| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 神 | 経 |
| しん Grade: 3 |
けい Grade: 5 |
| on'yomi | |
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 神經 (kyūjitai) |
The word 神経 (shinkei) was first used in a book called Kaitai Shinsho (解体新書) published in Japan in 1774 by Sugita Genpaku (杉田玄白) and others as a translation of "Ontleedkundige Tafelen", the Dutch version of the original German book called "Anatomische Tabellen." In order to translate the Dutch term "zenuw", Genpaku coined the word 神経 (shinkei) by combining the word 神気 (shinki, “life energy”) and 経脈 (keimyaku, “network of paths”). The original German medical book was published in 1734, and Genpaku and his colleagues spent three years translating the Dutch version and it is recognized as the first Japanese publication relating to the human anatomy as understood by the western medical science. The Dutch version was used because that was perhaps the only foreign language familiar to Japanese at that time as Dutch shipping was the only authorized merchant ships to enter Nagasaki, the only open port recognized by the Tokugawa Shogunate while Japan refused to deal with outside world under the strict isolation policy in effect at that time.