Japanese mathematics (和算, wasan?) denotes a distinct kind of mathematics which was developed in Japan during the Edo Period (1603–1867). The term wasan, from wa ("Japan") and san ("calculation"), was coined in the 1870s and employed to distinguish native Japanese mathematics theory from Western mathematics (洋算 yōsan).
In the history of mathematics, the development of wasan falls outside the Western realms of people, propositions and alternate solutions. At the beginning of the Meiji era (1868–1912), Japan and its people opened themselves to the West. Japanese scholars adopted Western mathematics, and this led to a decline of interest in the ideas used in wasan.
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