MS Japanese 111

A woodblock printed revised and enlarged edition of a medical handbook written by Hongō Masatoyo and published in 1780; the first edition was published in 1710. It is of pocket-book size and printed in hiragana-majiri with extensive furigana, and has an index with page numbers, a rare feature in 18th-century Japanese publications. As is often the case with medical illustrations, the figures are identifiable from their clothing and beards as Chinese, perhaps with the implication that these techniques are in tune with Chinese practice. The contents cover a large range of medical conditions from boils, headaches, constipation, childbirth, smallpox and other life-threatening diseases, and the remedies recommended including massage, acupuncture, moxibustion and medicines. There is an illustration of the five viscera and six bowels: this and other features of the book show that it largely follows traditional Chinese medicine as practiced in Japan.

Japan, 1780

Material: paper; １冊 | 1 volume; binding dimensions: height 160mm, width 109mm, depth 66mm