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Imagining the Inner Body in 16th-Century Japan: "Harikikigaki"

Research Project

Project/Area Number 15K02849
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Research Field Japanese history
Research InstitutionKansai Gaidai University

Principal Investigator

Kenney Elizabeth  関西外国語大学, 外国語学部, 准教授 (60368272)

Project Period (FY) 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2017: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Fiscal Year 2016: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
KeywordsHarikikigaki / Japanese medicine / mushi / worms / body / parasites / Harikikigai / medicine / Muromachi / history of medicine / view of the body / imaginary worms / 針聞書 / imaginary parasites / Edo-Period medicine / medical manuscripts / Harikikigaki 針聞書 / parasite
Outline of Final Research Achievements

"Harikikigaki" 針聞書 is a Japanese manuscript, dated 1568, made by a doctor who lived in the Osaka area. The manuscript includes drawings of 63 worms (mushi 虫), each with its own name. These worms live in the human body and seem to be parasites. However, the names of the worms are fanciful and most of the names do not appear in other medical texts. For each of the 63 worms, there is a brief description of the patient's symptoms and the cure for the illness. No other non-Japanese researcher has seriously studied "Harikikigaki." The first stage of my research is to translate the text. Further research includes investigating the relationship between "Harikikigaki" and other Japanese medical texts of a similar time period.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

"Harikikigaki" 針聞書 is a Japanese manuscript, dated 1568, made by a doctor who lived in the Osaka area. It is already well known to the Japanese public. My research will introduce a scroll on horse medicine. I expect that Japanese people will be very interested in the unusual paintings.

Report

(5 results)
  • 2018 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2017 Research-status Report
  • 2016 Research-status Report
  • 2015 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (5 results)

All 2018 2017 2016 2015

All Presentation (5 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 4 results,  Invited: 1 results)

  • [Presentation] Two Chinese Commentaries on a Minor Scripture2018

    • Author(s)
      Elizabeth Kenney
    • Organizer
      "Layers of Interpretation," Ludwig-Maximillians-Universitat, Munich
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Buddhism and Shinto in the Life of Yoshida Bunshun"2018

    • Author(s)
      Elizabeth Kenney
    • Organizer
      European Association for the Study of Religions, Bern, Switzerland
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Weird Worms and Odd Gods: Two Japanese Medical Manuscripts2017

    • Author(s)
      Elizabeth Kenney
    • Organizer
      9th International Conference on International Asian Medicines
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Healing Spirits and Bodies at a Shinto Shrine in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Japan2016

    • Author(s)
      Elizabeth Kenney
    • Organizer
      Nordic Association of Japanese and Korean Studies
    • Place of Presentation
      Stockholm, Sweden
    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The Post-mortem Destiny of Fetuses and Infants in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism2015

    • Author(s)
      Elizabeth Kenney
    • Organizer
      The 5th Congress of Asian Studies
    • Place of Presentation
      Institut national des langues et civilisations Orientales, Paris
    • Year and Date
      2015-09-11
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research

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Published: 2015-04-16   Modified: 2020-03-30  

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