The Handicapped as Depicted in the Art of Japan

Abstract

Disorders that are mentioned in ancient Japanese literature include congenital hypotonia, Down syndrome, and speech disturbances. With the birth of Japanese culture in the ninth century, the sick are depicted increasingly in scenes where they are being visited and nursed. In a collection of scrolls from a later period, dwarfism, obesity, and spastic gait can be seen. Pictures from the sixteenth century show disorders including Polydactyly, apoplexy, cerebral palsy, and ataxia. To this day, votive pictures of the handicapped can be seen in Buddhist temples all over Japan.