The or Igakkan was a major medical educational institution in

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

under the direct patronage of the

Shogunate , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

, the only one of its kind. Its large medical library is now one of the principal antique documents holdings of the

National Archives of Japan The preserve Japanese government documents and historical records and make them available to the public. Although Japan's reverence for its unique history and art is well documented and illustrated by collections of art and documents, there is a ...

History

Under the roju

Matsudaira Sadanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief of the Tokugawa shogunate, from 1787 to 1793. Early life Matsu ...

, the quality of doctors in Edo was bad, prompting the Shogunate to open a medical school. In 1791, such a school was set up under its direct control, based on a private medical school, the . The Seijukan itself was opened in 1765 by a former doctor of the Shogunate, . Once the shogunate took control, the school was renamed Igakukan. Initially located in Kanda-Sakumacho, it burnt down in 1806 and moved to Mukō-Yanagiwaramachi, present day

Asakusabashi is a district of Taitō, Tokyo. It is historically known for many wholesale stores, and recently known for its large stores selling traditional Japanese dolls (although some of the largest doll stores, such as Kyugetsu and Shugetsu, are located ...

4-16. The school collected and copied a vast amount of traditional Chinese medical works and treatises, its studies being largely influenced by the

Kaozheng ''Kaozheng'' (), alternatively called ''kaoju xue'' () was a Chinese school of thought emphasizing philology that was active during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) from to 1850. It was most prominent during the reigns of the Qianlong Emperor and J ...

school of thought. It became a powerful key medical institution, the ''de facto'' core of all medical research and education in the country. Starting 1849, all books released related to medecine in Japan were to be approved by the Igakukan. In 1868, with the fall of the shogunate, the Igakukan became a smallpox vaccination/prevention institute.

References

Medical schools in Japan Educational institutions established in 1765 1760s establishments in Japan Science and technology during the Edo period Edo Archives in Japan {{Japan-hist-stub

History

See also

References