Born in Kyoto, he was an avid reader from early childhood.
He studied at Kennin-ji in Kyoto but declined to become a monk.
Self-taught in Neo-Confucianism, he lectured publicly on the Analects in Kyoto, drawing criticism from an old scholarly family for teaching without licence.
He became a pupil of the Neo-Confucian Fujiwara Seika, whose recommendation opened his path.
He entered Tokugawa Ieyasu's service as drafter of documents and scholarly adviser to the shogunate, going on to serve four shoguns.
The third shogun Iemitsu granted him land at Shinobugaoka in Ueno, where he built a school and library—the origin of the shogunate's later Shōheizaka academy.
He helped draft shogunate laws such as the revised Laws for Military Houses. Neo-Confucianism, stressing hierarchical order, was greatly favoured by the shogunate.
On shogunate orders he began compiling a history of Japan, later completed by his son Gahō as the Honchō Tsugan.
His precious library burned in the Great Meireki Fire, and he died only days later.
Yagyū MunenoriTokugawa HidetadaKasuga no TsuboneKobori EnshūMiyamoto MusashiIngenMatsudaira NobutsunaSenhime
People of the Edo period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.