Historical research of cinchona cultivation in Japan

Abstract

Cinchona is one of the most important medicinal plants as it contains quinine, a potent medicine for malaria. In this review, I reveal the history of cinchona introduction and cultivation in Japan. Cinchona was first introduced to Japan in 1876 from Java based on the proposal submitted by Takeaki Enomoto to the Meiji government. However, the cultivation attempt ended in failure. Later in 1922, Hoshi Pharmaceutical Co. succeeded for the first time in cultivating cinchona in Taiwan, which was then under Japanese colonial rule, and in manufacturing quinine from the cinchona tree in 1934. This was a historic feat in Japan, completing an entire process from cinchona cultivation to quinine manufacture all within the confines of the country. To commemorate this undertaking, the company dedicated a cinchona log harvested for the first time to the Imperial court. It was revealed that a log of unknown origin, which had been left untouched for years at Hoshi University, was the cinchona log from the time of commemoration. Yasusada Tashiro (1856-1928), who has made a great contribution to cinchona cultivation in Japan for over 50 years, led Hoshi Pharmaceutical Co. to success in cultivation. © 2011 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.