Dōmei Yakazu (矢数 道明,Yakazu Dōmei, December 7, 1905 – October 21, 2002) was a Japanese physician who contributed to the restoration ofkampo medicine in Japan. In 1979, he was awarded the lifetime achievement award (最高優功賞,Saikō Yūkō Shō) by theJapanese Medical Association for his contributions to oriental medicine.[1][2][3][4]
Yakazu was born in 1905 as Shirō, the fourth son of Tatsunosuke Yakazu and Sute Yakazu, in Omiya (currentlyHitachiōmiya,Ibaraki Prefecture). He graduated from Mito Commercial School and enteredTokyo Medical University majoring intraditional Chinese medicine under Professor Mori Dohaku along with his elder brother Kaku. He graduated in 1930, and less than a year later, he adopted theart-name Dōmei Yakazu. In 1933, he started his own clinic,Onchido Iin, in Tokyo, with his younger brother Yudo.
In 1933, Yakazu's younger brother Yudo was diagnosed withtyphoid fever. Western medicine seemed to do little for his health so he sought the help of Keisetsu Ohtsuka, another kampo physician. Yudo recovered, which Dōmei considered a miracle.This became an important meeting of the two schools of kampo medicine. Yakazu belonged to the new school, while Ohtsuka belonged to the more classical one. After this meeting the two schools were united, which marked the beginning of the restoration of kampo medicine. Yakazu, Ohtsuka and the physician Totaro Shimizu formed a Japanese Kampo Medicine Association in 1934.a They began the publication of a monthly journal titledKampo and Kampo Drugs.
Other important members included Kyushin Yumoto and Kenzo Okuda of the classical school; Chokyu Kimura, Anshu Anzai, Yasuaki Nakano, and Kōmon Morita of the intermediate school; Kōzō Kurihara and Yūshiro Kimura inpharmacology; Sorei Yanagiya inacupuncture; and Yasuhide Ishihara in medical history. However, the promotion of kampo medicine as a branch of medicine was prohibited by theInterior ministry, which corresponds to the presentMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan). Although kampo medicine was not popular at that time, more than 1000 people joined the association.
In 1936, Dōmei, Ohtsuka and others began lecturing atTakushoku University. Thecalligraphy for the opening ceremony was written byTōyama Mitsuru (1855–1944), who was a political leader in early 20th century Japan. A total of 61 people attended the first lectures.[5] The president of Takushoku University formally accepted the lectures in 1937 as the aptly namedTakushoku University Kampo Medicine Lectures. These lectures were followed by the Kampo Medicine Lectures of Kampo Tomonokai, with the assistance of President Tsumura Juntendo. These were replaced by the presentInstitute of Kampo Medicine.
In 1938, following a proposal by Dōmei, theAsia Medicine Association was established. It began publishing the journal Toa Igaku (Asian Medicine) in 1939. According to policy at the time, it was classified asKampo and kampo drugs. Later, in 1954, Domei restarted Toa Igaku and became its chairman of directors. He also published the monthlyKanpo no rinsho (Clinics of Kanpo). In 1940, he attended a conference on traditional medicine inManchurian medical universities, and proposed the continuation of traditional medicine there. His proposal was subsequently accepted.
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 entitledPractice of Kampo Medicine, published by Nanzando after 3 years of preparation. This was a revolutionary textbook because it was written so that those who had studied Western medicine could learn kampo medicine on their own. This book has also been translated into Chinese. The second edition was published in 1954.
In October 1941, Dōmei was drafted and became a doctor of theImperial Japanese Army. He was sent toRabaul andBougainville Island in the Philippines. There, he learned the local method of kampo, in which a local plant,sago, is eaten. This is reported to have saved the lives of many soldiers.
He returned to Japan in March 1946. In 1973, Dōmei revisited the island and presented anorgan to the local village. He wrote a book,The records of Bougainville Island Army Hospital, in 1976.
After returning to Japan, he worked at his office inIbaraki Prefecture. In 1949, he became a member of the Japan Oriental Medicine Association preparatory committee. In 1951, he established the Onchido Yakazu doctor's office in Ogawacho,Shinjuku, Tokyo. In 1950, he assumed a post as one of the directors of the Japan Oriental Medicine Association, and between 1959 and 1962 he was the chairman of its 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 in 2008 as one recognized branch of medicine. This also included kampo internal medicine, kampo surgery and kampo allergy medicine.
In 1953, Yakazu lectured on oriental medicine atTokyo Medical University. The following year he started his Ph.D. studies under the guidance of professor Saburō Hara (pharmacology). He completed his studies on the pharmacological uses ofAconitum.
In 1960, he joined the board of trustee of the Japanese Society for the History of Medicine (Nihon Ishi Gakkai). In 1988, he established the "Yakazu Medical History Award" using his retirement grant.
In November 1979, he received the Career Excellence Award (Saikō Yūkoshō, 最高優功賞 (Saikō Yūkō Shō) by theJapan Medical Association for his contributions to oriental medicine.
In 1980, he assumed the top post of theKitasato University Oriental Medicine Research Center, and in 1982, he became a member of the communications committee of eight oriental medicine centers.
In 1981, he received aDoctor of Letters byKeio University for his studies on medical history, especiallyManase Dōsan (1507-1594) and his school. Yakazu is known to have inspired many physicians to study the history Japanese medicine.
On October 21, 2002, he died of natural causes.
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