Volume 6, Number 3| Fall 2011

Medical History in Japan“Historical Significance of the Standardization of AcupointLocations”, the Second Japanese Acupoint Committee (3)“Detailed Guide to the Location of Acupoints” from thecalssics to the WHO standardization”, pp411-422, Tokyo,
Ishiyaku Publishing, June 2009 (partially revised)
Makoto Mayanagi
Graduate School of Humanities
Ibaraki University(continued from KAIM Journal vol.6 no.1 and no.2)

5. Acupoint charts up to the Tang period and changes
in acupoints
Since acupoints are located on the body surface
theirvisualization

throughillustrationsundoubtedly started from an early point in time.
Therefore, the "Ming Tong Illustrations" haveprobably been drawn around the creation of theoriginal "Ming Tong Jing". Because no directly
derived drawings exist, there are no concrete clues,
butitcanbeimagined

basedonFigure 7 Huáng Dì Xiā Má Jing

acupointillustrations up to the Tang period.
The oldest extant text with acupoint charts
currently known is the Yellow Emperor's Toad
Prohibitions

forMoxibustion&Cauterization(Huáng Dì Xiā Má Jing) (Figure 7). Based on theworks listed in the Record of the Bibliographic
Catalogs of the Sui dynasty it seems likely that theroots were established in the 3rd century. Not
surprisingly, similar to the "Ming Tang”, these havebeen scattered and lost in China and have beenpreserved and handed down only in Japan. The oldmanuscripts were discovered during the late Edo
period by Mototsugu Taki of the Shogunate MedicalSchool. Figure 7 shows a replica of the Shogunate
Medical School's copy and names of acupoints along
the hairline or Renying (ST9) can be seen. Moreover,it includes a description that like the imaginary toadand rabbit on the moon moxibustion treatment ofsome acupoints should be avoided in correlation withthe waxing and waning of the moon.

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Figure 8 Ishinpo

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

Volume 6, Number 3 | Fall 2011

In the Heian period Yasunori Tamba compiled thedescribes the location of the "human-spirit" elements

text "Ishinpo" based mainly on works from before thecorrelated to the suitability for treatment as

Sui and Tang periods and presented this to theregulated by the oriental zodiac signs characteristicemperor in 984. In the 22nd volume are illustrations
for each of the 10 months of pregnancy, for each anillustration of a naked pregnant woman, fetus,
viscera and bowels, meridians and acupoints all ofof the birth year, seasons, months and days, while atthe end there is a transcription of the year 861. Thus,
this book shows clearly that during the Tang period

which are derived from the Chang Jing. Among theseprior the year 861 textbooks about moxibustion had

the contents related to the correlation between fetal

already been published in Xi'an. At the same timedevelopment

this is also the oldest extant medical book publishing

andviscera-bowels-meridiansoriginates and has been transmitted from the "Tairecord.

Chan Jing" (text on fetuses and birth), placing its
origin extremely far into the past. The date ofcreation of the Chang Jing quoted in the Ishinpo is
not clear, but considering the 5th century appears tobe acceptable and most likely. Figure 8 shows a
reproduction of the "National Treasure Seikido
Library [12], but the book of the Seikido library is anassociated book that has diverged from the Nakarai's
national treasure book during the Edo period. Itcannot definitely be concluded, that the red lines
indicating meridians are actually derived from the"Chang Jing".
A text with acupoint charts of the Tang period wasunearthed in Dunhuang. Figure 9 shows the Stein
Text No. 6168 from The British Library in London
andiscalledthe"Illustrated

Moxibustion

Technique" of the "Moxibustion Scripture". Like theXia Ma Jing no meridians are drawn and only points
not used today like "Shou Suikong" or " Wuzhou"
have been marked. Also, the Pelliot text No. 2675
[13], which is in the possession of the La
Bibliothèque nationale de France, mentions at theFigure 9 Stein Text No. 6168
(London, The British Library)

beginning a "First Volume of the New Adorned

On the other hand, paying attention to the hair

Scripture of Moxibustion for Acute conditions". Instyle shown in Figures 7-9 reveals that although only

other words this texts was a reproduction of the one

Figure 8 shows a woman, all are very much alike.

volume work " Xinxiu Beiji Jiujing" published by theThe drawing style of the bodies too is strikingly

Li family living a business area in the eastern

similar. This shows, that until the Tang period themarket of the capital (today called Xi'an). On theacupoint charts adopted a standardized style. Also ofbackside of the paper the second half of this booksignificance in Pelliot's text No. 2675 there is a large

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Volume 6, Number 3| Fall 2011

inscription of "Ming Tang" above the body, revealing

the following year based on that work created a 3-that acupoint illustrations have been called "Mingdimensional figure, that was "newly cast" and heTang". If that is so, the "Ming Tang Tu" prepared inrevised the 14 meridians and 354 acupoints in 1026,

the third century too was drawn in this style andpublishing the "Illustrated Meridians" as the 3-

later presumably followed until the Tang period.

volume work "(Newly casted) Tong Ren Shu Xue
Shen Jiu Tu Jing [14].

