Accounts of people, assumed to have died but who later returned to life, have been told around the world. Many of these are mythical or legendary, while others actually occurred, and were confirmed by multiple observers. In this presentation, I identify several accounts of death and subsequent revival that were recorded in early modern Japan, between 1600 and 1868.

Analysis of these accounts groups them into the following categories: recounting of old legends, third-party hearsay, and direct observations. The recorders of these accounts posit them as (1) fact, (2) plausible but unconfirmed, and (3) fraudulent. Some accounts record how the revived individual is welcomed back, while others report that the person has been put to death in order to prevent an unwanted omen from occurring. Revived individuals are also distinguished by what they report having seen during the time they were “gone”. Some report meeting King Enma, ruler of the underworld who stands in judgment over the dead, while others describe traveling to sites around Japan, and eventually being led back to this world.

This presentation concludes with observations about how such accounts share elements with those found in other cultural environments, as well as specifying how certain accounts are distinctive to their time, place, and genre. Finally, the presentation touches upon how overtly fictional depictions of those who are revived due to magical devices are dependent on the reported accounts that writers had included in their miscellanies.

The rapid development of modern genetics has enabled human beings to assess the health of embryos and fetuses earlier and more comprehensively, to expand reproductive options, and to avoid inheriting genetic diseases to future generations. The emergence of eugenics is seen as humanity's first attempt to use genetics to modify themselves, and the application of modern genetics to reproduction is seen as humanity's second attempt. The first ended in mandatory sterilization and the Holocaust, which ultimately turned eugenics into a negative term. In order to prevent the application of modern genetics in the field of reproduction from being labelled as "eugenics", this paper will briefly review the history of eugenics in modern China and analyze the history from an ethical perspective. This paper attempts to distinguish between genetics and eugenics, to propose the moral concerns of past eugenics based on current research, and to use this as a basis for the prudent application of modern genetics in reproduction, with the aim of avoiding the recurrence of the mistakes of eugenics and preventing misunderstandings in cross-cultural and cross-linguistic communication.

This study examines how Japanese society and male intellectuals assumed control over reproductive and bodily experiences of women through the regulation of menstruation during Japan's modernization process. In the late Meiji period, the introduction of Western medical knowledge, combined with the ideology of high-quality population reproduction under the Meiji Restoration, led to increased attention on reproductive health and maternal body management in healthcare. During this period, childbirth practices of women shifted from traditional midwifery to medical procedures controlled by male obstetricians and gynecologists. Simultaneously, menstrual experiences of women were redefined as a crucial preliminary stage of reproduction, placing them under the supervision of male intellectuals, particularly medical doctors.
This study specifically analyzes how women were instructed to transition from internal tampons to external sanitary napkins for menstrual management. This shift was driven by two concerns: fears that unclean tampons could contaminate the vaginal and uterine environments, potentially affecting fertility, and expectations that external sanitary napkins would serve as a form of “chastity belt”. Through such interventions in reproductive processes of women, from menstruation to childbirth, female reproductive autonomy was systematically diminished during Japan's modernization period.

This presentation aims to examine the characteristics of stones in childbearing practices beyond safe delivery, specifically in abortion, infanticide, and contraception, while investigating their functional and magical properties to understand the folk beliefs invested in these stones.
While extensive folklore studies have documented the traditional use of stones in fertility and childbirth prayers, with research accumulated on this subject, there remains a notable gap in research regarding stone-based customs related to birth control methods, including contraception, abortion, and infanticide.
The presenter examined abortion and infanticide practices through both folkloric and historical lenses, analyzing birth control customs in relation to stone beliefs, a primary focus of the study.
Drawing upon primary sources such as Nihon saniku shūzoku shiryō shūsei, Okayama kenka ninsin shusan ikujisiryo, and Aichi kenka ninsin shusan ikuji siryo, this analysis examines the methods and characteristics of abortion, infanticide, and contraception, with particular attention to the presence or absence of stones in these practices.
The birth prevention methods described in Nihon saniku shūzoku shiryō shūsei, such as using stones to terminate pregnancy or inserting hozuki stalks into the genitals, reveal the desperate circumstances of women who were compelled to employ dangerous abortion methods.
This research illuminates both the circumstances and lived realities of women who practiced birth control, with or without stones, while also examining contemporary societal perspectives that used stone imagery to describe women who did not or could not bear children, referring to them as "stone women" (umazume).