Volume 4, Number 3 | Fall 2009

Medical History in Japan
Sotetsu Ishizaka’s “Shinkyu Chiyo Ichigen (3)Kenji Kobayashi
Guest researcher of Medical History Research Dept.
Kitazato University Oriental Medicine Research Center[Part 3 of this series]- Moxibustion, again according to the Chineseclassics is a treatment form applied first when thesites of the body’s arteries that are supposed tomove have stopped moving, or else when themovement of sites that should move strongly isonly very light.
The number of moxibustion cones ranges fromthree to seven.
It is used for all skin diseases, obstruction,entanglement, blockage, closure or weakening of
the essence and spirit as well as the Eie nutritiveand protective qi network vessels (luo mai) /Senraku ( 纖 絡 fine vessels, xian luo). Oftenmarked effects can be achieved.
For these reasons it should be used forsuperficial pain in any location.
In China 365 points have be determined on thehuman body and are used as a guide for theacupuncture and moxibustion treatment.
For all ancient people these were sites at which
the essence and spirit as well as the nutritive andprotective qi accumulated and were given
corresponding indicative names. Yet, during theirhanding down over the generations the number of
mistakes has increased.
In today’s China, simplistic concepts like "thispoint cures this disease" are used and both theacupuncture technique as well as the moxibustion
method seem to have fallen into misuse.
Now, the sites at which essence and spirit aswell as the nutritive and protective qi accumulate
are also the portals through which the pathogenic
qi enters. At the locations of this pathogenic qi

warmth/cold of the skin, smoothness/roughness
have to be carefully observed and moxibustion
performed at sites where that person suffers. It is
important to understand that fomenting lotions
should be used and cauterized with strong directheat.
Red-hot needling or fire needling heals themuscles. Moxibustion is a method to heal the skinand interstices.
The size of the moxa cone should be prepareddepending on whether one treats an adult, elder
or child, exuberance or debilitation.
- The old names of "Banshin, Shoshin andKashin" (all meaning fire needles) are made ofiron in the shape of modern thin tongs that are
baked until they are red-hot and then inserted
into the ailing muscles, as a treatment for
numbness and pain.
Prior to their application it must be carefully
discerned whether the affected site is superficial
or deep, and accordingly also pierced either
superficially or deep. This technique does appear
in the Chinese classics, but has declined and is nolonger used.
Previously, in my days as an acupuncture
instructor in Koshu, I heard a story from a certain
person in the town Kajicho in Fucho in the regionof Suruga, describing how a certain blacksmith
suffered for a long time from abdominal pain andtried various treatments. Yet, because it did not
improve at all he started to think about suicide
and thus heated tongs until they were red-hot
and thrust them into the painful site. Thereupon
the long-standing pain was cured immediately.
That is a story showing that this act had a similareffect as the ancient "Banshin" (red-hot needling).
The above is an outline of the acupuncture andmoxibustion techniques.

The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)

21Volume 4, Number 3 | Fall 2009

One phrase in the classic "Shinkei" (zhen jing)says: "Those who know the essence, can express itin one word. Those who don't know the essenceloose themselves in pointless chatter."That is why I have named it with the short
title "Essentials in a word" (Chiyo Ichigen).
If this method and its techniques werepracticed in the West, I am convinced that it willachieve good results.
Since the reducing technique of acupuncture
has already be performed in the West for sometime, acquisition of the skill for tonification withfine needles, directional reducing-reinforcing andthe essentials of deficiency and excess and theirperformance in the various western countries will
doubtlessly lead to a further development ofacupuncture and moxibustion.
[Author's note: The above is a summary of theessentials of acupuncture and moxibustion.]
On New Year of the year Bunsei 7 (1824) I
received a letter from the interpreter Sakusaburo
Nakayama from the Nagasaki trade post. The
following is a brief summary of its contents.