Yet, changes occurred in the acupoints. The
points" Shou Suikong" or " Wuzhou 2 shown inThe Northern Song editions of the time usedFigure 9 are not found in the "Ming Tang", and incharacters of coin size and even B4 paper size large

Pelliot's text No. 2675 the point GB21 jianjing (肩井)characters, were mostly luxury books for the court

is called bo jing (膊井), the point TE20 jiaosun (角孫)and government officials and consequently too

is recored as yin hui (陰会), the point GV23 shengting

expensive(神庭) is called zhu shen (住神) and the point between

Therefore, subsequent publishing of small print

the eyebrows EX-2 yin tang is called guang ming.

editions for the general population was common forDuring the time following the "Ming Tang" toomedical books. Yet, trying to create a small printed

different names for acupoints and new acupoints

version of the "Tong ren shu xue shen jiu tu jing"appeared and different schools and theories using

makes it difficult to contain the bronze figure

those names continued to be established.

illustrations. Presumably this seems to have beenforordinary

peopleorphysicians.

the reason why there has been no small print edition
6 Tertiary standardization – unification on aof this work, but the government had this booknational level

carved as a stone relief that was then erected in theAfter the Tang period and through a period of 5

capital of Bianjing (today's Kaifeng) and spread bygenerations of confusion, China was reunited underhaving people make rubbed copies of it. The casting

the Northern Sung government, and maybe also dueof this bronze figure and publishing of the book, andto the emperor's pursuit of a civilian controlled policy,again the rubbed copies obtained from the stone

attached great importance to medical policies. On

relief were used as a means for the careful spread of

this foundation "Su Wen", "Ling Shu" and similar

this knowledge and had the purpose of achieving

medical classics were revised, books on herbology

unification on a national level. It is no exaggeration

also enlarged and revised a large portion of medical

to call precisely this the tertiary standardization.

encyclopedias newly compiled and using the wood-Incidentally, quotations in the "Xia Ma Jing" orblock printing technique that had spread at that

"Ishinpo" derived from the "Chang Jing" or Pelliot

time governmental editions were published. The

text No. 2675 show that the discourse pertaining toeffects of acupuncture and moxibustion too were

the determination of the type of meridian or theacknowledged by the emperor himself, so that heacupoints to be avoided depending on the location ofordered the medical officer Wang Wei Yi to correct

the human spirit was very popular until the Tangthe confusion about meridians and acupoints. By

period. Whether this view already prevailed from theimperial command Wei Yi prepared his "Illustrated

stage of the "Ming Tang " is unknown, but they areMeridians" (illustrations and descriptive text) and inreferred to twice in the "Illustration of the Brass

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

Volume 6, Number 3 | Fall 2011

Man Acupuncture and Moxibustion". Apparently,
the widespread discourse could not be neglected.

Figure 11
Figure 10

Rubbed copy of a gravestone

Bronze figure (Tokyo National Museum)

Figure 11 shows a rubbed copy of the stone relief

Figure 10 shows the bronze figure at the Tokyo

immediately after it had been set up in Bianjing [16]National Museum, which had originally been cast inand "First Volume of the Newly Cast Bronze Figure

Northern Song and had been called "Tensei dojin".

Illustration of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" isThis originates according to Chen cunren theory tofound in the left lower corner. This stone relief was

the joining of the Japanese army when the allied

moved during the Yuan period to Beijing and hadforces of eight countries attacked Beijing during thethere been preserved until the Ming period. ThisBoxer Rebellion and carried it away from the oldparticular stone remnant was discovered duringpalace in Beijing. However, Professor Hiroshi Kosoto

excavations at Beijing's castle wall and a portion offrom Kitazato University showed beyond any room

it is now on display on the 6th floor of the The Chinesefor dispute that this particular bronze figure had

Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Further, the Ming

been cast by the acupuncture medical officer Jizen

government also completely replicated the Northern

Yamazaki upon order from the shogunate during theSong stone relief because of damage and wear andEdo period by the end of the 18th century and been inallowed to make rubbed copies of it to spread thethe possession of the Edo Medical School [15].

knowledge. The library of the Imperial HouseholdAgency is in the possession of a complete rubbed copy

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Volume 6, Number 3| Fall 2011

from the Ming period that originally had been
together with the bronze figure shown in Figure 10
in the possession of the Edo Medical School.

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