Abundant informations on Kakke were recorded in Japanese historical works, novels, diaries and medical texts. Kakke existed widely in Japan, especially in the eh Edo period, so much so it was regarded as "one of the three surprising diseases" at that time. Medical historians of the Edo period study wholeheartedly to identify "true Kakke" (beriberi) in these documents. No one suspects the nature and credibility of these records. This paper however, argues that Kakke of the Edo period is not beriberi. The false identification is because Kakke was dignosed and named by its symptoms rather than etiology. As long as the patient appeared to have certain symptoms, especially symptoms on the heart, s/he would be described by the doctor to have suffered Kakke even though the latter knew the causes may have beensyphillis, ascarid, or other diseases.