Paper short abstract:

The paper focuses on the changes in the knowledge of nature, as observed in the works of honzôgaku of the early 18th century. It shows that Japanese scholars were concerned with identifying local species and with informing about the diversity of regional products.

Paper long abstract:

Honzôgaku or the science of materia medica is a field of study which, like medicine, has developed in Japan since ancient times through constant interaction with Chinese knowledge. Interest in this field increased considerably from the Edo period onwards, as illustrated by the numerous encyclopedic works inspired by the Bencao gangmu (Classified materia medica; 1596), seen in both China and Japan as the most accomplished work ever written in this field. Japanese specialists generally agree that the honzôgaku gradually detached itself from the model of the Bencao gangmu which had a strong connection with medicine, to move towards a natural history (hakubutsugaku), driven by curiosity for the surrounding world and by the sense of observation (Yabe Ichirō, Edo no honzō; Ueno Masuzō, Nihon hakubutsugakushi). Here we would like to take a closer look at the transformation supposed to have taken place in Edo period. At what level did the change occur? What role did nature observation play in this change? From what perspective was nature observed? What use did Japanese scientists make of Bencao gangmu? Taking examples of entries devoted to fish from the Honchô shokkan (Food mirror of our empire; 1697) or Yamato honzô (Materia medica of Japan; 1709), I will show that the work of Japanese scientists specializing in honzôgaku has remained largely driven by the need for identification (especially of naming species), but that this need had also brought them closer to the field of observation and production, providing them with a great amount of practical information on the production process and the quality of products.