即身仏: 湯殿山神社
Purpose of This Project
Over the past 25 years, I have pursued mummy research as part of my work in medical science. The results of these studies have been disseminated through numerous academic papers and books and shared widely with the scholarly community. Now, as the final stage of this long-term scientific endeavor, a comprehensive volume on mummies from the Joseon Dynasty is approaching publication. With the completion of this work, it may be said that my primary research on Korean mummies has reached its conclusion.
Nevertheless, as for the mummies of East Asia, many questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding the mechanisms of mummy formation and the medical information preserved within these remains. Much is still unknown about how those mummies were historically formed, how they have been preserved over time, and how they were perceived and treated by contemporary societies. These cultural and historical dimensions remain insufficiently explored for them, the mummies from Korea, China, Japan, and East Siberia, in the academic literature.
Accordingly, my future work aims to examine the origins, characteristics, and cultural status of mummies across East Asia from both historical and textual perspectives. By critically reviewing existing historical scholarship and focusing on surviving documentary sources, alongside information we have directly investigated, I seek to present new insights to the academic community. Through this approach, I hope to broaden the understanding of East Asian mummification beyond biomedical analysis and situate it more firmly within its historical and cultural contexts.