I love the horse in history and art. A couple of decades back, I published a reproduction and analysis of the first book on horse anatomy ever printed in English, Andrew Snape’s, “The Anatomy of An Horse” (you can still find copies and we may be working on a reprint). For many years, I’ve wanted to do a similar project, but this time about the history of the horse and horse medicine in Asia.
Over the years, I obtained a large number of handwritten manuscripts from China (most are now the property of the German State Library, in Berlin). I used that information to learn about what was done to and for horses in China (and, by doing so, I showed that so much of what people have been told is, quite simply, wrong). More recently, I’ve obtained a very rare manuscript on horse medicine from Japan.
We are going to know what it says. The book is a go. We have enough prepaid copies to publish the book. If you want one, this is your last chance at the pre-publication price.
I’m interested in how horses were treated in Japan centuries ago, not because I think that there are some hidden treasures of horse medicine that we can use today, but because the thoughts and practices of historical societies give a lot of lessons for how things are today. For example, I’m pretty confident that the people who wrote these manuscripts were sincere, and that they were trying to help horses get better from whatever condition they thought they might have. What did they do? Why did they think the horses got better? Could the fact that horses got better then, using treatments that may not have had any effect at all have any implications for things that are being done today? I find such questions fascinating.
The book is not just about horse medicine, it is also be about history. It will be art, too – you can see for yourself, from some of the scans. We’ve obtained permission to reproduce priceless works of art from museums all over Japan. This book will be a coffee table book and it will help shine some light on some little-known history on horses and horse care from a fascinating part of the world, from a place where the horse went from being unknown, to being a deity, to being a war engine, to being an engine of commerce, to being nearly forgotten.
Dr. Dan Sherer, of the University of Jerusalem, a professor of Japanese history is working on the translation. Kaoru Tomoyoshi, with a BS in International Studies from Kobe City University, is translating original source material, making contacts all over Japan, and adding information about horses and horse medicine in Japan. Peter Wacks, of EGZ publishing in Denver, CO, will bring the book to fruition. Nearly 400 people from around the world – veterinarians, trainers, farriers, and horse lovers – have committed to a copy (as of September 2020).
If this is something that you’d like to commit to, I’ve created a survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QQK6Y5X The pre-publication cost of the book is $62 maximum, plus shipping, if needed. I will reach out to you after you complete the survey and send you a link for payment. The pre-publication price is a not-for-profit endeavor – the cost of the books cover translation, materials acquisition, and costs. Later, the book will be offered at $119.00. There will be a Japanese edition, too. If you’re interested, I’d appreciate you sharing this message with your friends, to see if they’d be interested, as well.
I’ve learned so much already. You will, too. THANKS YOU!
