History of IBUKI MOXA

We will start with a discussion of materials. Moxibustion's chief ingredient is moxa, which is made from Japanese mugwort.

Japanese mugwort is a perennial related to the chrysanthemum family which grows wild in the hills and fields. Compared to other plants, it is high in nutrients. Japanese mugwort is known for its effectiveness as an antipyretic, an insecticide, a diuretic, and as a hemostatic agent.

Moxa means "burning plant," and since ancient times has been used as a fire-starting agent by rubbing it on wood. These fires are easy to start and difficult to put out, making it ideal for moxibustion.

The light gray hairs on the underside of mugwort are extremely important to making high quality moxa. In our country, the mugwort which is found in the mountainous districts such as Goushuu's Mount Ibiki, Ecchuu, and Echigo, has more soft hairs on its underside. Because of this, on top of its higher quality, it also has a better yield rate after manufacturing.

Shiga Prefecture's Mount Ibiki has a history of more than 400 years, dating back to the heyday of Eastern medicine, Tenshou 4 (1576), when Oda Nobunaga ordered the Portuguese to transplant mugwort and other medicinal plants to the foot of Mount Ibiki in a 50 hectare radius.

During the heyday of Eastern medicine, there were factories for the manufacture of moxa in what are now the prefectures of Shiga, Fukui, Toyama, and Niigata. The moxa of Shiga Prefecture, then Goushuu, is particularly famous, to the point where it is said that "For moxa, Ibiki is the best." This is thanks to the efforts and cleverness of Goushuu craftsmen. (There are stories that these craftsmen were so diligent that their efforts were sung of by Edo prostitutes.) However, after that, due to issues relating to manpower and wages, the factories were been moved by traders to the Hokuriku region, where they then put forth all efforts into business and advertising, as we would say today. After that, with the transition to Western medicine, the factories began to close one by one, until now only Niigata and Toyama remain.

Today, "Ibiki moxa" is one "brand name," a byword for high-grade moxa.