Historical figures promoting the communication of Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》Compendium of Materia Medica) in Japan

Abstract

Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》 Compendium of Materia Medica) written by Li Shizhen (李时珍) was first introduced to Japan in the early 17th century and played an important role in the development of Japanese Material Medica and natural history in the Edo period. Tokugawa Ieyasu (德川家康), a shogun general, and Hayashi Razan (林罗山), a famous Confucianist in the Edo period, first recommended Ben Cao Gang Mu in Japan. Then, there emerged more scholars at herbal medicine in Japan who studied and taught Ben Cao Gang Mu through family teaching and master-apprenticeship training. Among them, the work of scholars such as Kaibara Ekiken (贝原益轩), Okamoto Ippou (冈本一抱), Matsuoka Gentatsu (松冈玄达), Ono Ranzan (小野蘭山), Iwasaki Kan-en (岩崎灌园), and Maeda Toshiyasu (前田利保) is of great significance to promote the wide communication and acceptance of Ben Cao Gang Mu in the Edo period in Japan. The rise of the Ben Cao Gang Mu in Japan fueled the development of Japanese herbal science and natural history to a new level.

Keywords

• ben cao gang mu (《本草纲目》compendium of materia medica)
• characters
• communication
• edo period