Katsuragawa Hoshu
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese physician and scholar of rangaku
(Western studies). He served the Tokugawa shogunate
as a physician and as a translator of Dutch
. He was the older brother of author and rangaku scholar Morishima Chūryō
.
As the eldest son of the Katsuragawa family, Dutch-style physicians to the shogun, Hoshū was appointed to that position in 1777. He began teaching at the shogunal school of medicine in 1794. In addition to collaborating with Sugita Genpaku on Kaitai Shinsho
, the first Japanese translation of a Western treatise on anatomy, he was the author of Hokusa Bunryaku, one of the earliest Japanese accounts of Russia.
He learned surgery
with Nakagawa Junan from Carl Peter Thunberg
when he was in Nagasaki
. By the recommendation of Thunberg, Kirill Laxman wrote a letter to him. However, the letter was taken by Tokugawa shogunate and never returned.(See. Kirill Laxman#Letters to Japanese scholars)
Rangaku
Rangaku is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners, 1641–1853, because of the Tokugawa shogunate’s policy of national...
(Western studies). He served the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
as a physician and as a translator of Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. He was the older brother of author and rangaku scholar Morishima Chūryō
Morishima Churyo
was an Edo period Japanese author of popular fiction who also wrote a number of works in the field of rangaku . He wrote under many pen names, including Manzōtei, Shinra Manzō , and Tenjiku Rōjin...
.
As the eldest son of the Katsuragawa family, Dutch-style physicians to the shogun, Hoshū was appointed to that position in 1777. He began teaching at the shogunal school of medicine in 1794. In addition to collaborating with Sugita Genpaku on Kaitai Shinsho
Kaitai Shinsho
is a medical text translated into Japanese during the Edo period. It is based on the Dutch-language translation Ontleedkundige Tafelen, often known in Japan as , of Kulmus’ German Anatomische Tabellen. As a full-blown translation from a Western language, it was the first of its kind in Japan...
, the first Japanese translation of a Western treatise on anatomy, he was the author of Hokusa Bunryaku, one of the earliest Japanese accounts of Russia.
He learned surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
with Nakagawa Junan from Carl Peter Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg aka Carl Pehr Thunberg aka Carl Per Thunberg was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. He has been called "the father of South African botany" and the "Japanese Linnaeus"....
when he was in Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
. By the recommendation of Thunberg, Kirill Laxman wrote a letter to him. However, the letter was taken by Tokugawa shogunate and never returned.(See. Kirill Laxman#Letters to Japanese scholars)