Tsumura and Dr. Yoshinori Otsuka

Born in Kochi in 1900, after graduating from Kumamoto Medical College in Kyushu and practicing medicine, Dr. Otsuka was not satisfied with Western medicine and went to Tokyo to visit Kyushin Yumoto.
Kyushin Yumoto was a medical doctor who upheld the tradition of Kampo medicine in the Meiji and Taisho eras, and was trained by Keijuro Wada to practice Kampo medicine. Later, he wrote three volumes of “Kokan Igaku” (Imperial Chinese Medicine), a scientific explanation of Kampo medicine. Dr. Otsuka was thrilled to read these books.
He restudied Kampo medicine under Kyushin in Tokyo. Dr. Otsuka reached the conclusion that Kampo medicine and Western medicine should harmonize by combining their respective characteristics.
Later, he established the Institute of Oriental Traditional Medicine and published Ko-ido, a journal from the Institute on traditional medicine. Furthermore, the Japan Kampo Medical Association was founded. At the same time, he participated in the founding committee for Kampo and Kampo Drugs, a monthly journal later renamed “Crude Drug Treatment.” The exchange between Jusha and Dr. Otsuka began around that time. While Jusha was dedicated to the resurgence of Kampo medicine on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Otsuka had pursued the same passion as a representative of medical society.
Dr. Otsuka’s books include Kampo Medicine Clinical Bulletin, History of Oriental Medicine, Commentary on Shokanron, and Kampo Hitosuji. In 1973, when the Institute of Oriental Medicine was established within the Kitasato Institute, he was asked to become its first director. Through the participation of Dr. Otsuka, a leading expert in Kampo medicine, the Chushoto Clinic's reputation greatly increased.