Ritsuko Izuhara
Kobe Design University, Kobe, Hyogo 651-2196, Japan
(Received September 14, 2001; Accepted October 22, 2001)
Keywords: Diagram, Baien Miura, Sontoku Ninomiya, Symmetry, Mirror Reflection, Rotational Symmetry, Geometry, Philosophy
Abstract. The diagrams drawn by Japanese thinkers in the Edo era are studied. Especially, the diagrams by two thinkers, Baien Miura (1723-1789) and Sontoku Ninomiya (1787-1856) are focused. They thought about human life and natural phenomena on each own unified principle, and formulated them into systems of the diagram. The interesting point is that their diagrams were drawn with similar forms, i.e. with 'circular' shapes and 'symmetry'. However, their symmetry properties are different; Baien's diagrams are mirror reflection but Ninomiya's ones are rotational symmetry. Therefore, this study aims at comparing the diagrams in terms of 'symmetry' and 'form'.