Origins & Early Life

Seki Takakazu (関 孝和; c. March 1642 – December 5, 1708), also known as Seki Kōwa (関 孝和), was a mathematician, samurai, and Kofu feudal officer of the early Edo period of Japan. Seki laid foundations for the subsequent development of Japanese mathematics, known as wasan from c. 1870.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He has been described as "Japan's Newton". He created a new algebraic notation system and, motivated by astronomical computations, did work on Infinitesimal, Infinite series and Diophantine equations. His successors later developed a school dominant in Japanese mathematics until the end of the Edo period. While it is not clear how much of the achievements of wasan are Seki's, since many of them appear only in writings of his pupils, some of the results parallel or anticipate those discovered in Europe. For example, he is credited with the discovery of Bernoulli numbers.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The resultant and determinant (the first in 1683, the complete version no later than 1710) are attributed to him. Seki also calculated the value of pi correct to the 10th decimal place, having used what is now called the Aitken's delta-squared process, rediscovered later by Alexander Aitken. Seki was influenced by Japanese mathematics books...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Cardinal Richelieu — Contemporary (Died in 1642) (1642): Powerful French statesman who centralized royal authority and checked Habsburg power.
• Galileo Galilei — Contemporary (Died in 1642) (1642): Father of observational astronomy and modern science.
• Guido Reni — Contemporary (Died in 1642) (1642): Master of the Italian Baroque, renowned for classical religious paintings.
• 7th Dalai Lama — Contemporary (Born in 1708) (1708): Spiritual leader of Tibet, recognized as the 7th Dalai Lama from 1720 to 1757.
• Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor — Contemporary (Born in 1708) (1708): Last non-Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, founder of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
• Guru Gobind Singh — Contemporary (Died in 1708) (1708): The tenth and last human Sikh Guru, founder of the Khalsa Panth.
• Abanindranath Tagore — Shared historical date (12-05 · Died) (1951): Pioneering figure of the Bengal School, modernizing Indian art against Western influence.
• Adolph Caesar — Shared historical date (12-05 · Born) (1933): Acclaimed American actor known for his deep voice and Off-Broadway staple status.
• Isaac Newton — Historical peer (Born in 1642) (1642): English polymath whose work established classical mechanics and modern science.
• Mehmed IV — Historical peer (Born in 1642) (1642): Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, known as Mehmed the Hunter, who reigned from 1648 to 1687.
• 1642 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1642
• 1708 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1708
• December 5 (12-05) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on December 5