Li Shizhen

A Chinese herbalist from the Ming Dynasty. Author of the Compendium of Materia Medica. His pen name was Dongbi. In his later years he was known as Binhu Shanren. He was born in Qizhou (Qiuzhou County, Hubei Province), known as a place for producing medicinal herbs. Both his grandfather and father were doctors. His mother fell ill soon after he was born, and he himself was sickly from a young age, so he became familiar with medical books. He qualified to take the imperial examination at the age of 14, but failed the local examination three times, so he took over his father's business and treated the poor, becoming famous. In 1557, he became the Chief Priest of the Chu Dynasty (an official in charge of rituals and etiquette) and also served as a physician to the royal court. Around 1558, he was recommended as Vice Chief Director of the Taiyiyuan (a national government office in charge of medical care, a sort of national hospital), but resigned after about a year and returned to his hometown. He traveled around the country to collect materials by sampling herbal medicines and investigating folk prescriptions and treatments, and began compiling the book in 1552. He completed the Compendium of Materia Medica in 1578. Publication began in 1590 and was completed posthumously in 1596, when his second son, Jianyuan, presented the published version to Emperor Shenzong. The book was translated into Japanese, English, French, German, and other languages, exerting an influence on countries both in the East and the West.

[Kazuhiko Miyajima]

"Newly Annotated and Revised Translation of the Compendium of Materia Medica, Vol. 17 and 3 Supplementary Volumes (1973-1978, Shunyodo Shoten)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、明(みん)代の本草(ほんぞう)学者。『本草綱目』の著者。字(あざな)は東璧。晩年は瀕湖(ひんこ)山人と号す。産薬地として知られる蘄州(きしゅう)（湖北省蘄春県）の生まれ。祖父も父の言聞も医者である。生後すぐ母が病み、自身も幼時から病弱であったため医書に親しんだ。14歳で科挙の受験資格を得たが三度郷試(きょうし)に失敗、父業を継いで貧民の治病にあたり、有名になった。1557年に楚(そ)王府の奉祠正（祭祀(さいし)礼節などをつかさどる官）となって良医所（侍医、お抱え医師）の職務を兼ね、1558年ごろ中央の太医院（医療をつかさどる国の役所。いわば国立病院）の院判（副長官、副院長）に推されたが、1年ほどで辞して故郷に帰った。各地を訪ねて薬物採集や民間の処方・療法の調査などをして資料を集め、1552年から編撰(へんせん)に着手した。『本草綱目』を1578年に完成。1590年に刊行が開始され、死後の1596年に完了、次子建元が刊本を神宗に献上した。同書は日本をはじめ、英・仏・独語などに訳され、東西の諸国に影響を及ぼした。

［宮島一彦］

『木村康一他註、鈴木真海訳『新註校定国訳本草綱目』17巻・別冊3巻（1973～1978・春陽堂書店）』

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