Studies on the History of Pharmacy and the Evolution of Word Usage -Japanese Yakumi and Ryouri-

Abstract

Yakumi and Ryouri are common vocabulary in modern Japanese. However, examples of their usage in terms of the Japanese meaning have not been found in general Chinese classics. Rather, conventionally they have been understood as kanji vocabulary originating in Japan. Therefore, through investigating and examining the sources and examples of both words, I found that they were derived from the original meanings of the Chinese words both in China and Japan, and the current meanings were adopted in Japan. It is very interesting to study the history of pharmacy and see in the processes and background that food was considered as a drug.