Sanpaku: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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According to traditional Chinese and Japanese [[face reading]], when the white part of the eye, known as the [[sclera]], is visible beneath the iris, it represents physical imbalance in the body and is claimed to be present in [[alcoholic]]s, drug addicts, and people who over-consume [[sugar]] or grain.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 1, 2016 |title=What Causes Sanpaku Eyes?|url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/196913/what-causes-sanpaku-eyes-and-what-the-hell-are-sanpaku/ }}</ref><ref>Bridges, Lillian (2012) [https://books.google.com/books?id=sZl5AAAAQBAJ ''Face Reading in Chinese Medicine''], page 166, Elsevier Health Sciences</ref> Conversely, when the upper [[sclera]] is visible it is said to be an indication of mental imbalance in people such as [[psychotic]]s, murderers, and anyone [[rage (emotion)|rage]]ful. In either condition, it is believed that these people attract accidents and violence.<ref name="Sakurazawa1965"/> |
According to traditional Chinese and Japanese [[face reading]], when the white part of the eye, known as the [[sclera]], is visible beneath the iris, [[yin]] sanpaku, it represents physical imbalance in the body and is claimed to be present in [[alcoholic]]s, drug addicts, and people who over-consume [[sugar]] or grain.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 1, 2016 |title=What Causes Sanpaku Eyes?|url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/196913/what-causes-sanpaku-eyes-and-what-the-hell-are-sanpaku/ }}</ref><ref>Bridges, Lillian (2012) [https://books.google.com/books?id=sZl5AAAAQBAJ ''Face Reading in Chinese Medicine''], page 166, Elsevier Health Sciences</ref> Conversely, when the upper [[sclera]] is visible, [[yang]] sanpaku, it is said to be an indication of mental imbalance in people such as [[psychotic]]s, murderers, and anyone [[rage (emotion)|rage]]ful. In either condition, it is believed that these people attract accidents and violence.<ref name="Sakurazawa1965"/> |
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In August 1963, [[George Ohsawa]], an advocate for [[macrobiotics]], predicted that President [[John F. Kennedy]] would experience great danger because of his sanpaku condition.<ref>[[Tom Wolfe]] (18 August 1963) "Kennedy to Bardot, Too Much Sanpaku", ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]''</ref><ref>Kushi, Michio and Jack, Alex (1987) [https://books.google.com/books?id=i51uqrsK6uAC&dq=sanpaku&pg=PA295 ''The Book of Macrobiotics: The Universal Way of Health, Happiness, and Peace''], page 295, Japan Publications</ref> |
In August 1963, [[George Ohsawa]], an advocate for [[macrobiotics]], predicted that President [[John F. Kennedy]] would experience great danger because of his sanpaku condition.<ref>[[Tom Wolfe]] (18 August 1963) "Kennedy to Bardot, Too Much Sanpaku", ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]''</ref><ref>Kushi, Michio and Jack, Alex (1987) [https://books.google.com/books?id=i51uqrsK6uAC&dq=sanpaku&pg=PA295 ''The Book of Macrobiotics: The Universal Way of Health, Happiness, and Peace''], page 295, Japan Publications</ref> |
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Revision as of 14:20, 22 April 2024
Sanpaku gan (三白眼; Chinese: 三白眼; pinyin: Sānbáiyǎn) or sanpaku (三白) is a Japanese term meaning "three whites", most often used in English to refer to a folk belief according to which the visibility of the sclera above or under the irises has various meanings as an omen or symptom in alternative medicine.[2][1] It was introduced into English by George Ohsawa in the mid-1960s as a condition supposedly cured by his macrobiotic method.[3]
History
According to traditional Chinese and Japanese face reading, when the white part of the eye, known as the sclera, is visible beneath the iris, yin sanpaku, it represents physical imbalance in the body and is claimed to be present in alcoholics, drug addicts, and people who over-consume sugar or grain.[4][5] Conversely, when the upper sclera is visible, yang sanpaku, it is said to be an indication of mental imbalance in people such as psychotics, murderers, and anyone rageful. In either condition, it is believed that these people attract accidents and violence.[3]
In August 1963, George Ohsawa, an advocate for macrobiotics, predicted that President John F. Kennedy would experience great danger because of his sanpaku condition.[6][7]
In 1965, Ohsawa, assisted by William Dufty, wrote You Are All Sanpaku, which offers the following perspective on the condition:
For thousands of years, people of the Far East have been looking into each other's eyes for signs of this dreaded condition. Any sign of sanpaku meant that a man's entire system — physical, physiological and spiritual — was out of balance. He had committed sins against the order of the universe and he was therefore sick, unhappy, insane, what the West has come to call "accident prone". The condition of sanpaku is a warning, a sign from nature, that one's life is threatened by an early and tragic end.[3]
According to Ohsawa, this condition could be treated by a macrobiotic diet emphasizing brown rice and soybeans.[3]
In popular culture
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John Lennon, who followed Ohsawa's macrobiotic diet, mentioned sanpaku in his song "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)" from the 1973 album Mind Games.[1] It is also briefly referenced in William Gibson's novel Neuromancer, as well as in Michael Franks' 1979 song "Sanpaku". The Firesign Theatre's comedy sketch "Temporarily Humboldt County" mentions a character named "Sam Paku". Ken Kesey references 'sanpaku' in the short story "Now We Know How Many Holes It Takes To Fill The Albert Hall", which may be found in Demon Box. It is also mentioned in the 1998 film Gia, featuring Angelina Jolie, playing the real supermodel Gia Carangi, who would dramatically rolled her eyes back to give the ‘Sanpaku’ look in photos.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Stalker, Nancy (2009). "The Globalisation of Macrobiotics as Culinary Tourism and Culinary Nostalgia". Asian Medicine. 5 (1): 2–7. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ Evans, T. B., A Dictionary of Japanese Loanwords (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997), p. 150
- ^ a b c d Nyoiti Sakurazawa, William Dufty translator (1965) You Are All Sanpaku, p. 70, Citadel Press ISBN 0-8065-0728-4
- ^ "What Causes Sanpaku Eyes?". April 1, 2016.
- ^ Bridges, Lillian (2012) Face Reading in Chinese Medicine, page 166, Elsevier Health Sciences
- ^ Tom Wolfe (18 August 1963) "Kennedy to Bardot, Too Much Sanpaku", New York Herald Tribune
- ^ Kushi, Michio and Jack, Alex (1987) The Book of Macrobiotics: The Universal Way of Health, Happiness, and Peace, page 295, Japan Publications
External links
- Sanpaku - The Skeptic's Dictionary