Uihagimmun Gate

Uihagimmun Gate is a work of traditional Chinese medicine written by Icheon of the Ming dynasty in China, comprising nineteen volumes in total. The author's reason for writing the book arose when, having fallen ill, he consulted numerous medical texts and found that, although many existed, none set out their essentials clearly, so that he felt it was difficult to find an accessible way into the study of medicine. He judged that works such as Wang Shuhe's Maekgyeol (Pulse Mnemonics), Yi Dongwon's annotated Yaksengpyeonju and Byeonggi, the Uibangcheopgyeong and the Uihakgwoneo were good in content but poorly organised; that the Sanghallon (Treatise on Cold Damage), the Hwarinseo and the Baekmunga were well organised but hard to master fully without having studied them from youth; and that the Uigyeongsohak, though well organised and concise enough to serve as a primer, gave prescriptions too sparingly and its meaning was too condensed for a student to understand easily. To remedy all these shortcomings, he compiled Uihagimmun Gate as an introductory textbook. Uihagimmun Gate is arranged in an Inner Collection of nine volumes and an Outer Collection of ten volumes. The Inner Collection is divided into sections on the circulation of qi, the meridians, the internal organs, diagnosis by questioning, pulse diagnosis, acupuncture and moxibustion, and materia medica. The Outer Collection contains summaries of treatment methods for warm and summer-heat disorders, cold damage disorders, internal injury, miscellaneous diseases, the use of medicines, gynaecology, paediatrics, abscesses and carbuncles, scabies, and a supplementary section of miscellaneous items. A particular strength of the work is that it classifies 930 kinds of materia medica by therapeutic effect into seven categories - treating wind, heat, damp, dryness, cold, sores, and dietary therapy - each further divided into several subsections, so that this large-scale organisation of medicinal substances makes the book convenient for those beginning the study of medicine. Uihagimmun Gate was published more than thirty years before the Donguibogam, was extensively cited in its compilation, and was adopted as a core subject in the medical licensing examinations of the Joseon dynasty, thereby contributing to the development of medicine in Korea. The preface bears a colophon dated to the first ding day of the second month of the eulhae year of the Wanli era, from which it can be dated to 1575. This particular copy is a recarved edition reproduced from the original printing blocks, and the date of its production is unknown. Although the complete work comprises nineteen volumes, three are missing - the sang and jung volumes of the Inner Collection fascicle one, and the sang volume of the Outer Collection fascicle three. Although this copy of Uihagimmun Gate is a recarved edition, it was published more than thirty years before the Donguibogam, was widely cited in its compilation, and was adopted as a core subject in the Joseon-dynasty medical licensing examinations, thereby contributing to the development of medicine in Korea; and because the preface carries a colophon dated to 1575, it is valuable material for the study of the history of typecasting and printing techniques in the mid- and late Joseon period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jecheon, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산