神農在中日兩國被奉為聖人及醫祖，備受尊敬。神農信仰在中世傳入日本，到近世 （德川或江戶時代，1603–1868）達全盛期。德川醫師、藥商及儒者成為神農信仰的主 力，將軍及地方藩主均加以贊助。神農信仰在德川日本發展出有別於中國的特色。 神農信仰與日本的神道及佛教混同，神農被為認為是日本神祇或佛教菩薩的化身。 本文以原始文獻為基礎，探討神農信仰在近世日本的形成及其在中日文化交流的意 義，說明日本人如何將中國文化再脈絡化以適應日本的風土。將神農視作日本神祇 的化身可以消解作為日本人崇拜外國神祇及人物所構成的身份認同危機。在這個在 地化的過程中，神農已成為日本神農，而不再是中國神農。

Shennong (Shinnō in Japanese) is revered as an ancient sage king and the founder of Chinese medicine in both China and Japan. Shennong belief was introduced to Japan in the medieval period and reached its peak in the Tokugawa period (1603– 1868) when Shennong was extensively worshipped by physicians, pharmacists and Confucian scholars. Both the bakufu and the domains supported the Shennong belief. One of the most interesting characteristics of the Shennong belief in Tokugawa Japan was that Shennong was enshrined in Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples as the manifestation of a Japanese deity and Indian bodhisattva respectively. Based primarily on Tokugawa sources, this study aims to trace the formation of Shennong belief in Tokugawa Japan and to discuss its distinctive features from cross-cultural and comparative perspectives. It demonstrates how Chinese culture was domesticated to fit in the Japanese setting and how Tokugawa Japanese turned Shennong into Shinnō.