Dōmei Yakazu

Yakazu was born in 1905 as Shirō, the fourth son of Tatsunosuke Yakazu and Sute Yakazu, in Omiya (currently Hitachiōmiya, Ibaraki Prefecture). He graduated from Mito Commercial School and entered Tokyo Medical University majoring in traditional Chinese medicine under Professor Mori Dohaku along with his elder brother Kaku. He graduated in 1930, and less than a year later, he adopted the art-name Dōmei Yakazu. In 1933, he started his own clinic, Onchido Iin, in Tokyo, with his younger brother Yudo.

In 1933, Yakazu's younger brother Yudo was diagnosed with typhoid fever. Western medicine seemed to do little for his health so he sought the help of Keisetsu Ohtsuka, another kampo physician. Yudo recovered, which Dōmei considered a miracle. This became an important meeting of the two schools of kampo medicine. Yakazu belonged to the new school, while Ohtsuka belonged to the more classical one. After this meeting the two schools were united, which marked the beginning of the restoration of kampo medicine. Yakazu, Ohtsuka and the physician Totaro Shimizu formed a Japanese Kampo Medicine Association in 1934.a They began the publication of a monthly journal titled Kampo and Kampo Drugs.

Other important members included Kyushin Yumoto and Kenzo Okuda of the classical school; Chokyu Kimura, Anshu Anzai, Yasuaki Nakano, and Kōmon Morita of the intermediate school; Kōzō Kurihara and Yūshiro Kimura in pharmacology; Sorei Yanagiya in acupuncture; and Yasuhide Ishihara in medical history. However, the promotion of kampo medicine as a branch of medicine was prohibited by the Interior ministry, which corresponds to the present Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan). Although kampo medicine was not popular at that time, more than 1000 people joined the association.

In 1941, Dōmei of the post-classical school, Keisetsu Ohtsuka of the classical school, Nagahisa Kimura of the intermediate school, and Fujitaro Shimizu of pharmacology completed a book entitled Practice of Kampo Medicine, published by Nanzando after 3 years of preparation. This was a revolutionary textbook because it was written so that those who had studied Western medicine could learn kampo medicine on their own. This book has also been translated into Chinese. The second edition was published in 1954.

In October 1941, Dōmei was drafted and became a doctor of the Imperial Japanese Army. He was sent to Rabaul and Bougainville Island in the Philippines. There, he learned the local method of kampo, in which a local plant, sago, is eaten. This is reported to have saved the lives of many soldiers.

He returned to Japan in March 1946. In 1973, Dōmei revisited the island and presented an organ to the local village. He wrote a book, The records of Bougainville Island Army Hospital, in 1976.

After returning to Japan, he worked at his office in Ibaraki Prefecture. In 1949, he became a member of the Japan Oriental Medicine Association preparatory committee. In 1951, he established the Onchido Yakazu doctor's office in Ogawacho, Shinjuku, Tokyo. In 1950, he assumed a post as one of the directors of the Japan Oriental Medicine Association, and between 1959 and 1962 he was the chairman of its board of directors. The Japan Oriental Medicine Association was allowed to join the Japan Medical Association later in 1991. At long last, kampo medicine was accepted in 2008 as one recognized branch of medicine. This also included kampo internal medicine, kampo surgery and kampo allergy medicine.

In 1953, Yakazu lectured on oriental medicine at Tokyo Medical University. The following year he started his Ph.D. studies under the guidance of professor Saburō Hara (pharmacology). He completed his studies on the pharmacological uses of Aconitum.

In 1960, he joined the board of trustee of the Japanese Society for the History of Medicine (Nihon Ishi Gakkai). In 1988, he established the "Yakazu Medical History Award" using his retirement grant.

In November 1979, he received the Career Excellence Award (Saikō Yūkoshō, 最高優功賞 (Saikō Yūkō Shō) by the Japan Medical Association for his contributions to oriental medicine.

In 1980, he assumed the top post of the Kitasato University Oriental Medicine Research Center, and in 1982, he became a member of the communications committee of eight oriental medicine centers.

In 1981, he received a Doctor of Letters by Keio University for his studies on medical history, especially Manase Dōsan (1507-1594) and his school. Yakazu is known to have inspired many physicians to study the history Japanese medicine.

On October 21, 2002, he died of natural causes.

• Explanations of Kampo Prescriptions Nihon Kanpo Igakkai, 1940
• Keisetsu Ohtsuka, etc., Practice of Kampo Medicine, 1941, Nanzando, revised in 1954
• Kampo Kosei Yoho Prescriptions Explained 1959, Idono Nihonsha
• 100 Stories of Kanpo in 8 series, 1960–1995, Idono Nihonsha
• Kampo Prescriptions, Clinical Applications, 1966, Sogensha
• A Chronological Table of Kampo 1968,Onchikai
• Keisetsu Otsuka et al., Kampo Medicine Textbook, 1969, Nanzando
• The Records of Bougainvillea Island Army Hospital, 1976, Idono Nihonsha.
• Ohtsuka Keisetsu, Dōmei Yakazu, Modern Kanmo Books Collected 1–116, 1979–1984, Meicho Shuppan
• Dōmei Yakazu, Keido Yakazu, Kampo Prescriptions according to Symptoms and Disease, by Kakazu Dōmei and Yakazu Keido 1979, Shufuno Tomosha*Dōmei Yakazu,110 Years of Kampo and Future 1979, Shunyodo
• Katsu Inaba et al., Fukusho Kiran 1981, Idono Nihon
• Dōmei Yakazu, Kampo Questions and Answers 1991, Nihon Ijishinposha
• Dōmei Yakazu, Kosan Sakaguchi, Kampo Mugen, the Origin of Modern Kanpo 1992, Modori Shobo
• Ippō Okamoto, Dōmei Yakazu et al. Hōi Bengi 2003, Meicho Shuppan

• Keisetsu Ohtsuka, Dōmei Yakazu, Fujitaro Shimizu, Practice of Kampo Medicine (漢方診療の実際) 1954, Nanzando, Tokyo
• Shozo Muroga et al. 矢数道明先生の足跡：戦前・戦中・戦後：漢方と歩んだ日々 Kampo Igaku, 2003, 27, 2, pp 81–88.
• Makoto Mayanagi, 真柳誠「略伝矢数道明老師」『温知会会報』2003年、50号、pp 62–66
• Makoto Mayanagi 真柳誠「日本漢醫學權威矢數道明老師」『中華醫史雜誌』2003年、33巻、2、pp 93–95、
• Kanpo No Rinsho Henshubu, Album of Dr. Yakazu, Kanpo no rinsho, 2002, 49, 12, p 1541, p 1546.
• Dōmei Yakazu,大塚敬節先生の追想：初対面と偕行学苑の頃, Kanpo no Rinsho, 1980,27, 11,、pp 742–745.