Woodcut Illustrations of Diseases And How To Fight Them From 19th Century Japan

In early 19th Century Japan medicine and the gods would help you fight disease - literally

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) holds a collection of 400 health-themed woodblock prints from 19th-century Japan, all illustrated in the ukiyo-e manner. The collection feature adverts for drugs, cosmetics and pharmacies, advice on the treatment of measles, cholera and other contagious diseases, how to care for a child care, what do look for during pregnancy, and the right way to get Buddhist or Shinto deities to intervene to ensure a cure.

Many of the prints date to the mid- to late 1800s, when Japan was opening to the West after almost two hundred and fifty years of self-imposed isolation. There’s a section on how to avoid contracting illnesses from foreigners.

 

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Shōni-yaku-ō Kindoru-san (Kinder-puwder) King of children’s drug- – a drug advertisement by Morikawa, Chikashige ,1880

Celebrity sold. As in the image above, kabuki actors were used to sell medicines. The actors above are Ichikawa Danjuro (IX), in the role of the court lady Kunai no tsubone, and Onoe Kikugoro (V) as the warrior Takada Sannosuke . The drugs company has sponsored the show playing at the Shintomiza theater.

 

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Hashika tai ji Conquesting measles by Utagawa, Yoshifuji – c. 1840

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Fubu no on o shiru zu – Realize one’s parental love by Utagawa, Yoshitora, 1880

Kinrai ryūkō kabuki uwasa Kenbutsu no hara Internal bodily functions dramatized by popular kabuki actors

Kinrai ryūkō kabuki uwasa Kenbutsu no hara
Internal bodily functions dramatized by popular kabuki actors

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Kiōgan and Kaitsūgan: famous formula from the West by Zuihiko, c. 1870

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Ōtsue bushi- Ōtsue song on measles

Many of the amulets and magical practices used in Japan in connection with smallpox are red – just like in Jewish mysticism, the color is believed to offer protection from evil. According to the Shōni hitsuyō yōikugusa, published in 1798 by Kazuki Gyūan, “children suffering from smallpox should wear red garments, and all those caring for the sick should also wear red, as if the rash reddened, they would recover safely.”

 

Hōsō taiji no zu Defeating smallpox Creator:Contributor- Shungyō, Artist Date- late 19th C

Hōsō taiji no zu – Defeating smallpox – by Shungyō

Title- Hashika no mamori Charm against measles Creator:Contributor- Utagawa, Yoshitsuya, 1822-1866, Artist Date- 1862

Hashika no mamori – Charm against measles by Utagawa, Yoshitsuya, 1862

Defeating cholera Creator/Contributor: Kimura, Takejiro, Artist Date: 1886

Defeating cholera by Kimura, Takejiro, 1886

Title- Hashika majinai no uta Poetic charm against measles Creator:Contributor- Utagawa, Yoshikatsu, fl. 1844-1859, Artist Date- 1862

Hashika majinai no uta – Poetic charm against measles by Utagawa, Yoshikatsu, 1862

Tsukisarae kokoku; Kaitetsu-gan, Kaitetsu-sui advertisement – monthly cleansing Description- a drug advertisement Creator:Contributor- unknown, Artist Date- c. 1830

Tsukisarae kokoku; Kaitetsu-gan, Kaitetsu-sui – monthly cleansing  – c. 1830

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Kitsuke kudashi dokutori-gan Dokutori – pill for cleansing by Hayashi, Motoharu, c. 1900

Title- Nobose hikisage gozōen Gozōen for reducing dizziness Description- a drug advertisement Creator:Contributor- unknown, Artist Date- 1860s

Nobose hikisage gozōen Gozōen for reducing dizziness, 1860s

Title- Kyō maruyama okaruyaki Lightly baked confection by Kyō maruyama Creator:Contributor- unknown, Artist Date- late 19th C

Title- Kyō maruyama okaruyaki – Lightly baked confection by Kyō maruyama

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Hikan yakuōen –  drug for spleen and liver, 1895

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Tokyo Bakurōchō Hirao-shi sei Cosmetic products of Hirao in Bakuro-cho, 1881

Japanese woodcuts medicine

Fukunai dokusō-gan – Internal poison cleansing pills (if taken for a month, cleans various poison sicknesses such as syphilis and gonorrhea)

Woodcuts Japan

Mimochi on’na natsu no tawamure – Gotō juttai no zu Pregnant women playing in summer heat – 5 heads with 10 bodies by Utagawa, Kunitoshi, 1881

Title- Kainin no kokoroe Information on pregnancy Creator:Contributor- Hamano, Teisuke, Artist Date- 1880

Kainin no kokoroe – Information on pregnancy by Hamano, Teisuke, 1880

Title- Shino kosho gozo no nazorae

Shinō kōshō gozō no nazorae – Suffering, death, and effective life: metaphorical classifying organs according to 4 levels of social status, shinō kōs hō (samurai, farmer, artisan, merchant) by Rodonsai, Nozoki Shōshiki

Title- Tainai jukkai no zu Ten realms within the body Creator:Contributor- Utagawa, Kuniteru III, Artist Date- c. 1885

Tainai jukkai no zu Ten realms within the body – Utagawa, Kuniteru III, c. 1885

Ōtsu-e shosa no uchi – Daikoku, Fukuroku From themes of Otsu paintings – Daikoku and Fukuroku [household gods] Description: Daikoku on a ladder, shaving the top of Fukuroku's head Creator/Contributor: Utagawa, Toyokuni III, 1786-1865, Artist Date: 1857

Ōtsu-e shosa no uchi – Daikoku, Fukuroku – From themes of Otsu paintings – Daikoku and Fukuroku [household gods]
Description: Daikoku on a ladder, shaving the top of Fukuroku’s head by Utagawa, Toyokuni III, 1857

Hachijō-jima no chinju, shō ichii Tametomo Daimyōjin raiyu Legend of Tametomo, great bright god, guardian of Hachijō island Creator/Contributor: Utagawa, Kunimaro I, fl. 1845-1875, Artist Date: 1860s

Hachijō-jima no chinju, shō ichii Tametomo Daimyōjin raiyu – Legend of Tametomo, great bright god, guardian of Hachijō island by Utagawa, Kunimaro I,  1860s

Simple view of main Shinyō Tōzan Hall Creator/Contributor: Utagawa, Kuniyoshi, 1798-1861, Artist Date: c. 1860

Simple view of main Shinyō Tōzan Hall by Utagawa, Kuniyoshi, 1798-1861, Artist c. 1860

Would you like to support Flashbak?

Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop.