On the Mei Wending's Work in Momijiyama Bunko Library

Abstract

Mei Wending (1633-1721) is recognized as one of the most influential mathematicians and astronomers of eighteen-century China. While propagandizing Christianity, Jesuit missionaries introduced Western scientific knowledge to 17^ <th> century China. Mei Wending's devoted his scholarly life to the integration and assimilation of Western science into traditional Chinese mathematical and scientific know-how. Mei Wending was both a prolific writer and influential scholar in Asia, his works were studied by generations of Chinese as well as Japanese mathematicians of the Wasan-ka school. With the aim of creating a more precise calendar, which was in great demand domestically, Wasan-ka scholars carefully studied his works after they were introduced into Edo Japan in 1726. Many Chinese mathematics and calendar texts have been preserved today in the Momijiyama Bunko Library, established by the the Tokugawa government in 1602. During our survey of 18^ <th> century Chinese texts in the Momijiyama Bunko Library, we unearthed several important texts concerning Mei Wending's works, publications and manuscripts hitherto unknown to Japanese historians of mathematics. Some of the most important are : 1) Li ski quan shu <暦學全書> (Compendium of Calendar) 2) Li suan quan shui <暦算全書> (Compendium of Mathematics and Calendar), 2^ <nd> edition, 1724 3) Ge yuan ba xian zhi biao <割圓八線之表> (Table for the Eight Lines Cutting a Circle) 4) San jia ce liang he ding <三家測量合訂> (Recompile of Textbook on Land Surveying by the Three Great Mathematicians) In this paper, we first summarize the contents of the above mathematical and calendar texts. Second, we discuss how the works were transmitted into Japan and how they were viewed and analyzed by Japanese mathematicians at the time. Finally, we discuss the various ways texts were exported from China and introduced into Japan.