The Gozen Honzō: A Record of Okinawa’s Healing Foods (Copy)
The Gozen Honzō is a food and herbal record compiled in the 1830s during the Ryukyu Kingdom. Created by court officials, it documents ingredients used in formal meals and their medicinal properties.
This text is one of the earliest and most detailed records of traditional Ryukyuan food culture. It offers insight into how Okinawan royalty and healers viewed food—as both nourishment and medicine.
What Is the Gozen Honzō?
“Gozen” (御膳) means “formal court meal.”
“Honzō” (本草) refers to materia medica—texts that describe the properties of plants and natural substances.
Together, Gozen Honzō is a materia medica of foods used in the Ryukyu royal court.
It contains over 100 pages of entries describing vegetables, herbs, seaweeds, fruits, and some animal products. Each entry often includes:
The ingredient name
How it was prepared or served
Its healing or seasonal function
Examples from the Text
Goya (bitter melon) – Used to cool the body in summer
Ukon (turmeric) – Supports digestion and blood health
Mozuku (seaweed) – Strengthens internal organs and promotes regularity
Nigana (bitter greens) – Cleansing and energizing
Many of these ingredients are still widely used in Okinawan households today.
The Gozen Honzō shows that Okinawa had its own traditional food system, separate from mainland Japan. It was influenced by Chinese medicine, but uniquely Ryukyuan in its use of local plants, climate-specific eating, and connection to court and spiritual life.
For those studying Okinawan food, health, or history, this document is a valuable primary source.
Sources
University of the Ryukyus Manuscript Collection
Traditional Cuisine of the Ryukyu Islands by Takagi Rin
Ongoing ingredient translation and research
