanese of all social classes. His writings include The Great Learning for Women, a tract on obedience long considered the most important ethical text for Japanese women. He is regarded as the father of botany in Japan.