Ishinpō

[3] The structural organization of the text is as follows: The Ishinpō preserved more than 200 important medical documents that were all Chinese in origin and no Japanese sources.

[1] The medical knowledge in the tome covered clinical treatments that drew from the ancient Chinese traditional medicine and influenced by Indian medical theories found in Buddhist scriptures as well as Taoist references (e.g. Taoist drugs).

[4] Scholars cite its similarity with a prescription from the old Chinese medical text called Taichan shu, which contained doctrines about the development of embryo and fetus as well as proper hygiene for pregnant women.

The twenty-eighth section of the Ishinpō contains a complete transcription of a Daoist text known as Sunü Jing (The Classic of Sunu) which is a dialogue between the Dark Maiden and the Yellow Emperor, with the former providing advice on sexual practices to the latter.

A facsimile reproduction of the 1859 edition, 30 volumes in 2 hardback cases, plus a 270-page modern commentary, was issued in Tokyo in 1973.