Anatomy of the kidney in ancient Chinese medicine, woodcut

Woodcut illustration from an edition of 1537 (16th year of Jiajing reign period of Ming dynasty). The kidneys belong to the five zang viscera. Zhenjiu juying, Vol. 1 states: 'There are two kidneys. They weigh 1 jin (Chinese lb, c. 500 gr.) 1 liang (Chinese oz., c. 50 gr). They resemble stones and are located adjacent to the 14th vertebra in the back, below the stomach, on both sides.'

Picture title: Shenzang (The kidney, a zang organ). Other lettering: Shen (kidney)