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My cousin, Yamazaki Shosei (given name: Zen), served in officialdom through generations of expertise in acupuncture and moxibustion.
In the imperial court, he was particularly renowned for his skillful manipulation of needles and appointed as a Court Physician, concurrently serving as an Instructor at the Medical Academy.
He once said to me, "Beyond the *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot) and *Su Wen* (Basic Questions), the *Ming Tang* (Hall of Brightness) is also of paramount importance. The *Jia Yi Jing* (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) collected and transmitted it. Later works by Xu Shuxiang, Qin Chengzu, Zhen Quan, and others have all been lost, which is truly regrettable. Emperor Renzong of Song, imitating the precedent of the Zhenyuan era of Emperor Taizong of Tang, ordered Wang Yiyi, a Hanlin Medical Officer, to compile and finalize the *Bronze Figure Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion*. From then on, the Three Yin and Three Yang meridians, combined with the Ren and Du vessels, formed the fourteen main channels, and the 365 acupoints were fully systematized. In the Yuan dynasty, Hua Shou wrote the *Fa Hui* (Exposition), based on Hu Gongtai's *Jin Lan Xun Jing* (Golden Orchid Meridian Circulation). Hu's book has not been circulated here; however, examining its text reveals it is identical to that of the *Bronze Figure*. Thus, *Xun Jing* was entirely derived from the *Bronze Figure*, whereas Hua Shou merely had a cursory acquaintance with it. Since then, numerous individual compilations have emerged, containing both merits and flaws, leaving later students confused. Now, basing this work on the *Ling Shu*, *Su Wen*, and *Jia Yi Jing*, and cross-referencing the *Bronze Figure Classic*, while gathering theories from the *Qian Jin Fang* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold) and *Wai Tai Mi Yao* (Prescriptions from the Outer Cabinet) above, down to various Ming and Qing texts, collecting diverse opinions and synthesizing their essence, correcting them according to meridian pathways, measuring them by flow and circulation, quantifying them by standard units and cun measurements, and palpating to locate the pulsating arteries within the bone depressions, one avoids the error of misplaced acupoints, thereby completing the function of the *Ming Tang*. As for the subtleties of circular and square movements, following and opposing techniques, and the profound effects described as 'slight blowing clouds revealing azure,' these lie in mental comprehension and manual dexterity, and cannot be conveyed merely by words. Zhao Zirou, a Court Physician from the Mito Domain, compiled the *Jing Xue Hui Jie* (Comprehensive Explanation of Acupoints) in eight volumes, drawing upon more than twenty schools of thought, verifying and revising them to establish a unified doctrine, thereby benefiting future students. This aligns closely with Shosei's remarks, reflecting his diligent effort. The book has been printed, and he requested a preface from me. I am not a specialist in this field and am ignorant of the meanings of the primary and secondary acupoints, so I wished to decline; yet, since Zirou resides hundreds of miles away and persists in his request, I have recorded what I heard from Shosei and placed it at the beginning of the volume, so that readers may know."
Written by Danbo Yuanjian, Imperial Physician of Edo and Director of the Medical Academy, in the early spring of the Ding Mao year, Culture Era, Year 4.
Inscribed by Tachihara Ninsho, Attendant Scholar of the Mito Domain.