Why Toyama Is Known as Japan’s City of Medicine
Toyama is widely known in Japan as a region of medicine.
Behind that reputation is a pharmaceutical culture with more than 300 years of history.
At the center of the story is a medicine called "Hangontan" and a distinctive distribution system in which families paid only for the medicine they actually used.
This time, we explore how Toyama became known as the "city of medicine."
A pharmaceutical tradition more than 300 years old
Toyama's connection with medicine dates back to the Edo period.
According to the traditional account of Toyama's pharmaceutical history, Maeda Masatoshi, the second lord of the Toyama Domain, learned the formula for a medicine called "Hangontan" in 1683.
Hangontan was a traditional medicine made from a combination of natural ingredients and became closely associated with Toyama.
The famous story at Edo Castle
One well-known story from 1690 is often told as the beginning of Toyama's medicine distribution business.
During a gathering at Edo Castle, a feudal lord is said to have suddenly suffered from severe stomach pain.
Maeda Masatoshi offered him Hangontan, and the medicine reportedly brought quick relief.
Other lords who witnessed the event became interested in the medicine and asked for it to be made available in their own territories.
This episode is traditionally regarded as an important starting point for the spread of Toyama medicine throughout Japan.
The unique "placement medicine" system
Toyama's medicine sellers developed a distinctive business model known as "haichi-yaku," or the placement medicine system.
Instead of requiring customers to purchase medicine in advance, sellers left a medicine box in each household.
When they returned later, they checked which medicines had been used.
Customers paid only for what they had consumed, and the seller replenished the box for the next visit.
In simple terms, the system was based on the idea of "use first, pay later."
Medicine sellers traveled across Japan
Toyama medicine sellers carried medicines from the region to communities across Japan.
In an era before modern transportation, sellers traveled long distances on foot, maintaining relationships with households over many years.
Trust was essential to this business model.
Medicine sellers also became known for bringing small gifts such as prints and paper balloons to the families they visited.
Through these repeated visits, Toyama's medicine trade developed into a nationwide network.
A tradition that became an industry
The culture that began with traditional medicines and traveling sellers eventually developed into a broader pharmaceutical industry.
Even today, medicine remains an important part of Toyama's industrial identity.
What began as a regional trade during the Edo period has therefore continued to shape the image and economy of Toyama for more than three centuries.
Discover Toyama's stories through Mikan
Toyama's culture of medicine is one example of how regional knowledge and craftsmanship have been passed down while adapting to changing times.
Through Mikan, we introduce products and makers shaped by Toyama's distinctive history and culture.