Oku-Kōmyō-En Sanatorium (光明園), or National Sanatorium Oku-Kōmyō-En is a
sanatorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence.
Sanatoriums are often in a health ...
for
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...
and ex-leprosy patients on the island of Nagashima, Oku-machi,
Setouchi, Okayama
is a Cities of Japan, city located in southern Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 36,499 in 15,934 households and a population density of 290 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Setouchi ...
, Japan. The same island holds the
National Sanatorium Nagashima Aiseien. As of December 2, 2005, the Oku-Kōmyō-En housed 252 residents (131 males and 121 females).
History
Sotojima Hoyoen Sanatorium opened April 1, 1909 in Nakashima, Nishiyodogawa-ku,
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
for patients in
Kyoto
Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
fu,
Hyogo prefecture,
Nara Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...
,
Wakayama prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...
,
Mie prefecture,
Shiga
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to t ...
prefecture,
Gifu Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...
,
Fukui Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...
,
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...
,
Toyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...
, and
Tottori Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, least populous prefecture of Japan at 538,525 (2023) and has a geographic area of . ...
.
The sanatorium, built in the Kanzaki River delta valley, was hit by the
Muroto typhoon on September 21, 1934. The storm left 2,702 dead and 334 missing, including 187 people in the sanatorium (173 patients, 3 employees, and 11 family members). On September 24, 1934, the Interior Ministry decided to transfer 416 survivors to other sanatoriums, including
Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium
The , or the National Sanatorium Nagashima Aiseien, is a sanatorium on the island of Nagashima in Setouchi, Okayama, Japan founded in 1930 for the treatment of leprosy. Currently, only former leprosy patients reside there.
History Background
In ...
(78 patients), Kyushu Sanatorium (
Kikuchi Keifuen Sanatorium
Kikuchi Keifuen Sanatorium or National Sanatorium Kikuchi Keifuen is a sanatorium for leprosy patients or ex-leprosy patients at Kohshi-shi, Kumamoto-ken, Japan founded in 1909. The mean age of residents (ex-patients) is about eighty.
History
...
) (50 patients), Ooshima Sanatorium (70 patients), Zensho Byoin (
Tama Zenshoen Sanatorium
Tama Zenshōen Sanatorium, or National Sanatorium Tama Zenshōen, is a sanatorium for leprosy or ex-leprosy patients situated in Higashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan starting in 1909.
History Background
The Japanese Government promulgated the first lepr ...
) (70 patients), Hokubu Hoyoen Sanatorium (50 patients), and
Kuryu Rakusen-en Sanatorium
Kuryū Rakusen-en Sanatorium, or National Sanatorium Kuryū Rakusen-en is a sanatorium for leprosy or ex-leprosy patients situated at Kusatsu, Gunma, Kusatsu-machi, Azuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture in Japan, which started in 1932.
History Pre-Rakusen- ...
(98 patients).
Timeline
*April 1938: Prefectural Oku-Kōmyō-En Sanatorium was opened at Nagashima Island, neighboring Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium
*July 1941: National Leprosarium Oku-Kōmyō-En
*1946: National Sanatorium Oku-Kōmyō-En
*May 9, 1988: the Oku-Nagashima-Oohashi Bridge was completed from the mainland to the islands of Oku-Kōmyō-En and Nagashima Airakuen
*April 1996: The 1953 Leprosy Prevention Law was abolished
*July 1998: The trial for compensation started
*May 11, 2001: The trial for compensation ruled that the previous Leprosy Prevention was unconstitutional
*May 25, 2001: The trial for compensation was confirmed. The compensation of 8,000,000 yen to 14,000,000 yen was given to patients, depending on the duration of unconstitutional periods
Number of patients at end of fiscal year
The number of inpatients in a given year depends not only on those newly hospitalized and the recently deceased, but also on other factors such as patient escapes and discharges, depending on the conditions of the times. Recently, the sanatorium was encouraged to discharge patients , but a long-standing segregation and the resulting stigma against leprosy patients might have influenced the number of patients discharged.
See also
*
Leprosy in Japan
As of 2009, 2,600 former leprosy patients were living in 13 national sanatoriums and 2 private hospitals in Japan. Their mean age is 80 years old. From the Meiji Period (1868 - 1912) and up until 1996, people diagnosed with leprosy in Japan were n ...
*
Takekichi Sugai, the first physician at Sotojima Sanatorium
*
Torajiro Imada
Torajirō Imada(今田虎次郎, 1859–1940) was a Japanese police chief who became the first director of Sotojima Hoyoen, a leprosy sanatorium in Osaka, Japan from 1909 to 1926. He admitted the autonomy right of the patients' association. The ...
, the first director of Sotojima Sanatorium
References
{{Coord, 34, 40, 15, N, 134, 13, 28, E, region:JP_source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title
Hospital buildings completed in 1909
Hospitals in Japan
Leper hospitals
Hospitals established in 1909
Leprosy in Japan
1909 establishments in Japan