He was born in Harima Province (now Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture) on February 8, 1561 to the
Reizei family. At the age of seven or eight he was sent to the
Shōkoku-ji temple to become a
Zen Buddhist priest. There, he studied
Confucianism alongside his Zen studies. In 1596, Fujiwara attempted to travel to
Ming China in order to study under an authentic Confucian master, but inclement weather forced the party to turn back. Fujiwara learned more about
Neo-Confucianism from the Korean scholar
Kang Hang. == See also ==