2018 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Imagining the Inner Body in 16th-Century Japan: "Harikikigaki"
| Project/Area Number |
15K02849
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| Research Institution | Kansai Gaidai University |
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Principal Investigator |
Kenney E.R 関西外国語大学, 外国語学部, 准教授 (60368272)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | Harikikigai / worms / medicine / Muromachi |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This year, my fourth year of the grant, I had only a small amount of funds. I used the funds to go to Tokyo and do research at the National Diet Library.
I continue with my translation and analysis of "Harikikgaki" a late 16th-century Japanese medical manuscript that focuses on worms (mushi, 虫). The hand-drawn illustrations are unique. In addition, most of the names of the 64 worms are not found elsewhere in the medical literature, either Japanese or Chinese.
During the four years of research, I have read widely in Asian medicine. I have read everything in English, a lot in Japanese, and I have looked at many medical texts in Chinese.
For the last few years, there has been no new publication in Japanese or another language that discusses "Harikikigaki." Therefore, I believe that my research, when published, will be particularly valuable to researchers who do not read Japanese fluently.
Because, as stated above, there is nothing remotely similar to "Harikikigaki," plan to offer some original interpretations, completely different from the views of Japanese scholars who tend to suggest that "Harikikigaki" belongs to a secret tradition of medicine, and that is why there are no other similar texts.
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Research Products
(2 results)
