Abstract
TAKANO Choei, one of the progressive scientists in Tokugawa Japan, wrote in around 1830 an essay entitled by Taisei-Jishin-Setsu (Remarks on Earthquakes in Europe). We find that the essay is Japanese translation of the article "AARDBEEVING " (EARTHQUAKE) of the academic dictionary in the Netherland, Nieuw en Volkomen Woordenboek van Konsten en Weetenschappen (New Popular Dictionary on Science) edited by Egbert Buys in 1769-1778. The article is as lengthy as 202 lines. A serious misunderstanding is found in TAKANO's translation, which would be overlooked but for the Dutch original. We point out also that the TAKANO's essay was copied, though slightly modified, in Rigaku-Teiyo the famous scientific book written by HIROSE Genkyo in 1856.
