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Glossary of Japanese Terms RADAR Research Archive and Digital Asset Repository Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Note if anything has been removed from thesis. Images from page after title page, p74, 95, 99, 116, 122, 149 When referring to this work, the full bibliographic details must be given as follows: Fraser, A. (2012) An investigation of the medical use of thermo-mineral springs found in Misasa (Japan) and Jáchymov (Czech Republic). PhD Thesis. Oxford Brookes University. WWW.BROOKES.AC.UK/GO/RADAR AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MEDICAL USE OF THERMO-MINERAL SPRINGS FOUND IN MISASA (JAPAN) AND JÁCHYMOV (CZECH REPUBLIC) Anna Fraser Department of Social Sciences; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences This degree is awarded by Oxford Brookes University. This thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the award of Doctor of Philosophy. Date: October 2012 Y a m a i w a k i k a r a “Illness comes from ki” (Japanese proverb) Abstract This thesis presents an analysis of the beliefs and practices surrounding balneotherapy, a technique that uses waters of natural mineral springs for healing. Balneotherapy as employed in the treatment of mainly chronic, incurable and painful disorders will be used as a tool for revealing the pluralistic medical belief systems in the two cultures chosen for this study, the cultures of Japan and the Czech Republic. This is an ethnographic study based on fieldwork which was carried out in two locations - Misasa Onsen in Japan and Jáchymov in the Czech Republic. Linked by the presence of natural mineral springs with similar properties, by historical connections and by the existence of medical establishments practicing balneotherapy these spas made suitable locations for the study of medical practices and beliefs in different cultural systems of medicine. … The two countries support a pluralistic cultural system of medical care into which both cosmopolitan and ethnomedical sets of values are incorporated. While the involvement of cosmopolitan medicine showed great similarities between the two cultures the patients’ constructed experience of illness showed many differences. This thesis argues that these differences are due to cultural factors belonging to the domain of active response to illness acquired during acculturation and deeply embedded sets of cultural notions of illness, health and healthcare. The thesis investigates these cultural factors and sets them in the frameworks of several cultural constructs some of which are common to both cultures but most of which are unique. The practice of balneotherapy in the two countries has developed and changed since the adoption of its theory in the nineteenth century. What has emerged in both cases is a complex method of holistic healing comprising both physiological and psychological elements. It is hoped that this study added to the knowledge of the meanings contained within the medical cultural systems of Japan and Czech Republic. i Acknowledgements I am indebted to many more people than I can name. When I began this work I naively expected to complete it within four or five years. As time went on and I was beginning to realize to what extent I underestimated the challenge presented by doing research part time the number of those I was beholden to also grew. It includes the grant- awarding bodies, the academic support of my university, my family and the large numbers of people who either participated or helped in some way in the two locations this research was based. First of all I would like to thank the two grant awarding bodies whose generous financial assistance made this research possible. These were the Japan Endowment Committee and the Sasakawa Grant Committee. My thanks then go to all those who assisted me during fieldwork both in Japan and in the Czech Republic. It is simply not possible to name them all but there are some whose contribution was of such importance that they have to be singled out. While working in Japan the work would not have been possible without the generosity of the hospital management of Okayama University Hospital. My initial contact was through Dr. Hosaki who smoothed my entry into the medical world of the spa. Following his departure I was made very welcome by the new hospital Director Prof. Mitsunobu and his Deputy Dr. Ashida. Although it was on their authority that I was allowed to roam the hospital, observe the many different procedures, and even take active part in some, I was clearly dependent on the cooperation of the many unnamed members of the hospital staff. And cooperation is exactly what was given. I was accepted wherever I went and helped if help was needed. I am also grateful to Dr. Mifune, the local retired pharmacist and an enthusiast of local history, for giving me so many hours of his time to share some of his expert knowledge. I owe a huge debt of thanks to all those in Misasa who allowed me to become part of their lives. I made friends in the village with whom I took part in many village activities including playing sport and attending festivals and even family occasions. My special ii thanks however go to Fumie Matsubara, originally my gatekeeper but later a friend. The combination of her seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm with a sense of humour and an attitude of ‘everything is possible, leave it with me’ helped me to get through many difficult situations. Working in Jáchymov meant making contacts with different management and staff and being confronted with different expectations. My treatment by the hospital Directorate, the physicians and the technical and nursing staff could not have been better, and I am thankful for all the assistance they have given me during the time I spent there. Again it is hard to single anyone out, but the retired ex-Director, Dr. Hornátová, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of all things ‘spa’ which I could glimpse during the afternoon teas she treated me to in her delightful garden deserves more than a mention. I am also grateful to the Director, Dr. Bláha, for allowing me access to all facilities and to Dr. Draská, Jáchymov’s Chief Physician, for her help both in preparation of my arrival and during my stay. In Oxford I was fortunate to have Prof. Hendry’s help and support throughout the whole of the seven long years this research took, and also during my preceding Masters on Japanese community bathhouses. I am immensely grateful for her rigorous and productive criticism of my earlier drafts as well as her patience with which she guided me through the process of writing up. On her retirement she passed some of this responsibility onto Dr. McDonaugh whom I should also like to thank for his clear insight into some of the general anthropological questions that emerge from the work. While working on the historical setting I was greatly helped by Prof. Dvorjetski, a Visiting Professor in the Centre for Health, Medicine and Society to whom I owe sincere thanks for all her time and guidance. Lastly I want to thank my husband Don for his support and tolerance with which he dealt with all the emotional ‘ups’ and, mainly, ‘downs’ I went through in the course of this work. His, at times essential, encouragement was what kept me going to the end. iii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ ii Table of Figures .............................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 The aims of the study ........................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Terminology ......................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Balneotherapy ...................................................................................................................... 7 1.4 Development of Japanese medicine .................................................................................. 11 1.5 Water and healing in Europe ............................................................................................. 15 1.6 Choice of research topic .................................................................................................... 17 1.7 Research framework .......................................................................................................... 18 1.7.1 Experiencing an illness episode in a spa ..................................................................... 19 1.7.2 Locations and participants .......................................................................................... 22 1.8 Research Questions............................................................................................................ 23 1.9 Thesis Outline
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