Sasaki Chutaku (佐々木中沢)
Chutaku SASAKI (1790 - April 26, 1846) was a rangakusha (a person who studied Western sciences by means of the Dutch language) in Edo period. His azana (adult male's nickname) was Churan, and his gago (pseudonym) was Rangu.
He was born in Kamikurosawa Village, Iwai County, Mutsu Province (present-day Hagisho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture). After studying under a doctor of his native domain Seian TAKEBE, at the age of 25, he went to Edo to enter a private school called Shirando ran by a rangakusha Gentaku OTSUKI who was a senior pupil of TAKEBE in the same hometown. He learned Dutch surgery and became one of Gentaku's leading pupils, ranking next below the big four of Shirando: Genshin UDAGAWA, Sokichi HASHIMOTO, Saisuke YAMAMURA and Sanpaku INAMURA. He later also studied under Sajuro BABA and Hoken KATSURAGAWA.
He became a doctor of the Ichinoseki domain in 1817 and married to Ewako who was the eldest daughter of Kiyomi OTSUKI, a relative of his master. In 1822, he became an assistant professor of Dutch surgery at the medical school in Sendai Domain by the recommendation of Gentaku and Hoken.
He wrote some books including "Zonshinzueki" which was written when he dissected the genitals of a female prisoner and "Jingo Tenkobyo Setsu" which described the symptoms of and preventive measures against cholera and so on.
His close relationship with Bankei OTSUKI who was a son of Gentaku OTSUKI lasted for life.