Prof. Ikuro Wakayama

About Prof. Ikuro Wakayama


Faculty of Health Sciences, Kansai University of Health Sciences

Title: Perceive Kampo medicine of Japanese




Q1.

First of all, I would like to ask you about educational system for acupuncturists and physicians who use acupuncture or Kampo medicine in Japan.


Physicians who use Kampo medicine are graduated from western medical university for 6 years. But acupuncturists have for 4 years or 3 years courses.


Q2.

Do they have any national examinations?


Yes, both of them. Acupuncturist and physicians are both have national examination.


Q3.

So both of them are licensed?


Yes, licensed.


Q4.

Then all Japanese physicians are allowed to use Kampo medicine or acupuncture, so do they learn acupuncture or Kampo medicine in their education? I mean during the 6 years of education?


About 10 years ago, there was no education at all in their curriculum. But started maybe 10 years ago, program for the oriental medicine, I mean Kampo medicine, sometimes acupuncture, but very few.


Q5.

Then do they learn western medical acupuncture? Or do they learn traditional style of acupuncture?


For acupuncture, they learn Japanese acupuncture.


Q6.

My next question is how do Japanese people perceive Kampo medicine, do they like it or...?


Some of them very like Kampo medicine and acupuncture, but the number of them is not... very few.


Q7.

Less than 10% or something?


Around 6 to 10%..? I don’t know exact number.


Q8.

Of general people use Kampo medicine. Then how about the doctors? How do they think about the acupuncture or Kampo medicine?


A Kampo medicine, almost 90% of western medical doctors use Kampo.


Q9.

What type of Kampo medicine do they prefer? Or do they frequently use? I mean, the form. Granules. Do they easily get ready-made Kampo medicine? Roughly how many types of Kampo medicine are readily available?


Around 150 to 160. It’s easier to use Kampo medicine for the doctors.


Q10.

My last question is can you tell the difference between Kampo medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Well, actually, in East Asian countries, Korea, Japan, and China, the traditional medicine originally came from China, but they kind of developed separately, they all have characteristics in their own systems, so can you tell the difference?


Kampo medicine is something like Japanese traditional medicine, it is based on the description of <상한론>. I think modern TCM is quite different from <상한론>. It doesn’t based on the theory of <상한론>. But Japanese Kampo does. Basically, they’re based on <상한론>.


Q11.

And, as far as I know, in Japan it was more developed and refined, so that’s the base of the Kampo medicine and the difference between Kampo and TCM?


The other difference is in TCM they use many materials at the same time. But we use the just cocktail decoction. That’s the difference.


Q12.

I see. Do you have any suggestion for globalization of Kampo medicine? Do you have any strategies? Or...


I don’t think Kampo should be globalized. Because each country has their own traditional medicine. I think that is quite enough. Kampo medicine is very suitable for Japanese and it’s raised in Japan, and also suitable for the climate in Japan. So it doesn’t need to be globalized.


Q13.

I see. Thank you for your time. I will send you a link that you can see your movie. Thank you very much.



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