Meridian study mannequin (keiraku ningyō)

Material: Paper mache covered with a thin layer of gofun, inscriptions in black and red ink.
Origin: Japan, Edo period, 18th century.

Descriptive notice

A large, slender male mannequin standing upright, made of papier-mâché covered with a thin layer of gofun. The body is deliberately emaciated: the ribs stand out in pronounced relief, separated by deep grooves; the spine forms a prominent ridge; the belly protrudes slightly forward; and the limbs are long and taut. The gofun surface has a matte, brownish-grey patina, with a network of cracks and losses that reveal, in places, the fibrous structure of the paper support.

The entire torso, front and back, is covered with a network of lines and characters drawn in ink. The meridian pathways are indicated by continuous lines, sometimes highlighted in red, punctuated by large black dots that mark the position of the tsubo , or acupuncture points. At the back, the midline is punctuated by a series of oval cartouches drawn in red; each contains a number in traditional Chinese script, from 一 to 十, then 十一, 十二, etc., associated with a point represented by a central black dot. This numbering system follows the posterior vessel along the spine and provides a simple reference for memorizing the sequence of points.

On the abdomen and flanks, the markings become denser. Vertical and oblique lines follow the anterior meridians; each point is accompanied by two or three characters giving its traditional name. In the hypogastric region, several inscriptions clearly correspond to familiar toponyms from the Sino-Japanese nomenclature, such as 分水 ( Bunsui , "dividing of the waters") or 関元 ( Kangen , "origin of the barrier"), arranged coherently in relation to the navel and pubic symphysis. The writing, neat and regular, indicates the hand of a practitioner perfectly at ease with classical terminology.

The arms, legs, and head also feature meridian lines and points, but the highest concentration of the network is located on the torso, which becomes the true demonstration area. The mannequin's scale, the legibility of the characters, and the clear organization of the paths indicate that this is a working tool intended for close consultation in a teaching or examination context.

Historical and comparative commentary

This mannequin belongs to the family of keiraku ningyō or dō ningyō , meridian study mannequins used for teaching acupuncture in Japan. By analogy with Chinese "copper dolls," these terms refer to figures whose bodies display the meridian pathways and the location of the tsubo ( acupuncture points). During the Edo period, these models existed in metal, wood, and papier-mâché covered with gofun (a type of clay), as seen here, and were used both during examinations and in the daily training of practitioners.

The history of Japanese acupuncture provides a framework for this type of object. In Edo, Sugiyama Waichi (1614-1694) played a central role in codifying the practice and organizing its teaching. He established a system of schools for blind acupuncturists and introduced pedagogical methods based on the precise memorization of pathways and points. From this perspective, a large mannequin, numbered along its spine and labeled with tsubo names on its torso, was a near-ideal instrument: it allowed for recitation, demonstration, and correction. The highly legible numbering of the posterior points, independent of the more complex toponyms, is directly explained by this need for clarity.

Several examples preserved in museums allow us to situate the present mannequin within the Edo tradition. The Tokyo National Museum holds a nearly life-size bronze figure dated 1662, illustrating the use of volumetric models for the study of meridians. The Nagoya Medical School possesses a keiraku ningyō dated 1750, made of paper or wood, whose description emphasizes the density of the lines and its use in teaching Chinese medicine. The Science Museum in London displays a Japanese wooden male figure dated 1681, entirely covered with ink lines and dots, clearly designed as a learning tool. These parallels establish a chronology and typology into which a large papier-mâché mannequin covered in gofun, dating from the 18th century, can easily be placed.

The iconographic documents preserved in the medical collections of Kyushu University shed light on another aspect of the piece: the emphasis on the rib cage as a reference structure. Diagrams derived from Zhang Jingyue's treatises, as well as a drawing attributed to a physician of the Kuroda clan, show figures where the ribs are clearly represented and serve as reference points for inscribing the lines of qi circulation. The heavily striated thorax of this mannequin extends this tradition: the deliberately exaggerated emaciation, the protrusion of the ribs and spine, are not a matter of morbid taste, but rather a desire to reveal the framework onto which the invisible network of meridians is projected.

The Naitō Kinen Kusuri Hakubutsukan catalogue, dedicated to the history of acupuncture and moxibustion, includes several mannequins from different periods and made of different materials. These include a metal model dated 1692, passed down through a line of anpuku (acupuncturists ), and several wooden or papier-mâché figures from the late Edo and early Meiji periods, some of which already exhibit a notable emphasis on rib relief. The present example clearly belongs to this series, but is distinguished by its size, the extent of its emaciation, and the state of preservation of the drawing. The combination of a light papier-mâché support, a thin layer of gofun (a type of clay), and the close tracing of the meridians makes it a particularly striking and accomplished version of the Edo keiraku ningyō ( a type of acupuncture mannequin).

The absence of a signature and mention of a patron leaves the question of the workshop open. The style of the characters, the terminology used, and the numbering system suggest an 18th-century date, a time when scholarly syntheses in the Edo period were becoming established and the production of illustrated treatises and pedagogical models reached its peak. At this stage, the essential task is to situate the piece precisely within this cluster of traditions: a large educational mannequin made of papier-mâché covered with a thin layer of gofun, Japan, Edo period, 18th century, in the lineage of models preserved in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyushu, and the Naitō Museum, but here taken to the extreme of a kind of "anatomical study of the meridians" where anatomy and energy mapping correspond point by point.

Selected bibliography

Catalog鍼のひびき 灸のぬくもり — 癒しの歴史 (The resonance of the needle, the heat of moxa – History of care ), Naitō Kinen Kusuri Hakubutsukan, 2002.
Resources from the Kyushu University Medical Library on Edo period medical illustrations and mannequins (diagrams by Zhang Jingyue, anatomical drawings related to the Kuroda clan).
Notices of the acupuncture mannequins kept at the Tokyo National Museum, Nagoya University School of Medicine and the Science Museum, London.
Studies on the history of acupuncture in Japan, in particular works devoted to Sugiyama Waichi and the structuring of acupuncture teaching in Edo.