Hiraga Gennai
| Hiraga Gennai | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Native name | 平賀 源内 |
| Born | 1728 |
| Died | January 24, 1780 |
| Other names | Kyūkei (鳩渓?), Fūrai Sanjin (風来山人?), Tenjiku rōnin (天竺浪人?) and Fukuchi Kigai (福内鬼外?) |
| Education | student of Rangaku |
| Occupation | physician, author, painter and inventor |
Hiraga Gennai (平賀 源内?, 1728 – January 24, 1780) was an Edo period Japanese pharmacologist, student of Rangaku, physician, author, painter and inventor who is well known for his Erekiteru (electrostatic generator), Kandankei (thermometer) and Kakanpu (asbestos cloth). He also wrote the satirical essay "On Farting."
Born into a low-ranking samurai family, his father was Shiraishi Mozaemon (Yoshifusa), his mother was from the Yamashita clan, and he had many siblings. His real name was Kunitomo (国倫?), but he also went by the pen names Kyūkei (鳩渓?), Fūrai Sanjin (風来山人?) (his principal literary pen name), Tenjiku rōnin (天竺浪人?) and Fukuchi Kigai (福内鬼外?). He is most well known by the name "Gennai", however.
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