Begin Japanology
Season 4 Episode 28 - Traditional Japanese Mathematics
Imagine that you have two equally-sized square sheets of paper. How would you cut each sheet of paper so that the pieces could be combined to make one larger square? This problem comes from Japan's indigenous mathematics tradition, wasan. In the 17th century and beyond, wasan enjoyed great and widespread popularity. Tablets with math problems written on them can be found in some Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Japanese mathematical genius Seki Takakazu raised wasan to perhaps its highest level. He revealed an understanding of mathematics that, in some respects, was ahead of Western knowledge of the time. In the late 19th century, wasan was replaced by Western-style mathematics and fell into obscurity, but now wasan is enjoying a revival. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is traditional Japanese mathematics. By examining the history of wasan, we will reveal the Japanese attitude towards math.
Episodes in Season 4
Mochi Rice Cake
28 min
Watches and Clocks
28 min
Fugu Blowfish
28 min
Haneda Airport
28 min
Kagura Dances
28 min
Snow
28 min
Pollen Allergy
28 min
Sashimono Woodwork
28 min
Cranes
28 min
Kitchen Knives
28 min
Fishing
28 min
Armour
28 min
Judo
28 min
The Life of Taro Okamoto
28 min
The Life of Osamu Dazai
28 min
The Life of Kenzo Tange
28 min
The Life of Hideko Maehata
28 min
Toilets
28 min
Lifts
28 min
Motorcycles
28 min
Unagi Eel
28 min
Japanophiles - Ilan Yanizky
28 min
Japanophiles - Silvain Guignard
28 min
Japanophiles - Stéphane Danton
28 min
Japanophiles - Dorothy Feibleman
28 min
Plastic Food Samples
28 min
Insects
28 min
Traditional Japanese Mathematics
28 min
Bicycles
28 min
Chusonji
28 min
Seaweed
28 min
Charcoal
28 min
Rain
28 min
Golf
28 min
Shipbuilding
28 min
Japanophiles - Bruce Huebner
28 min
Japanophiles - Noelke Muho
28 min
Japanophiles - Matt Alt
28 min
Karaoke
28 min
Holidays
28 min
Red Sea Bream
28 min
Shopping Streets
28 min
Chickens and Eggs
28 min
