Ryoyaku benkai [manuscript].
Jonathan Hill, bookseller, description: Manuscript on paper, title on upper cover “Ryoyaku benkai” [“Fine Medicine Explained in Detail”]. 37 brush & ink illus., many heightened in color or gray wash. 17 folding leaves. 8vo (271 x 193 mm.), orig. wrappers dyed with persimmon juice (to prevent...
| Format: | Book |
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| Language: | Japanese |
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| Summary: | Jonathan Hill, bookseller, description: Manuscript on paper, title on upper cover “Ryoyaku benkai” [“Fine Medicine Explained in Detail”]. 37 brush & ink illus., many heightened in color or gray wash. 17 folding leaves. 8vo (271 x 193 mm.), orig. wrappers dyed with persimmon juice (to prevent insect damage). [At end: “Echigo” province, “Uonuma” county, now Niigata prefecture: “1752”]. A most unusual manuscript with images we have not seen before. On the inside of the upper cover we find an inscription in Sanskrit and kanji giving the name of the “Lord Hayagriva,” the horse-head avatar of the god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hayagriva had special abilities to cure diseases and was known as the guardian deity for horses. On the first leaf of the manuscript, we find a diagram, new to us, in the form of a pentagon. In the center is a kanji character describing the personality or essence of a horse. Surrounding this are five colors of the horse (blue, red, yellow, white, and black) and surrounding these are five further divisions. On the outside of the pentagon, there are characters describing the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). There are additional categorizations of the horses by their colors. These are guides for doctors and horse owners to help them treat their animals. On the other side of the folding leaf, we again find the Buddhist influence of the five elements predominating: there are the characters for the five elements, the five colors, and five additional colors. Next we have a series of four illustrations depicting the pressure points suitable for each color of horse. These are followed by more detailed anatomical depictions of the pressure points and their relationships to the horse’s organs. Next are illustrations of the acupuncture and moxibustion points on horses, treatments to restrict movement of the horse, a sack to prevent damage to a court horse’s tail, etc. A most unusual image, one which we have not seen before, depicts a horse on his back, with legs tied together, being treated by a practitioner of acupuncture and moxibustion. This is followed by the horse recovering from treatment, penned in by wooden posts, his legs tied to the posts. This is followed by a total of nine case histories and nine illustrations of the maps of pressure points for acupuncture and moxibustion. The case histories provide details of symptoms, medications, and treatment. They are all heightened in color or gray. Most unusually, moxibustion points are also depicted. Suddenly, there is full-page Chinese-style painting of a monkey climbing on a willow tree. This is followed by head-lines in Sanskrit describing various Buddhist deities including Yakushi, the healing Buddha; Hanju, the god of wisdom; Mahasthamaprapta, representing the power of wisdom; and Hayagriva, the guardian deity of horses. Next is an illustration of a five-storied pagoda, with its corresponding elements: air, wind, fire, water, and earth. On the right are the characters for the five seasons and on the left the five colors. This is followed by an illustration of an unidentified goddess. On the final leaf there is a prayer in Sanskrit and what is probably a Japanese translation. There is a pasted-on note describing a shrine devoted to Hayagriva. |
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| Item Description: | Cover title. Date at end. |
| Physical Description: | 17 unnumbered double leaves : illustrations ; 27 cm |