Volume 1, Special Edition | Current Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2010

Welcome to the Museum of Traditional Medicine!
Morinomiya College of Medical Arts and Sciences

Tatoos in red and black on the white colored face?!
The unusual shaped five-head manikin with roundshoulders(forwardheadposture)

exposing

thecollarbones and drooping hands is a douningyo or
meridian doll, which attracts popularity as a symbol ofthe Museum. Photo 1 shows the manikin that has been
handed down in the Takeda family in Saga prefecture,Kyushu.
This kind of meridian doll is called tong ren ordouningyo (bronze doll) because it was first made ofbronze in China. Many ancient meridian dolls made of
paper or wood still remain in Japan. The Museum of
Traditional Medicine houses a collection of four othermeridian dolls made of paper and wood.

The photo of Meido-zu (meridian chart) with aunique expression illustrated beautifully with thestyle of the 17th century. This inspired Hidetaro Mori
to begin his collection. Hidetaro Mori collected many of
the historical materials displayed in the Museum.
W he n heen co un teredt hi s M e i do - zua bo u t 30 y e a r sa g o , he w asi mp re s sed t ha tol d mate rialr ela ting toa cu pu nc tur ea nd mox i bu s ti o nr emaine d . TheMuse um ofT r adi tion alMedi ci ne hou se sma ny ot her
Meido -zu’s hecolle cted.

Photo 1: Meridian Doll handed down in the Takeda
family (Height 80 cm, Breadth of Shoulder 17cm (circa

Photo 2. Meido Douningyo (Meridian Chart)

1700)

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

123Volume 1, Special Edition | Current Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2010

Acupuncture and moxibustion originating in China
are said to have been introduced into Japan in the year
562

whenBuddhism

firstarrivedinJapan.

Subsequently, mainstream medicine was Kampo,
acupuncture, or moxibustion until western medicine
was adopted.
Kampo, acupuncture, and moxibustion of Chinese
medicine, however, have not been used literally inJapan. Instead they developed to their present form
with the addition of modifications, theories, andtechniques unique to Japan. Among other things,
advanced metallurgical technology has allowed themanufactureofvery

Furthermore,thishasfineacupunctureenabledneedles.

delicateneedlemanipulations distinctive to Japanese acupuncture,providing subtle stimulation with effectiveness.
Special techniques that are not seen in China havebeen developed, such as the Sugiyama method of“Kanshin-jutsu” inserting a needle using a guide tube
and the Misono method of “Dashin-jutsu” inserting aneedle using a hammer tapping the head of the needle.

Photo 3. Illustration of Meido (Meridians) andManikin with Five Visceral Organs

In the Edo period, many schools of thought emerged
and developed providing techniques that are used tothis day.
On the other hand, moxibustion that uses moxa or
mugwort herb to burn directly on the skin of a patient
was by far the most popular in the Edo period. This
took root in the life of the common people as a means oftreatment or self-care to prevent disease. Books onmoxibustion points and ukiyo-e woodblock prints
depicting a scene where a patient is receiving
moxibustion

provideuswithrichhistoricalinformation.
We can learn much of the history of acupuncture andmoxibustion from the historical materials including
Meido-zu (meridian chart), douningyo (meridian doll),ukiyo-e, and the book of secrets and tips.
These historical items are on display for the public
at the Museum of Traditional Medicine.
Please visit the Museum and enjoy exploring ourcollections.

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Photo 4. Old Picture of Workman (acupuncturist),
work in the early Edo period

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

Volume 1, Special Edition | Current Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2010

In the right upper part of Photo 4, a scene where apatient receiving tapping acupuncture is depicted. The
tapping technique, which is a needle insertion method
unique to Japanese acupuncture, was widely popularin around 1600.

Photo 8. Scene of Pediatric Moxibustion (A woman
is holding a child using her legs with her left hand
Photo 5. Tapping apparatus of the Mubunryu
Needling Method

taking hold of the right hand of the child to give
moxibustion for her jian (second space on the radial
sideoftheindex

fingerdistaltothe2nd

metacarpo-phalangeal joint), san jian (third space on
the radial side of the index finger, proximal to the headof the 2nd metacarpal bone), he gu (union valley in themiddle of the 2nd metacarpal bone on the radial side) ofthe large intestine meridian points. (Picture drawn
between 1832 and 1842）

Photo 6. Filiform Needle and Needle Box

Photo 9. Moxibustion Box
Old oil lamp stand type of moxibustion box used by
Photo 7. Ukiyo-e “Atsusou (seems hot)” (1888)

the domain lord of Matsumoto. The box contains all

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

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Volume 1, Special Edition | Current Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2010

the necessary items for administering moxibustion,such as moxa, incense sticks, charcoal container, andink brush・stone.

Photo 10. Books on Falconry by Nezu Family (1577)
Rolled books handed down in the falconer family,
describing the moxibustion points of a falcon. Horses
and cows received acupuncture or moxibustion therapy
in these days. Old books on meridian points for thetreatment of disease are on display at the Museum.
Introduced above are a part of the collections thatare on display.
References:
Hitoshi NAGANO, et al.: Museum of Traditional
Medicine Vol. 1 Bronze Doll, Meido-zu; Publishing

Opening Times: 13:30 – 18:30 Closed on: Saturdays,Sundays, National Holidays, and Official School
Holidays Admission fee: Free for all visitors Access: By
Osaka Municipal Subway Chuo Line,
Nearest station: “Midoribashi”, Exit No. 3 (sevenminute walk to the Museum area) By JR Kanjou-sen,
Osaka Municipal Subway Chuo Line/Tsurumi
Ryokuchi-sen, the nearest station: “Morinomiya”(twelve minute walk to the Museum area)
Address: Museum of Traditional Medicine
4-1-8, Nakamoto, Higashi-Nari-ku, Osaka,537-0022 Morinomiya College of Medical Artsand Sciences, Main building 3F.
TEL 06−6976−6889 FAX 06−6973−3133 URL：
http://www.harikyumuseum.com

Access Map

Department at Morinomiya College of Medical Arts
and Sciences, 2001.
Hidetaro MORI and Hitoshi NAGANO: Museum of
Traditional Medicine Vol. 2 Nihon-no Dentou to Iryou
to Buka-hen; Publishing Department at Morinomiya
College of Medical Arts and Sciences, 2003
Hitoshi NAGANO: Hari-kyu Museum no tanjyo tokongo-no-tenbou,

AcupunctureandMoxibustion

OSAKA Vol.16-4, p.111-118, 2000
Hidetaro MORI: Shin-setu shita hari-kyu Museum,
THE SHIBUNN No.110, p.69-81,2002

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