Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

JAPANESE MEDICAL DEVICE

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1960

Materials

METAL, CARDBOARD, BAKELITE

No. Pieces

10

Height

10.0

Length

13.1

Width

10.7

Description

1. BOX. ABOVE DIMENSIONS. 5 PIECES. BOX IS ORANGEY-BROWN COLOR. LABEL ON LID OF BOX READS "SPECIFIC MOGUSA SOLD BY TOKYO RI [. . . .]". A LARGE PORTION OF LID IS TORN AWAY AT BOTTOM OF LABEL, MAKING IT UNREADABLE. THERE IS ALSO JAPANESE WRITING ON LABEL. AT BOTTOMS OF SIDES OF LID ARE REMNANTS OF STAMPS (AS WELL AS ON UNDERSIDE OF BOTTOM OF BOX). BOX IS HELD TOGETHER BY STAPLES. THERE ARE ALSO 2 SMALL SEPARATE PIECES THAT HAVE BEEN TORN FROM BOX. ALSO, A PIECE OF CRUMPLED AND BRITTLE PIECE OF TISSUE PAPER IS INCLUDED. TISSUE PAPER IS YELLOWED AND HAS "MADE IN JAPAN" STAMPED ON IT IN PURPLE. 2. DEVICE. 5 PIECES. EXTERIOR HAS CHROME FINISH. CYLINDRICAL. THERE ARE HOLES AROUND SIDES AND IN LID OF DEVICE. HAS A LONG GREEN STRAP ATTACHED AT BASE ON ONE SIDE; OPPOSITE SIDE HAS SHORT STRAP WITH BRASS BUCKLE. BASE OF DEVICE IS BLACK BAKELITE? THERE IS A HOLE IN CENTER OF BASE THAT IS COVERED WITH WHITE NET ON INSIDE. TOP OF DEVICE OPENS ON A HINGE TO REVEAL A ROUND OF BLACK FELT COVERING ANOTHER LID WITH HOLES IN IT AND JAPANESE WRITING. THIS PIECE OPENS TO REVEAL COMPARTMENT THAT HAS BLACK AND GREEN ACCRETIONS. DEVICE ALSO COMES WITH THREE ROUNDS OF STIFF WHITE NET MATERIAL.

Subjects

MEDICAL & DENTAL T&E

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

USED IN JAPANESE MOGUSA TREATMENT (ENGLISH WORD IS MOXA OR MOXIBUSTION). A TRADITIONAL MEDICAL PRACTICE THAT ORIGINATED IN CHINA AND THENCE SPREAD TO JAPAN AND OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES. IT IS PERFORMED BY BURNING SMALL CONES OF DRIED LEAVES ON CERTAIN PRESSURE POINTS (TSUBO) OF THE BODY. THE LEAVES FREQUENTLY COME FROM MUGWORT (YOMOGI) WHICH GROWS WILD IN JAPAN. THIS PLANTS LEAVES ARE ALSO USED FOR FLAVORING IN SWEET MOCHI. THIS TYPE OF TREATMENT IS STILL USED TODAY, BUT MOSTLY BY THE OLDER GENERATION IN THE JAPANESE COMMUNITY. THIS DEVICE WOULD ALLOW A PARTICULAR SPOT TO BE PINPOINTED WHILE PREVENTING BURNING OF THE SKIN. IDENTIFIED AS BELONGING TO MRS. HARU MATSUNO. HER HUSBAND TOYOICHI ARRIVED IN VANCOUVER IN 1904 AND SETTLED IN RAYMOND IN 1909. IN 1924 HARU, A PICTURE BRIDE, LEFT JAPAN FOR CANADA AND MARRIED TOYOICHI. TOGETHER THEY LIVED ON A FARM IN RAYMOND, RAISING EIGHT CHILDREN. FOR A MORE DETAILED FAMILY HISTORY, SEE 'NISHIKI: NIKKEI TAPESTRY (2001)' P274-275. THE ELDEST DAUGHTER CHIZUKO KIMURA CAN BE REACHED IN EDMONTON AT 780-406-0068. . IN MAY 1948 THE ALBERTA CHAPTER OF THE JAPANESE CANADIAN CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION WAS FORMED. FROM 1991 TO 1998 HANAE IWAASA-ROBBS WAS PRESIDENT OF THE JCCA IN LETHBRIDGE. ARTIFACTS WERE ENTRUSTED TO HER BY THE LOCAL JAPANESE COMMUNITY AND SHE COLLECTED THEM IN AN OFFICE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF LETHBRIDGE. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED AN ARTIFACT SURVEY, WHICH INCLUDED A SERVING DISH AND A JEWELRY BOX DONATED BY THE NIKKEI CULTURAL SOCIETY. AS PART OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS, PUNDYK CONTACTED THE FORMER OPERATOR OF THE JAPANESE CULTURAL ASSOCIATION, HANAE IWASSA. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PERSONAL MEMORY OF THE ARTIFACTS BY THE LOCAL JAPANESE COMMUNITY PRIOR TO THE ITEMS BEING DONATED TO THE JAPANESE CULTURAL ASSOCIATION IS UNKNOWN.

Catalogue Number

P20030044008

Acquisition Date

2004-01

Collection

Museum

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