was a Japanese physician who contributed to the restoration of

kampo Kampo or , often known simply as , is the study of traditional medicine in Japan following its introduction, beginning in the 7th century. It was adapted and modified to suit Japanese culture and traditions. Traditional Japanese medicine us ...

medicine in Japan. In 1979, he was awarded the by the Japanese Medical Association for his contributions to oriental medicine.

Life

Yakazu was born in 1905 as Shirō, the fourth son of Tatsunosuke Yakazu and Sute Yakazu, in Omiya (currently Hitachiōmiya,

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

). He graduated from Mito Commercial School and entered

Tokyo Medical University is a Private university, private Medical school, medical university located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1916, it is one of the medical schools established in Japan before World War II. In accordance with the nation's policy for med ...

majoring in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

under Professor Mori Dohaku along with his elder brother Kaku. He graduated in 1930, and less than a year later, he adopted the

art-name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

Dōmei Yakazu. In 1933, he started his own clinic, ''Onchido Iin,'' in Tokyo, with his younger brother Yudo.

Restoration Movement of Chinese Medicine

In 1933, Yakazu's younger brother Yudo was diagnosed with

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

. Western medicine seemed to do little for his health so he sought the help of Keisetsu Ohtsuka, another kampo physician. Yudo recovered, which Dōmei considered a miracle. This became an important meeting of the two schools of kampo medicine. Yakazu belonged to the new school, while Ohtsuka belonged to the more classical one. After this meeting the two schools were united, which marked the beginning of the restoration of kampo medicine. Yakazu, Ohtsuka and the physician Totaro Shimizu formed a Japanese Kampo Medicine Association in 1934.a They began the publication of a monthly journal titled ''Kampo and Kampo Drugs.'' Other important members included Kyushin Yumoto and Kenzo Okuda of the classical school; Chokyu Kimura, Anshu Anzai, Yasuaki Nakano, and Kōmon Morita of the intermediate school; Kōzō Kurihara and Yūshiro Kimura in

pharmacology Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur betwee ...

; Sorei Yanagiya in

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 scientif ...

; and Yasuhide Ishihara in medical history. However, the promotion of kampo medicine as a branch of medicine was prohibited by the

Interior ministry An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

, which corresponds to the present

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan) The is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as in Japan. The ministry provides services on health, labour and welfare. It was formed with the merger of the former Ministry of Health and Welfare or and th ...

. Although kampo medicine was not popular at that time, more than 1000 people joined the association.

Lectures in Kampo Medicine at Takushoku University

In 1936, Dōmei, Ohtsuka and others began lecturing at

Takushoku University Takushoku University (拓殖大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince (title for a Duke at that time) Taro Katsura (1848–1913).calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

for the opening ceremony was written by

Tōyama Mitsuru was a Japanese far right and ultra nationalist politician who founded secret societies called Genyosha ('' Black Ocean Society'') and Kokuryukai (''Black Dragon Society''). Tōyama was an Anti Communist and a strong proponent of Pan Asianism ...

(1855–1944), who was a political leader in early 20th century Japan. A total of 61 people attended the first lectures.Yakazu 980:742/ref> The president of Takushoku University formally accepted the lectures in 1937 as the aptly named ''Takushoku University Kampo Medicine Lectures''. These lectures were followed by the Kampo Medicine Lectures of Kampo Tomonokai, with the assistance of President Tsumura Juntendo. These were replaced by the present ''Institute of Kampo Medicine''.

Traditional Medicine, Asia and Manchuria

In 1938, following a proposal by Dōmei, the ''Asia Medicine Association'' was established. It began publishing the journal Toa Igaku (Asian Medicine) in 1939. According to policy at the time, it was classified as ''Kampo and kampo drugs''. Later, in 1954, Domei restarted Toa Igaku and became its chairman of directors. He also published the monthly ''Kanpo no rinsho (Clinics of Kanpo)''. In 1940, he attended a conference on traditional medicine in

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

n medical universities, and proposed the continuation of traditional medicine there. His proposal was subsequently accepted.

The Practice of Kampo Medicine

In 1941, Dōmei of the post-classical school, Keisetsu Ohtsuka of the classical school, Nagahisa Kimura of the intermediate school, and Fujitaro Shimizu of pharmacology completed a book entitled ''Practice of Kampo Medicine'', published by Nanzando after 3 years of preparation. This was a revolutionary textbook because it was written so that those who had studied Western medicine could learn kampo medicine on their own. This book has also been translated into Chinese. The second edition was published in 1954.

Imperial Japanese Army

In October 1941, Dōmei was drafted and became a doctor of the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

. He was sent to

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

and

Bougainville Island Bougainville Island (; Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Its land area is . The highest point is Mount Balbi, on the main island, at . The much smaller Buk ...

in the Philippines. There, he learned the local method of kampo, in which a local plant,

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

, is eaten. This is reported to have saved the lives of many soldiers. He returned to Japan in March 1946. In 1973, Dōmei revisited the island and presented an

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

to the local village. He wrote a book, ''The records of Bougainville Island Army Hospital'', in 1976.

