Kazuichi Sugiyama

Japanese: 杉山和一 - すぎやま・わいち

Year of death: May 18, 7th year of Genroku (June 10, 1694)
Year of birth: 15th year of the Keicho era (1610)
An acupuncturist from the early Edo period. Born in Tsu, Ise Province (Mie Prefecture). His father was Sugiyama Shigemasa, a retainer of the Todo clan. He contracted an infectious disease as a child and became blind. As a young man, he became a disciple of the Edo acupuncturist Yamase Takuichi, but he made no progress in his studies or skills and was excommunicated. So he retreated to a shrine to Benzaiten in Enoshima and fasted for seven days. On the day of the completion of this prayer, he tripped over a Gagyu stone on his way home and fell, picked up a bamboo tube with a pine needle inside, and got the idea for canal acupuncture. Canal acupuncture involves inserting a needle into a tube and tapping the needle head at the top with the index finger to insert it, a technique unique to Japan. He later went to Kyoto and studied the Irie school of acupuncture under Irie Toyoaki. He went to Edo and opened a practice, which was so popular that a market was built in front of the temple. In 1671, at the age of 62, he became a Kengyo. At the age of 72, he established an acupuncture school. In 1685 (Jokyo 2), at the age of 75, he treated Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. At the age of 83, he became the Kanto Sokengyo. In 1693 (Genroku 6), when Tsunayoshi asked him if there was anything he wanted, he replied that he wanted an eye, and was given a town house in Honjo Hitotsume. On May 18th the following year, he fell ill and died on June 26th, but in his will, May 18th was designated as the date of his death. His works include "Ryoji no Daigaishu," "Senshin Sanyoshu," and "Igaku Setsuyoshu," which are known as the Sugiyama Sanbusho. "Ryoji no Daigaishu" describes Irie-style acupuncture, "Senshin Sanyoshu" describes the theory of acupuncture from classical Chinese classics, and "Igaku Setsuyoshu" provides an overview of Oriental medicine. All were published in 1880 (Meiji 13).

(Fumichi Takashima)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：元禄7.5.18(1694.6.10)
生年：慶長15(1610)
江戸前期の鍼術家。伊勢国(三重県)津生まれ。父は藤堂藩の家臣杉山重政。幼少のころ伝染病にかかり,失明。青年となり江戸の鍼術家山瀬琢一に入門したが,学も術も進歩せず破門をいい渡される。そこで江ノ島の弁財天の祠にこもり,7日間の断食祈願を行った。この結願の日に,帰り道にあった臥牛石につまずいて倒れ,松葉の入った竹の管を拾い,管鍼術のヒントを得たという。管鍼術は管の中に鍼を入れ,この管の上部に出ている鍼頭を示指で叩いて刺入するもので,日本独自のものとなった。のち京都に上り,入江豊明について,入江流の鍼術を学ぶ。江戸に出て開業したところ,門前市をなす盛況を呈した。寛文11(1671)年62歳にして検校となる。72歳のとき,鍼治学問所を設ける。貞享2(1685)年75歳のとき,将軍徳川綱吉の治療を行う。83歳で関東総検校となる。元禄6(1693)年,綱吉の「何かほしいものはないか」との言葉に対して「目がほしい」と答えたところ,本所一つ目に町屋敷をたまわった。翌7年5月18日病の床につき,6月26日に死去したが,遺言により5月18日を命日とした。著書に杉山三部書といわれる『療治の大概集』『選鍼三要集』『医学節用集』がある。『療治の大概集』は入江流の鍼術を,『選鍼三要集』は中国古典の鍼理論を,『医学節用集』は東洋医学の概論を述べている。いずれも明治13(1880)年に出版された。

(高島文一)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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