Wolfgang Michel/Michel-Zaitsu (born 1946 in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, Germany) is a professor emeritus of
Kyushu University
, abbreviated to , is a Japanese national university located in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu.
It was the 4th Imperial University in Japan, ranked as 4th in 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, one of the top 10 Design ...
in
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
(Japan). He is a specialist in medicine and allied sciences in the history of east–west cultural exchange. In 1984 he was granted tenure as the first foreigner in a Japanese national university.
Research topics
* Western medicine and allied sciences in
early modern Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
* History of "Dutch Learning" (
Rangaku
''Rangaku'' (Kyūjitai: /Shinjitai: , literally "Dutch learning", and by extension "Western learning") is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Wester ...
) and "Western Studies" (''yôgaku'') in early modern Japan
*
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientifi ...
and
moxibustion
Moxibustion () is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy which consists of burning dried mugwort ('' wikt:moxa'') on particular points on the body. It plays an important role in the traditional medical systems of China, Japan, Korea, Vietna ...
in Europe (16–19th century)
* Eclecticism and indigenous knowledge in early modern Japanese medicine
By combining Japanese and Western manuscript sources, Michel shed new light on Western medicine and allied sciences in early modern Japan and the interdependence of Western studies on Eastern medicine and Japanese studies on Western medicine. His research clarified the mechanism of early medical interactions between Japan and Europe and induced a revision of the concept of ‘Dutch Studies’ (''
rangaku
''Rangaku'' (Kyūjitai: /Shinjitai: , literally "Dutch learning", and by extension "Western learning") is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Wester ...
'') in
Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
Japan. The beginning of Western medicine in Japan is shown as a result of structural conditions, political strategies, individual ambitions and occasional events. At the same time, the introduction of Western treatment methods strongly influenced Japanese research in related fields such as botany and pharmaceutical production techniques while stimulating language studies and the import of Western books. In contrast to previous research on these matters, Michel demonstrates that this change was supported by the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
and began soon after the ‘closure’ of Japan (''
Sakoku
was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...
'') in mid-17th century.
The names of some of the Europeans who introduced Western medicine to Japan can also be found in publications on the history of
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...
in Europe. Michel demonstrated that considerable parts of their reports are actually reflecting genuine Japanese innovations that were not known in China. According to Michel, early modern traditional
Japanese medicine (TJM) is clearly distinguished from
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...
(TCM) and deserves its own place in Far Eastern medical traditions.
Furthermore, Michel brought to light the biographical background and historical influence of numerous personalities involved in early modern exchange between Japan and the West. Especially his writings on
Caspar Schamberger, father of the first Japanese school of Western-style surgery, and
Engelbert Kaempfer
Engelbert Kaempfer (16 September 16512 November 1716) was a German naturalist, physician, explorer and writer known for his tour of Russia, Persia, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan between 1683 and 1693.
He wrote two books about his travels. ''A ...
, author of the famous “History of Japan”, are regarded as pioneering contributions. Michel's critical edition of Kaempfer's unpublished manuscripts provided a more solid foundation for studies on the history of Western observations on Edo-period Japan and the perception of Japan during the
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...
. In acknowledgement of his research Michel was awarded the
Federal Cross of Merit
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
by the German president
Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau (; 16 January 193127 January 2006) was a German politician (SPD). He was the president of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004 and the minister president of North Rhine-Westphalia from 20 September 1978 to 9 June 1998. In the ...
.
From 2008 to 2021 Michel was a member of the permanent executive board of the Japanese Society for the History of Medicine (
Nihon Ishi Gakkai).
Awards
* Science Promotion Award (Japanese Society for the History of Medicine, 1996)
*
Federal Cross of Merit
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
(President of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2004)
* Yakazu Medical History Award (Japanese Society for the History of Medicine, 2018)
* Itan Award (Japanese Society for the History of Medicine Kansai Chapter, 2018)
Published work (selection)
* Michel, Wolfgang (2022), ''Tennentō to no tatakai III: Chūbunihon no shutō'' (Fighting small-pox − Vaccination in Western Japan). Tokyo: Iwata Shoin, 2022. (with Aoki, Toshiyuki; ).
