2022 Volume 72 Issue 3 Pages 253-261
Background: Kukai is believed to have applied his miraculous power to develop numerous water resources and spread valuable medical knowledge throughout the Japanese islands during the early Heian Period.
Purpose: Kukai’s activities were evaluated by assessing his original documents from the perspective of modern intensive care doctors （intensivists）．
Methods: Medical descriptions in Kukai’s original works, which were re-organized by the Koyasan University Institute of Esoteric Culture, were analyzed by intensivists. In addition, historical sites reported to have been associated with Kukai in Gunma Prefecture were visited to confirm the origin of existing legends.
Results: There are 41 healthcare-related descriptions in Kukai’s original works. Excluding temples and shrines, 12 historical sites in Gunma Prefecture were identified as being associated with Kukai.
Conclusion: There is no definitive evidence showing that Kukai traveled all over the country to spread his medical and civil engineering knowledge. Legends related to Kukai may be attributed to the activities of Koya-Hijiri missionaries and mountain practitioners who followed Kukai’s Esoteric Buddhism teachings. Infectious diseases and water shortages are still serious problems for modern human societies.
