Kohoha 古方派（こほうは）and Goseiha 後世派（ごせいは)
Kampo medicine refers to a traditional Japanese medicine. The term “Kampo”, which literally means “method from the Han period (206 BC to 220 AD) of ancient China.” It is originated from ancient China. Kampo medicine has many different schools, but there are two major schools: Goseiha and Kohoha.
1. Goseiha(Later generation school) and Pi Wei Lun
The Goseiha was founded by Tashiro Sanki (田代 三喜, 1465–1537), who introduced the dominant Li-Gao school (based on Pi-Wei-Lun) of the time to Japan. This Buddhist priest physician went to China (1486-1498) and learned the methods developed during the Jin-Yuan period, especially influenced by Li Gao and Zhu Danxi, which he then taught upon returning to Japan. It is often called Li-Zhu school. His efforts led to the founding of the Goseiha School of Kampo. This school emphasized theories such as yin-yang and the five elements. Tashiro Sanki returned to Japan after 12 years of studying in Ming dynasty China and introduced the dominant Li-Gao's medicine of the time to Japan. The Pi Wei school, also known as the School of Spleen and Stomach, is a school of thought within traditional Chinese medicine that emphasizes the importance of the spleen and stomach in maintaining overall health. According to this school, proper functioning of the spleen and stomach is crucial for the digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as the distribution of energy (Qi) throughout the body. Thus, the Pi Wei school focuses on treating imbalances and disorders related to these two organs. Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, also known as Hochuekkito in Japanese, reflect Gosei schools perspective very weel. Hochuekkito, also known as 'Io-to (医王湯),' is considered the king of Kampo (Japanese traditional) medicines. Li Gao created this formula during a time when his city was besieged by the Mongolian army, and he observed that conventional treatments for external factors, such as infectious diseases, were not always effective. Li Gao recognized the importance of addressing internal damage, particularly to the digestive system, which can occur due to mental or physical fatigue. Hochuekkito is based on the concepts that humans rely on the energy obtained from food and drink, and that a healthy digestive system is crucial for human activity. When proper eating or drinking is disrupted, the digestive system can be damaged, leading to various diseases. Li Gao called this 'internal damage' and believed that a warming, sweet-tasting medicine that supplements the spleen and stomach's vital energy could restore health, raise vital energy, and extinguish the body's heat, leading to the development of hochuekkito.[1] This philosophy influence the development of Hara diagnosis (fukushin) system, which is unique diagnosis based on abdominal palpation.
The most prominent figure of the Goseiha was Kyokuchisei Michinaga (曲直瀬道三 , 1507-1594). He initially studied under Tashiro and later established the Goseiha by incorporating his own experiences and ideas into the teachings of Li Gao and Zhu Danxi's medicine. Other notable figures belonging to this school include Kyokushaku Genshoku, Okamoto Genya, Nagasawa Michitoshi, Kotsuki Gyuzan, and Okamoto Ippou. The Goseiha school emphasized theories such as Yin-Yang and Five Elements and the Five Organs and Six Qi, which sometimes led to speculative tendencies. As a critique of this approach, a pragmatic Kohoha school that followed the empirical methodology of Zhang Zhongjing established. [2]
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| Tashiro Sanki (田代 三喜, 1465–1537) |
2. Kohoha(Old generation school) and Yoshimasu Todo
In contrast, the Kohoha school emerged in the late 17th century (mid Edo period) and played a crucial role in the Japanization of Chinese medicine. It was pivotal in accelerating the Japanization of Chinese medicine. The Kohoha School advocated a return to the practical theories of classical formulas and eliminated speculative theories such as Yin and Yang of the Goseihoha School.[3]
Advocating a return to the practical theories of classical formulas, particularly the works of Zhang Zhongjing from the Han dynasty, Kohoha eliminated speculative theories like yin-yang from Goseiha. Influenced by Western philosophy, pragmatism, and anatomy during the Edo period, the Kohoha school was established by Gotō Gensan, with notable disciples such as Shūtoku Kagawa and Tōyō Yamawaki. Another group was led by Yoshimasu Todo, who later became the most influential figure in Kampo medicine till now.
Yoshimasu Todo (1571–1650) was a Japanese physician, herbalist, and author of the Edo period. He was born in Mikawa Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture) in Japan and studied medicine under several prominent physicians of his time. He later established his own medical practice and became known for his expertise in the use of traditional herbal medicines. In 1624, Todo published his famous book "Yakuchō," which became one of the most influential works on herbal medicine in Japan. Yakucho is a text that expressed the Kohoha School’s original theories on the therapeutic effects of medicinal plants in Shang Han Lun(Cold damage theory). It contains 53 drugs and their effects based on the principles of Shang Han Lun. "Yakuchō" became a popular reference book for Japanese physicians and pharmacists and was reprinted many times. Todo's work had a significant impact on the development of unique Kampo medicine and herbalism and is still studied and referenced today. In this book the concepts of Yin-Yang and Five Elements and traditional Chinese medical theories were rejected, and the effects of drugs were deduced from the perspective of "one medicine, one function" based on the description of drugs in "Shang Han Lun".
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| Yoshimasu Todo (1571–1650) |
References;
[1] Basic pharmacological mechanisms and clinical evidence of the efficacy of hochuekkito against infectious diseases and its potential for use against COVID-19, https://doi.org/10.1002/tkm2.1264
[2] https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BE%8C%E4%B8%96%E6%B4%BE-64960
[3] http://souryuanzuisou.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-354.html
[4] http://www.itmonline.org/arts/kampo.htm