Person

Hiraga Gennai

1728–1780 · 18th century

Hiraga Gennai was a Japanese scholar of Western learning, inventor, writer and painter of the Edo period, born in Sanuki province. He built an electrostatic generator, promoted mining and natural history, and wrote popular fiction and plays. Visiting Akita in 1773 to advise on its mines, he taught Western painting techniques to Odano Naotake, giving rise to the Akita school of painting.

Hiraga Gennai
Image: 木村黙老 / Momuō Kimura · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kubota Domain

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hiraga Gennai. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hiraga-gennai
MLA
“Hiraga Gennai.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hiraga-gennai. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Hiraga Gennai.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hiraga-gennai.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hiraga Gennai’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hiraga-gennai (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