* Michel, Wolfgang (2022), ''Rangoyakusen (Reverse Edition)''. Nakatsu History Museum, Medical Archive Series No. 21, 324pp.
* Michel, Wolfgang (2021), ''Tennentō to no tatakai II: Nishinihon no shutō''. Tokyo: Iwata Shoin. (with Aoki, Toshiyuki; ).
* Engelbert Kaempfer, ''Der 5. Faszikel der „Amoenitates Exoticae“ – die japanische Pflanzenkunde''. Herausgegeben und kommentiert von Brigitte Hoppe und Wolfgang Michel-Zaitsu. Hildesheim/Zürich/New York: Olms-Weidmann, 2019. .
* Michel, Wolfgang (2018), ''Tennentō to no tatakai – Kyushu no shutō''
ighting small-pox – Vaccination in Kyushu Tokyo: Iwata Shoin (with Aoki, Toshiyuki and Oshima, Akihide; )
* __________. (2018), ''Bastaardt Woordenboek (Dutch Edition 1688 / Japanese Version 1822)''. Nakatsu Municipal Museum for History and Folklore, Medical Archive Series No. 17, Nakatsu (introduction in Japanese; ).
Pdf-file
* Michel-Zaitsu, Wolfgang (2017), ''Traditionelle Medizin in Japan – Von der Frühzeit bis zur Gegenwart''
istory of traditional Japanese medicine (TJM) Muenchen: Kiener Verlag. (Yakazu Medical History Award)
* Michel, Wolfgang (2010), ''»Der Ost-Indischen und angrenzenden Königreiche, vornehmste Seltenheiten betreffende kurze Erläuterung« – Neue Funde zum Leben und Werk des Leipziger Chirurgen und Handelsmanns Caspar Schamberger (1623–1706)''. Fukuoka: Hana-Shoin.
xtremely rare private 17th century print on the East-Indies, edited together with an extensive analysis* __________. (2009), ''Kyūshū no rangaku – ekkyō to kōryū''
Dutch Learning' in Kyushu - Border crossing and exchange. Shibunkaku shuppan. (with Torii Yumiko and Kawashima Mahito)
* __________. (2008), ''On Caspar Schamberger's Activities in Japan (1650/51) and Early Caspar-Style Surgery''. Languages and Cultures Series No 18. Kyushu University, 2008, 256 pp.
n Japanese
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
* __________. (2001), ''
Engelbert Kaempfer
Engelbert Kaempfer (16 September 16512 November 1716) was a German naturalist, physician, explorer and writer known for his tour of Russia, Persia, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan between 1683 and 1693.
He wrote two books about his travels. ''A ...
: Heutiges Japan''. Iudicium.
olume 1: Critical edition of Engelbert Kaempfer's manuscript about Japan. Vol 2: Annotations, comments, essays* __________. (1999), ''Von Leipzig nach Japan – Der Chirurg und Handelsmann Caspar Schamberger (1623–1706)''
Caspar_Schamberger_(1623–1706).html" ;"title="rom Leipzig to Japan - The Surgeon and Merchant
Caspar Schamberger (1623–1706)">rom Leipzig to Japan - The Surgeon and Merchant
Caspar Schamberger (1623–1706) Iudicium.
* __________. (1993), ''Erste Abhandlung über die Moxibustion in Europa: das genau untersuchte und auserfundene Podagra, vermittelst selbst sicher-eigenen Genäsung und erlösenden Hülff-Mittels''
irst Treatise on moxibustion in Europe Haug.
References
External links
Pdf-files of publications in Japanese, English and German kept by Kyushu University Institutional Repository (QIR) ResearchgateMichel's Website(Japanese, German, English)
Nakatsu Medical Archive Series(Japanese)
Academia.edu PageMichel-Collection(Kyushu University Medical Library. Ca. 500 premodern Japanese and Western manuscripts and books related to medicine, herbstudies, etc.)
SlideShare(Powerpoint presentations)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michel-Zaitsu, Wolfgang
Living people
German scholars
1946 births
German Japanologists
Historians of Japan
Germany–Japan relations
German male non-fiction writers
Academic staff of Kyushu University
Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany