220 M. Bhirai 



by the Tokugawa government in the reign of the Emperor Nakanoniikado. 

 Tlie Shogun Yoshimune sent out investigators of natural products to all 

 parts of Japan, among whom may be mentioned the names of Abe Showo, 

 Uyemura Masakatsu, Niwa Seihaku, Noro Genzo, lida Docho. This 

 enterprise was commenced in 1720, and continued till 1752. At the 

 same time the Shogun's government ordered the feudal lords of different 

 parts of Japan to make catalogues of the natural products of their own 

 territories, and deliver them to the Central Government, This act 

 aroused attention and gave a stimulus to the ruling classes to acknow- 

 ledge the necessity of the investigation of natural products. Each 

 feudal lord began to establish in his cabinet a bureau for natural 

 products research, and thus the demand for naturalists was suddenly 

 augmented. For example, in 1744, the lord of Owari established a 

 botanic garden in Nagoya in order to cultivate Chinese medicinal plants 

 and other useful plants. Matsudaira Kunzan was appointed its director. 

 He had a iirofound knowledge of natural history, and wrote the Hoiizo 

 Seikwa in 6 volumes in which he criticized Kaibara's and Matsuoka's 

 opinions of the Chinese names of plants. In 1756, a medical college 

 and a botanical garden were established in Kumamoto by the lord of 

 Higo, Hosokawa Juken. He himself was fond of the study of natural 

 products, and con^piled many sketch books of natural objects. 



In 1765 in Yedo a private medical college of Chinese medicine was 

 established by Taki Angen to supply up the needed physicians and natu- 

 ralists. The first professors who delivered lectures on the Penis' ao in this 

 college were Ota Chogen and Got5 Kisliun. The former wrote a com- 

 mentary on the Shen nung Pents'ao King and the latter on the Pents'ao 

 Kammu. In 1791, tins college was changed to a government establish- 

 ment, and in 1801, Ono Ranzan was called forth at the age of 71, to 

 this college to teach the students about Pents'ao. After his death the chair 

 of Natural History was occupied by So Senshun, Kurimoto Zuiken, and 

 afterward by Manase Seitei, Ema Kwatsudo, Mori Risshi, and others. 



In 1782, a natural products bureau was established in Kagoshima 

 by the lord of Shimadzu. Two important publications were 

 issued from this bureau, the one is the Sliitm man Homo, 

 and the other the Sei hei Dsu setm. SMtsu mon Eonzo or inquired 

 Pents'ao is an illustrated description of the jtlants of the Loo choo 

 islands with Chinese names determined by 43 Chinese physicians 

 in 8 volumes in 1789. The Sei Vei Dsu tetsu is an illustrated agricul- 

 tural botany in 30 volumes published in 1804. This work was intended 



