Dōmei Yakazu

Dōmei Yakazu (矢数 道明) was a Japanese physician who contributed to the restoration of kampo medicine in Japan. In 1979, he was awarded with the lifetime achievement award 最高優功賞 (Saikō Yūkō Shō) by the Japan Medical Association for his contributions to oriental medicine.

Life
Born as Shirō, the fourth son of Tatsunosuke Yakazu and Sute Yakazu in 1905 at Omiya, now Hitachiomiya, Ibaragi Prefecture, he graduated from Mito Commercial School and entered Tokyo Medical University. There he studied traditional Chinese medicine under Professor Mori Dohaku along with his elder brother Kaku. He graduated in 1930, and less than a year later, he renamed himself with an art-name, as Dōmei Yakazu. In 1933, he started his clinic, Onchido Iin, in Tansucho, Yotsuyaku, Tokyo with his younger brother Yudo.

Restoration Movement of Chinese Medicine
In 1933, his younger brother Yudo contracted typhoid fever. Western medicine seemed to do little for his health, and eventually he called upon by Keisetsu Ohtsuka, another kampo physician. His recovered in a way that seemed to him, miraculous. This became an important meeting of the two schools of kampo medicine. Dōmei belonged to the new school, while Ohtsuka belonged to the classical school. Since this meeting, the both schools were united, and a restoration of kampo medicine was started. Dōmei, Ohtsuka and physician Totaro Shimizu formed a Japanese Kampo Medicine Association in 1934. They began publication of the monthly journal Kampo and Kampo Drugs.

Other important members included Kyushin Yumoto and Kenzo Okuda of the classical school, Chokyu Kimura, Anshu Anzai, Yasuaki Nakano, Kōmon Morita of the intermediate school, Kōzō Kurihara and Yūshiro Kimura of pharmacology, Sorei Yanagiya of acupuncture and Yasuhide Ishihara of medical history. Incidentally, the advertisement of kampo medicine was prohibited as a branch of medicine by the Interior ministry, which corresponds to the present Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan). Although kampo medicine was not popular at that time, more than 1000 joined the association.

Lectures of Kampo Medicine at Takushoku University
In 1936, Dōmei, Ohtsuka and others began lecturing at Takushoku University. The calligraphy of the opening ceremony was written by Toyama Mitsuru (頭山 満?, 1855 - 1944), who was a political leader in early 20th century Japan. A total of 61 persons attended the first lectures. The president of Takushoku University formally accepted the lectures in 1937 as the aptly named, Takushoku University Kampo Medicine Lectures. These lectures were followed as Kampo Medicine Lectures of Kampo Tomonokai, with the assistance of president Tsumura Juntendo. This was followed by the present Institute of Kampo Medicine.

Traditional Medicine, Asia and Manchuria
In 1938, after the proposal of Dōmei, the Asia Medicine Association was establish. It published the journal Toa Igaku (Asian Medicine) in 1939. According to policy at the time, it was classified as Kampo and kampo drugs. Later in 1954, Domei restarted Toa Igaku and became the chairman of the directors. He published the monthly Kanpo no rinsho (Clinics of Kanpo). In 1940, he attended a conference on traditional medicine in Manchurian medical universities, and proposed the continuation of traditional medicine there. His proposal was subsequently accepted.

The Practice of Kampo Medinine
In 1941, Dōmei of the post-classical school, Keisetsu Ohtsuka of the classical school, Nagahisa Kimura of the intermediate school, and Fujitaro Shimizu of pharmacology completed a book entitled Practice of Kampo Medicine published by Nanzando after 3 years of preparations. This was a revolutionary textbook since it was written so that those who studied Western medicine could learn kampo medicine by oneself. This book has also been translated into Chinese. The second edition was published in 1954.

