• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.26 no.5_6
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• pp.329-343
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• 2013

Japanese mathematics, namely Wasan, was well-developed before the Meiji period. Takebe Katahiro (1664-1739) and Nakane Genkei (1662-1733), among a great number of mathematicians in Wasan, maybe the most famous ones. Taking Takebe and Nakane's indefinite problems as examples, the similarities and differences are made between Wasan and Chinese mathematics. According to investigating the sources and attitudes to these problems which both Japanese and Chinese mathematicians dealt with, the paper tries to show how and why Japanese mathematicians accepted Chinese tradition and beyond. As a typical sample of the succession of Chinese tradition, Wasan will help people to understand the real meaning of Chinese tradition deeper.