So-etsu II Aoki, the youngest child of Sobei who was the second son of So-emon Tomozawa, got married with Oiwa (1708-1722), the daughter of Gensetsu Aoki (1672-1747) who was a medical doctor in Agenosho.
In “Aoki-shi Keiryaku (A Family Tree of the clan’s doctor, Aoki Family)”, it is written as follows; “The father of So-etsu II died before his birth, and his mother died when he was 14 years old. His heart was set on becoming a doctor seeing his mother ill in bed.” This description completely agrees with that in Kako-cho (Family History Book) of Okikamuro Tomozawa Family that Sobei and his wife died in 1699 and 1712, respectively. It also suggests that So-etsu II was born in 1699.
It is also written that he studied medical science from Gensetsu for 7 years since he was about 15 years old. He married into the family of Oiwa, the daughter of Gensetsu, when he was 21 years old. When he was 23 years old, he went to Kyoto and studied Confucianism from Joan-Gentatsu Matsuoka, and medical science from Shuteki Asai (who became a medical doctor of Owari-Tokugawa clan later) for 3 years. Joan Matsuoka was also a famous scholar of herbalism who was invited to Edo (old Tokyo) later by Yoshimune Tokugawa, the 8th shogun of Tokugawa regime. Therefore, So-etsu II might have studied medical botany as well as Confucianism from Joan.
Now I live in Kyoto and I am involved in medical and pharmaceutical education. Therefore, it was a great surprise for me to find that one of my distant ancestors who was born in Okikamuro came to Kyoto to study medical and pharmaceutical sciences.
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