Anatomy and Personal Health Care in the latter part of Edo era : Gaze on and Tour around the Inside of Human Body

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the view of the body which anatomy brought about in the common phases in the latter part of the Edo era,especially the view of the inside of which anatomy and personal health care are related, focusing on illustrated comic books. The main works were Taki Yasumoto (Rankei) “Kotobukigusa”(1789-1801), Jippensha Ikku “Haranouchi Yojo Shuron”(1799), Kashikoan “Haranouchi Nozoki Karakuri”(1826), and Fukunaga Yoshitomo “Shitai Eisei Daiichi no Kokoroe” (1885). Taki Yasumoto “Kotobukikusa” is a work expressing a passive attitude towards the anatomy that the anatomical knowledge is not useful for the personal health care. “Haranoushi Yojo Shuron” and “Haranouchi Nozoki Karakuti” don’t deal with the anatomy but describe the drama of peoples compared to the internal organs. “Shintai Eisei Daiichi no Kokoroe” positively evaluated anatomical knowledge and explained the body comparing it to the political system of modern Japan. The development of the story of going around the inner body reflected the desire to see the inside and the popularity of the trip.