Sairan Igen

The Sairan Igen (采覧異言) is a five-volume geography established in 1713 then revised in 1725 by the Japanese Confucian philosopher, government official, and poet Arai Hakuseki.^[1] It was an early and influential work of world geography in Japan, widely circulated there by manuscripts.^[2] Based on knowledge that Hakuseki gained through conversations with missionary Giovanni Battista Sidotti^[2] and referencing such works as Matteo Ricci's Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (lit. 'A Map of the Myriad Countries of the World'),^[1] the books describe the geography, history, customs, and biological organisms of the world as known during Hakuseki's day.^[1]