This paper explores the possibility that the Kanshuka (“Drinking Song”), which the Edo-period Dutch scholar Aoki Kon’yō (1698–1769) is said to have learned from Dutch merchants in 1745, included a theatrical song from Le Tombeau de Nostradamus, a work featured in the 18th-century French comic opera collection Le Théâtre de la Foire (1721–1737). Focusing particularly on the phrase “Vive Michel Nostradamus,” which is sung repeatedly in the play, the study argues that this phrase may have impressed itself upon Aoki’s memory as a proper noun, thus constituting one of the earliest instances of Nostradamus’s name being received in Japan. By analyzing Aoki’s emphasis on auditory-based language acquisition, as well as the operatic-comic structure of the play and the melodic features of the vaudeville genre, the paper demonstrates how the name “Nostradamus” could have been transmitted to Japan as a sound memory—prior to any semantic understanding. In contrast to conventional histories that trace the Japanese reception of Nostradamus primarily through 20th-century translations and prophetic literature, this study proposes a new cultural translation circuit based on “transmission through sound,” offering a case of the prophetic arrival of a foreign name independently of written texts or meaning.

§1. Background and Significance of the Study 

§2. Aoki Konyō's Linguistic Studies and the Kanshuka

§3. Theatrical Background and Structure of Le Théâtre de la Foire and Le Tombeau de Nostradamus

§4. Lyrics and Melody: "Vive Michel Nostradamus" as Linguistic and Cultural Evidence

§5. Conclusion: The Transmission of "Nostradamus" as Sound and Its Cultural Significance

References

Report:re_L0015e, 2025/06/25

Compiled and Published by: Hayato Takubo (Nostradamus Research Lab / OFFICE SURPLACE)

Publication Dates: Jun 25, 2025

Format: PDF (sequential updates) / Non-commercial open access (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Copyright © 2025 Hayato Takubo. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is prohibited.

Contact: hayatos2011-nostradamuslab01[at]yahoo.co.jp (Please replace [at] with @)