"Last year (1823) the surgeon Dr. Siebold cameto Japan. He enthusiastically studies all sorts ofsubjects, since last autumn he started to collectmedicinal plants and even started to prepare
medicines and has gathered specimens I havenever even seen before, corrected theirindications and is a person of very high ideals. Dr.
Siebold has already read a textbook about
acupuncture written by Kaempfer2) and therefore
knows about acupuncture and moxibustion, butthat particular book apparently was not very
detailed, so that he aspires to see it with his own
eyes and wants to know more about the technique.
When I showed him a copy of "Chiyo Ichigen" hewanted to study the subject in greater detail, sothat upon my explanations of the contents, hesaid: "This is truly the essence of acupunctureand moxibustion."[Illustration 9] An acupuncture point chartaccording to Kaempfer's "Kyu Sho Kagami"(Examples of moxibustion sites)[Illustration 10] Kaempfer "Tools for Japanese
Acupuncture"[Illustration 9]

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The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)

Volume 4, Number 3 | Fall 2009http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/
http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/kaempfer/index.html* [Japanese acupuncture tools]
http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/kaempfer/eng44.html* [Acupoint chart according to the [Kyu ShoKagami]
http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/kaempfer/eng45.html**********************************************
Dr. Siebold wanted to have this text translated
into Dutch and therefore asked the student Junzo
Mima in Tokushima prefecture, who has
zealously devoted himself to the study of Westernsciences, whether he would like to work on thismanuscript for his own study. He prepared a draft
and when he showed it to Dr. Siebold, he literally
leaped up with joy.

[Illustration 10]*********************************************
2) German physician Engelbert Kaempfer (1651 –1716). Written in Chinese characters as: "検夫爾"。During the Genroku era had an audience
as a Dutch factory member with Tsuneyoshi.
Wrote the book『日本誌』("Nihonshi" = The
History of Japan). In his book 『廻国奇観』("Gaikoku Kiran" = Amoenitates Exoticae) heintroduced moxibustion therapy and includedthe illustration "Kyu Sho Kagami". Details
about acupuncture therapy were unknown.
Kaempfer's『日本誌』("Nihonshi" = The Historyof Japan) is currently on display on the digitalarchive website of Kyushu University.

Thus Siebold was able to grasp the intricacies
of acupuncture and moxibustion and plans to go
to Edo in spring of next year with the head of theDejima trading post in Nagasaki. At that time hewould really like to meet with master Sotetsu. He
mentioned that he would like to ask somequestions about still unclear passages. Pleaseconsider meeting him on that occasion.
The end."This letter was translated by the official
interpreter Sakusaburo Nakayama and presented
to my father master Sotetsu. When my fatherSotetsu saw the letter, he said:"I am under the impression that this Dutch
physician Dr. Siebold is a person with such asagacious comprehensive faculty that "a word will
be enough to this wise man". If that is so, I will
look for an opportunity and later actually teachhim acupuncture and moxibustion in detail."

The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)

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Volume 4, Number 3 | Fall 2009Occasionally, I, Soka, was observing master
Sotetsu quietly by his side commented as follows
while retreating.
"Regarding treatment techniques the Dutch
physician has as a matter of course from thebeginning a more detailed knowledge of anatomy,
but also physiology and pathology than Kampo
medicine. Unfortunately, however, he is not
skilled with the filiform needles. That is a pity.
If Dr. Siebold could acquire these skills,
acupuncture and moxibustion would spreadwidely throughout Europe. On that occasion thebook "Chiyo Ichigen" will become a representative
introduction to this field.
If that would happen to pass, it would become
for future generations a precious testimony of thevalue of this single letter. That is why I write thisdown and pass it on.
Bunsei year 7 (1824), April 15
Signed: Soka Ishizaka3)**********************************************3) Husband of Sotetsu Ishizaka's daughter. The
name is Soka, characters are "Koki, orRekien" (公琦、檪園) and his artist name aswell as alias is Sogen. As an heir to SotetsuIshizaka he served the eleventh shogun Ienari
Tokugawa and the twelfth shogun Ieyoshi. He
died in February of the year 3 of era Bunkyu(1863).
**********************************************

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The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)