On July the 23rd, I watched an animation movie called “SAMPO SHOJO（算法少女）” which is based on a real girl who lived in Edo period and authored her book of Japanese mathematics, whose name is “Sampo Shojo (= arithmetic girl)”. The fictional story was first appeared in a novel by Hiroko Endo（遠藤寛子）, and animated by Shiro Tomura（外村史郎）. Basically the animation was a good mixture of still images and video, decorated by Japanese vitality and stability with a faint exotics prominent in the age, which is also true for musical structures. The author of “Sampo Shojo”, Aki Chiba（千葉あき） introduced many people to the mysterious nature of mathematics, common throughout the universe. Even Tamon Yamada（山田多門）, who is a samurai warrior, deeply impressed by the act of Aki and determined himself to be out of his feudal domain（藩）, leaving political matters behind. In Japan, mathematics developed in its own way during Edo period and people dedicated Sangaku (算額、a votive tablet depicting a math puzzle) to a shrine or a temple to show gods/goddesses or Buddhas their development in mathematics. This unique custom is a basement of the authority of the book “Sampo Shojo”. You may enjoy this old-tale-like story.
