User:Immanuelle/Bureau of Pharmacy

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Bureau de pharmacie [en:draft] (典薬寮, Ten'yaku-ryō)
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This is a draft being worked on by Immanuelle. It may be too complex at the moment but she wants to get it ready to be an article someday. Others are free to edit it
This page was last edited by Immanuelle (talk | contribs) 1 second ago.

The Bureau of Pharmacy (典薬寮, Ten'yaku-ryō), also known as the Bureau of Medicine (くすりのつかさ, 薬司), was an institution established under the Ritsuryo system's Medical Affairs Code. It belonged to the Imperial Household Ministry and was responsible for medical care and the preparation of medicines.

It is historically linked to En no Gyōja [en]

The Tanba clan [ja; en; simple; fr] ran it.

Overview

In Japan the Bureau of Pharmacy known as Ten'yakuryō held a role, in caring for the health of noble families and high ranking officials. Established during the century it was inspired by Chinese medical traditions from the Tang dynasty but tailored to fit Japanese culture. This bureau symbolized how medicine and spirituality intertwined during that time blurring the lines between healing practices and mystical beliefs.^[1]

The Bureau of Pharmacys creation demonstrated Japans dedication to elite healthcare drawing from influences. Its staff, often called "court physicians " were responsible for crafting remedies ranging from herbs to complex treatments that involved both natural elements and spiritual rituals.^[1]

Court physicians mainly focused on medicine. Later expanded their expertise to include basic surgeries and moxibustion. A technique using burning mugwort, near the skin for therapeutic purposes.However their methods also included aspects commonly linked with rituals and spiritual practices, such, as divination, fortune telling and the use of talismans. This combination of practices indicates a perspective where the lines between medicine and spirituality were blurred and intertwined than clearly defined.^[1]

An example illustrating this fusion is the practice of "renting" space for childbirth. Royal healers would create talismans in ink symbolizing leases to ensure a secure environment for delivery protected from malevolent forces. This custom, coupled with the utilization of hemerology to determine timings and locations for birthing areas highlights the interaction between healthcare, rituals and the prevailing spiritual beliefs of that era.^[1]

Responsibilities

The Bureau of Medicine was responsible for the medical treatment of court officials, the training of medical personnel, and the management of medicinal gardens, among other duties. It was paired with the Inner Pharmacy, which provided medical care to the Emperor. In 896 AD (8th year of the Kanpyō era), the Bureau of Medicine absorbed the Inner Pharmacy and took control of the court's medical affairs. The head of the bureau was known as the Master of Medicines, and the staff consisted of physicians, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and exorcists. Additionally, there were professors of medicine, acupuncture, massage, exorcism, and garden management, under whom students studying these disciplines were learning. At the time of the merger with the Inner Pharmacy, court physicians, pharmacy students, and female medical doctors were also transferred.

Initially, there seems to have been a strong element of magic and curse-warding, as in 732 AD (4th year of the Tenpyō era), En no Gyōja's disciple, Kankō Hiroari, became the Master of Medicines. From the late Heian period onwards, the position became hereditary within the Wake and Tanba families, with the Komori family of the Tanba lineage exclusively holding the position of Master of Medicines. Despite holding this title, the Komori family, who also held the position of Sixth Rank Officials, did not actually participate in the medical examination of the Emperor or in the bureau's practical affairs, making it an honorary position. The position of Deputy Master of Medicines was hereditarily held by the Fujiki family, who were the shrine family of the Kamo Wakeikazuchi Shrine, and this family did perform acupuncture and medical examinations on the Emperor.

From the Muromachi to the Sengoku period, as physicians began to shave their heads and were ordained as monks, those entering the court also came to lack official secular ranks. As a result, they were not referred to as official Bureau of Medicine physicians (On'yaku) but simply as "Royal Physicians." This trend continued until the middle of the Edo period, but during the reign of Emperor Kōkaku, there was a revival boom within the court, and the Bureau of Medicine became a target for restoration. From the Tenpō era onwards, these "Royal Physicians" began to grow their hair and receive official ranks, becoming "Official Physicians." During this period, not only in Kyoto but also from various provinces, excellent civilian doctors were appointed as official physicians, including those skilled in traditional Chinese medicine and others influenced by Dutch medicine, such as Iryō Kōken.