Postwar Years

After returning to Japan, he worked at his office in

. In 1949, he became a member of the Japan Oriental Medicine Association preparatory committee. In 1951, he established the Onchido Yakazu doctor's office in Ogawacho,

Shinjuku, Tokyo , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

. In 1950, he assumed a post as one of the directors of the Japan Oriental Medicine Association, and between 1959 and 1962 he was the chairman of its board of directors. The Japan Oriental Medicine Association was allowed to join the Japan Medical Association later in 1991. At long last, kampo medicine was accepted in 2008 as one recognized branch of medicine. This also included kampo internal medicine, kampo surgery and kampo allergy medicine.

University education, Ph.D. and Awards

In 1953, Yakazu lectured on oriental medicine at

. The following year he started his Ph.D. studies under the guidance of professor Saburō Hara (pharmacology). He completed his studies on the pharmacological uses of

Aconitum ''Aconitum'' (), also known as aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard's bane, devil's helmet, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family (biology), family Ranunculaceae. These herbaceous perennial ...

. In 1960, he joined the board of trustee of the Japanese Society for the History of Medicine ( Nihon Ishi Gakkai). In 1988, he established the "Yakazu Medical History Award" using his retirement grant. In November 1979, he received the Career Excellence Award (''Saikō Yūkoshō'', by the

Japan Medical Association The (also known as JMA or ), is the largest professional association of licensed physicians in Japan. The JMA has been a member of the World Medical Association since 1951 and participates at all levels of the WMA. National headquarters are locat ...

for his contributions to oriental medicine. In 1980, he assumed the top post of the Kitasato University Oriental Medicine Research Center, and in 1982, he became a member of the communications committee of eight oriental medicine centers. In 1981, he received a

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...

for his studies on medical history, especially Manase Dōsan (1507-1594) and his school. Yakazu is known to have inspired many physicians to study the history Japanese medicine. On October 21, 2002, he died of natural causes.

Publications

*''Explanations of Kampo Prescriptions'' Nihon Kanpo Igakkai, 1940 *Keisetsu Ohtsuka, etc., ''Practice of Kampo Medicine'', 1941, Nanzando, revised in 1954 *''Kampo Kosei Yoho Prescriptions Explained'' 1959, Idono Nihonsha * ''100 Stories of Kanpo'' in 8 series, 1960–1995, Idono Nihonsha *''Kampo Prescriptions, Clinical Applications'', 1966, Sogensha *''A Chronological Table of Kampo'' 1968, Onchikai *Keisetsu Otsuka ''et al.'', ''Kampo Medicine Textbook'', 1969, Nanzando *''The Records of Bougainvillea Island Army Hospital'', 1976, Idono Nihonsha. *Ohtsuka Keisetsu, Dōmei Yakazu, ''Modern Kanmo Books Collected'' 1–116, 1979–1984, Meicho Shuppan *Dōmei Yakazu, Keido Yakazu, ''Kampo Prescriptions according to Symptoms and Disease, by Kakazu Dōmei and Yakazu Keido'' 1979, Shufuno Tomosha*Dōmei Yakazu,''110 Years of Kampo and Future'' 1979, Shunyodo *Katsu Inaba ''et al.'', ''Fukusho Kiran'' 1981, Idono Nihon *Dōmei Yakazu, ''Kampo Questions and Answers'' 1991, Nihon Ijishinposha *Dōmei Yakazu, Kosan Sakaguchi, ''Kampo Mugen, the Origin of Modern Kanpo'' 1992, Modori Shobo *Ippō Okamoto, Dōmei Yakazu ''et al.'' ''Hōi Bengi'' 2003, Meicho Shuppan

References

*Keisetsu Ohtsuka, Dōmei Yakazu, Fujitaro Shimizu, ''Practice of Kampo Medicine'' (漢方診療の実際) 1954, Nanzando, Tokyo *Shozo Muroga ''et al.'' ''矢数道明先生の足跡：戦前・戦中・戦後：漢方と歩んだ日々'' Kampo Igaku, 2003, 27, 2, pp 81–88. *Makoto Mayanagi
真柳誠「略伝矢数道明老師」『温知会会報』2003年、50号、pp 62–66
*Makoto Mayanag

�� *Kanpo No Rinsho Henshubu, ''Album of Dr. Yakazu'', Kanpo no rinsho, 2002, 49, 12, p 1541, p 1546. *Dōmei Yakazu,''大塚敬節先生の追想：初対面と偕行学苑の頃'', Kanpo no Rinsho, 1980,27, 11,、pp 742–745.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yakazu, Domei 20th-century Japanese physicians 1905 births 2002 deaths Traditional Japanese medicine People from Ibaraki Prefecture Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II Imperial Japanese Army officers Japanese military doctors Scientists from Ibaraki Prefecture