A Table of Contents

 * Diagnostics
 * Byōi, Byōjō, Ki, Chi, Suisetsu, Shō, San-in, Sanyō,
 * Inspection diagnostics, Interviews, Pulpation diagnostics, Abdominal diagnostics
 * Therapeutics
 * Principles of therapeutics, Ho, Sha, Jun, Sō, Kan, Netsu, etc.
 * Internal Medicine
 * Infectious disease, Respiratory disease, Digestive disease, etc.
 * Pediatrics
 * Surgery
 * Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Gynecology, Dermatology, etc.
 * Explanations of prescriptions
 * Literatures

Imperial Japanese Army
In October, 1941, Dōmei was drafted and became a doctor of the Imperial Japanese Army. He was sent to the Philippines, Rabaul, and Bougainville Island. There, he learned the local method of kampo, by which a local plant called sago can be eaten. This is reported to have saved many lives of soldiers.

He returned to Japan in March 1946. In 1973, Dōmei revisited the island and presented the local village with an organ. He wrote a book The records of Bougainvillea island army hospital in 1976.

Postwar Years
After returning to Japan, he worked at his office in Ibaragi Prefecture. In 1949, he became a member of Japan Oriental Medicine Association preparatory committee. In 1951, he established the Onchido Yakazu doctor's office in Ogawacho, Shinjuku, Tokyo. In 1950, he assumed the post of one of the directors of the Japan Oriental Medicine Association and between 1959 and 1962 he was the chairman of the board of directors. The Japan Oriental Medicine Association was allowed to join the Japan Medical Association later in 1991. At long last, kampo medicine was accepted as one branch of medicine to be advertised in 2008. This also included kampo internal medicine, kampo surgery and kampo allergy medicine.

University education, Ph.D. and Award
In 1953, he lectured on orienal medicine at Tokyo Medical University and started his Ph.D. studies in 1954 under Professor Saburo Hara of pharmacology. He completed his studies on the pharmacological studies of Aconitum and became a Professor.

Since 1960, he became a director of the Association of the Japanese Medical History and he presented the Yakazu Medical History Award with the retirement grant in 1988. On October 21, 2002 he died of old age.
 * In November 1979, he was given Saiko Yukosho, which is a career excellence award 最高優功賞 (Saikō Yūkō Shō) by the Japan Medical Association for his contributions to oriental medicine.
 * In 1980, he assumed the top post of the Kitasato University Oriental Medicine Research Center and in 1982, he assumed the post of communications committee of 8 oriental medicine centers.
 * In 1981, he became a Doctor of Letters of Keio University for his studies studies on medical history, especially Manase Dōsan (1507-1594) and his school. He is known to have inspired many physicians in Japanese history, including Manase Dōsan.

Publications

 * Explanations of kampo prescriptions Nihon Kanpo Igakkai,1940
 * Keisetsu Ohtsuka, etc., Practice of Kampo Medicine, 1941, Nanzando,revized in 1954
 * Kampo Kosei Yoho Prescriptions explained 1959, Idono Nihonsha
 * 100 stories of kanpo in 8 series, 1960-1995, Idono Nihonsha
 * Kampo prescriptions, clinical applications, 1966, Sogensha
 * A Chronological Table of Kampo 1968,Onchikai
 * Keisetsu Otsuka et al., Kampo Medicine Textbook, 1969, Nanzando
 * the records of Bougainvillea island army hospital, 1976, Idono Nihonsha.
 * Ohtsuka Keisetsu, Dōmei Yakazu, Modern kanmo books collected 1-116,1979-1984, Meicho Shuppan
 * Dōmei Yakazu, Keido Yakazu, Kampo Prescriptions according to symptoms and disease, by Kakazu Dōmei and Yakazu Keido 1979,Shufuno Tomosha*Dōmei Yakazu,110 years of Kampo and future 1979, Shunyodo
 * Katsu Inaba et al., Fukusho Kiran 1981, Idono Nihon
 * Dōmei Yakazu, Kampo questions and answers 1991, Nihon Ijishinposha
 * Dōmei Yakazu, Kosan Sakaguchi, Kampo Mugen, the origin of modern kanpo 1992, Modori Shobo
 * Ippō Okamoto, Dōmei Yakazu et al. Hōi Bengi2003, Meicho Shuppan