Hiraga Gennai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hiraga Gennai (平賀 源内 Hiraga Gennai?) (1729–79, or Kyōhō 13–Anei 13) is an Edo period Japanese pharmacologist, student of Western studies, physician, author, and inventor who is well known for his Erekiteru, Kandankei and Kakannpu. He also wrote the satirical essay "On Farting."
His father was Shiraishi Mozaemon (Yoshifusa), his mother was from the Yamashita clan, and he had many siblings. His real name was Kunitomo (国倫?), but he also went by the pen names Kyūkei (鳩渓?), Fūrai Yamato (風来山人?) and Fukuuchi Kigai (福内鬼外?). He is most well known by the name "Gennai," however.
Japanese text currently hidden at this location
[edit] Appearances in fiction
- Hiraga makes an appearance in the anime Read or Die, along with many other historical and legendary figures. In Read Or Die, Hiraga uses his elekiter as a very high powered destructive weapon that he uses to destroy the White House and eradicate an entire fleet of combat helicopters.
- He is also referenced in Mai-HiME.
- In the anime Flint the Time Detective, he makes an appearance with the Time Shifter Elecky as he uses it to make giant robots.
- In the Squaresoft game Live-A-Live, there is a mechanic named Gennai who is responsible for the creation of mechanical traps in the Bakumatsu Chapter. Since the setting of the chapter is the Bakumatsu era, his presence is an anachronism, but considering the additional presence of Ishikawa Goemon, Yodo-Dono, and Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, it is clear that this section of the game was intentionally designed as a mash-up of popular Japanese history.
