Abstract

Objectives : Considering the indigenousness of Korean medicine, the historical record was first introduced in 1946 as follows; a Chinese person, Ji-chong (知聰), brought 164 volumes of medical books to Japan via Goguryeo (高句麗) in A.D. 562. Since this event happened, Korean Oriental Medicine has been derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine because ancient Korean Medicine originated and was developed in China. The purpose of this study was to investigate the existence and role of Ji-chong in the history of medical exchanges between ancient Korea and Japan. Methods : We studied Ji-chong through ancient and modern historical literatures such as Nihon Shoki (日本書紀), the record of $Shinsen-sh{\bar{o}}jiroku$ (新撰姓氏錄), Korean Medical History (韓國醫學史), Japanese Medical History (日本醫學史), Samguk Sagi (三國史記), etc. Results : We found indications of the existence of Ji-chong and the import of Chinese medical literature to the ancient Korean peninsula by examining domestic and foreign historical literature. Especially, he was closely related to historical assumptions about the Japanese conquest of Goguryeo in A.D. 562, although without objective historical evidence and described only in modern Japanese historical records and Korean Medical History. However, substantial medical exchange toward Japan was accomplished by Korean medicine of either Goguryeo, Baekje (百濟), or Silla (新羅) dynasty until the late A.D. 6 century. Conclusions : Based on the above investigation, the idea that Ji-chong carried medical literature via Goguryeo in A.D. 562 needs to be reconsidered and the role of Ji-chong as recorded in a variety of literature and databases should be amended., Korean Oriental Medicine has been derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine because ancient Korean Medicine originated and was developed in China. The purpose of this study was to investigate the existence and role of Ji-chong in the history of medical exchanges between ancient Korea and Japan. Methods : We studied Ji-chong through ancient and modern historical literatures such as Nihon Shoki (日本書紀), the record of Shinsen-$sh{\bar{o}}jiroku$ (新撰姓氏錄), Korean Medical History (韓國醫學史), Japanese Medical History (日本醫學士), Samguk Sagi (三國史記), etc. Results : We found indications of the existence of Ji-chong and the import of Chinese medical literature to the ancient Korean peninsula by examining domestic and foreign historical literature. Especially, he was closely related to historical assumptions about the Japanese conquest of Goguryeo in A.D. 562, although without objective historical evidence and described only in modern Japanese historical records and Korean Medical History. However, substantial medical exchange toward Japan was accomplished by Korean medicine of either Goguryeo, Baekje (百濟), or Silla (新羅) dynasty until the late A.D. 6 century. Conclusions : Based on the above investigation, the idea that Ji-chong carried medical literature via Goguryeo in A.D. 562 needs to be reconsidered and the role of Ji-chong as recorded in a variety of literature and databases should be amended.

Keywords

• Ji-chong;
• medical history;
• Japan;
• Korea