Page 576 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

I
Ishinpo

Methods from the Heart of Medicine

The Ishinpo (also transliterated as Ishimpo) presented in 984 to Emperor Enyii
(r. 970--84), was compiled by Tamba no Yasuyori ft1&:~~ (912-95), the official
acupuncturist at the Japanese imperial court, and is the earliest extant work
of Japanese medicine. Its importance for the history of Chinese medicine and
Taoism lies in its quotations from 204 sources, most of which have long been
lost. It comprises in thirty juan an outline of treatment in general and drug
treatment in particular (j. I), acupuncture and moxibustion therapy (j. 2), a
discussion of various disorders, classified in much the same way as those in
the *Zhubing yuanhou lun (Treatise on the Origin and Symptoms of Diseases;
j. 3-18 on internal and external disorders, and 21- 25 on women's disorders, ob-
stetrics, and pediatrics), and several chapters on Nourishing Life (*yangsheng),
includingj. 19- 20 on the ingestion of mineral drugs,j. 27 on Nourishing Life,
j. 28 on sexual techniques (*Jangzhong shu), andj. 29-30 on dietetics.
Of these,j. 27 is of particular interest for all the techniques discussed in that
chapter relate to Taoism. The chapter reveals admiration for *Sun Sirniao's
approach to Nourishing Life, and notably excludes discussion of the ingestion
of mineral drugs as emphasized in *Ge Hong's *Baopu zi (which is given sepa-
rately inj. 19- 20). It comprises eleven sections on such topics as cultivation of
spirit and body, breathing, *daoyin, daily behavior, proper language, dwellings,
clothing, sleep, and interdictions, and contains citations from over two dozen
different works. Among the latter belong, apart from the most frequendy
cited QianjinJang T~7J (Prescriptions Worth a Thousand) by Sun Sirniao
and the *Sheyang zhenzhongJang (Pillow Book of Methods for Preserving and
Nourishing Life), probably also compiled by Sun Simiao, lost works such as
the * Yangsheng yaoji (Essentials of ourishing Life; early fourth century), the
* Taiqing jing (Scripture of Great Clarity), and the Yanshou chishu g "il' $If
(Red Writ on Extending Longevity) by Pei Yu §L€~ (Tang). Among the other
cited works are the Baopu zi and *Xi Kang's Yangsheng lun .1: ~ (Essay on
ourishing Life), and eighteen more texts which are cited only once.
Elisabeth HSU

lIt Hsia, Veith, and Geertsma 1986; Sakade Yoshinobu 1986c; Sakade Yoshinobu
1994b

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