In the revival period, the Bureau of Medicine was under the control of the warriors' emissaries, and the actual coordination of the official physicians was conducted by the Deputy Master of Medicines of the Fujiki family or those appointed as Master of Medicines. Furthermore, positions below the Master of Medicines were selected based on skill and seniority among the official physicians.

In 1869 (2nd year of the Meiji era), it was abolished due to the governmental reforms following the Meiji Restoration, but it was a rare institution that had managed to reclaim both in name and reality its original duties in the final stages under the Ritsuryō system.

Historical Significance and Interpretation

The Bureau of Pharmacy represents an era in Japanese history where religion, magic and medicine coexisted harmoniously in the daily lives and customs of its inhabitants. This establishment and its members embody the nature of these concepts throughout history challenging perspectives that attempt to rigidly categorize practices as purely medical or religious.^[1]

Studying the Bureau of Pharmacy alongside works like "The Tale of Genji" provides insights, into the Japanese mindset—a viewpoint where spiritual well being was interconnected with physical health in a way that influenced each other deeply.^[1]

Encouraging present day individuals to rethink the boundaries shaping our perception of reality it sheds light on the approaches various human communities have adopted to address the intricacies of physical and mental wellness across different eras.^[1]

Historical references

Even historical accounts of his life are intermixed with legends and folklore. According to the chronicle Shoku Nihongi (797 AD), En no Ozunu was banished to the island of Izu Ōshima on June 26, 699:

On hinoto-ushi (sexagenary "fire ox") day^[a] [24th day of the 5th month, Mommu 3 (June 26, 699 AD)], En no Kimi Ozunu was banished to Izu no Shima. Ozunu had first lived in Mount Katsuragi and been acclaimed for his sorcery and was the teacher of Outer Junior 5th Rank Lower Grade Karakuni no Muraji Hirotari [ja]. Later, [a person (or Hirotari?)] envied his power and accused him of trickery with his weird magic. [The Imperial Court] banished him far [from the Capital]. Rumor says, "Ozunu was able to manipulate demonic spirits, making them draw water and gather firewood. When they disobeyed, he bound them using sorcery."^[2]

In spite of this incident, it seems that the Court continued to highly evaluate the herbal knowledge of Ozunu's school, since Vol. 11 of the book also tells that on October 5, Tenpyō 4 (October 28, 732 AD), his student Karakuni no Hirotari was elected as the Head Apothecary (典薬頭, Ten'yaku no Kami), the highest position in Bureau of Pharmacy (典薬寮, Ten'yaku-ryō).^[3]

Footnotes

Notes

↑ See Sexagenary cycle#Problems with English translation. The sequential number for "fire ox" may be 14th, but this does not determine the day of month, because it is continuously carried over, and does not reset to zero at the start of each month.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Poletto, Alessandro (2024-03-01). "The tools in a medieval Japanese healer's toolkit: from fortunetelling and exorcism to herbal medicines". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
↑ Keizai Zasshisha, ed. (1897), 續日本紀 [Shoku Nihongi], 國史大系 [Grand Collection of National History] (in Chinese), vol. 2, p. 7, 丁丑。役君小角流于伊豆島。初小角住於葛木山。以咒術稱。外從五位下韓國連廣足師焉。後害其能。讒以妖惑。故配遠處。世相傳云。小角能役使鬼神。汲水採薪。若不用命。即以咒縛之。
↑ Keizai Zasshisha 1897, 續日本紀 [Shoku Nihongi], p.189 (in Chinese)

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[2] See Sexagenary cycle#Problems with English translation. The sequential number for "fire ox" may be 14th, but this does not determine the day of month, because it is continuously carried over, and does not reset to zero at the start of each month.

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Poletto, Alessandro (2024-03-01). "The tools in a medieval Japanese healer's toolkit: from fortunetelling and exorcism to herbal medicines". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-04-09.

[shoku-nihongi-699-3] Keizai Zasshisha, ed. (1897), 續日本紀 [Shoku Nihongi], 國史大系 [Grand Collection of National History] (in Chinese), vol. 2, p. 7, 丁丑。役君小角流于伊豆島。初小角住於葛木山。以咒術稱。外從五位下韓國連廣足師焉。後害其能。讒以妖惑。故配遠處。世相傳云。小角能役使鬼神。汲水採薪。若不用命。即以咒縛之。

[shoku-nihongi-732-4] Keizai Zasshisha 1897, 續日本紀 [Shoku Nihongi], p.189 (in Chinese)

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