Physiognomy - Kansojutsu

…However, natural magic, which F. Bacon and others called “true magic,” was the core of the Renaissance view of magic, since it used medicine, magnetism, and language as its source of magical power, rather than the soul. These were subdivided into astrology, alchemy, Kabbalah, and other arts according to the subject and method, and became a major source of modern science. At the same time, physiognomy, which includes palmistry, physiognomy, and bone reading, developed as a way of accurately measuring the influence of the stars and the sun and predicting the future of humans. It is noteworthy that natural magic has been attracting new interest since the 19th century, in addition to the growing interest in folklore studies, as well as the unique magical systems brought by Africans and Chinese peoples. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "physiognomy" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…しかしF.ベーコンなどにより〈真正の魔術〉と呼ばれた自然魔術natural magicは，霊魂ではなく医薬や磁力や言語の表象機能を魔力の源泉とするもので，ルネサンス期の魔術観の中核を占めた。これらは，対象と手段とに応じて占星術や錬金術，カバラの術などに細分され，近代科学の有力な一源泉になる一方，星や太陽の影響力を正しく測定し人間の未来を予言する万物照応の術，すなわち手相，人相，骨相などを含む観相術をも発展させた。なお自然魔術については19世紀以降に民俗学への関心が高まったことに加え，アフリカ人や中国人などがもたらした彼ら独自の魔術の体系が新たな興味を呼び起こしていることが注目される。…

※「観相術」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報