Hanawa Hokiichi
Hanawa Hokiichi was a Japanese famous blind scholar and buddhist monk of the Edo period.
Hokiichi became blind when he was 5 years old. He learned history, literature, medical science and jurisprudence from several masters. One of them was Kamo no Mabuchi. Hokiichi compiled "Gunsho Ruijū".
In 1937, Helen Keller came to Japan and visited Hokiichi's memorial house. She expressed her impression as follows: "When I was a child, my mother told me that Mr. Hanawa should be my role model. To visit this place and touch his statue was the most significant event during this trip to Japan. The worn desk and the statue facing down earned more respect of him. I believe that his name would pass down from generation to generation like a stream of water.
