|
|
World
Shiatsutherapy Organization |
|
|
World
Shiatsutherapy Organization |
|
Shiatsu and Its Overseas Diffusion Written by : Kiyoshi Ikenaga,
Shiatsmaster = Contents = =The Definition of Shiatsu=
When I practice Shiatsu
abroad, the question of defining Shiatsu becomes extremely important.
Japan is the place of origin of Shiatsu and most people in Japan know what
Shiatsu is. Even if people do not understand the exact definition of
Shiatsu, they can assume the general meaning from the Kanji (Japanese
updated Chinese characters) used to describe the word. Recently, however,
while Shiatsu has become known in foreign countries, the word itself does
not have meaning in Latin alphabet characters. An explanation is,
therefore, needed. To translate the meaning of Shiatsu in English, “SHI”
is finger and “OYAYUBI” is thumb. “ATSU” is pressure, so Shiatsu literally
translated means “finger pressure” or “thumb pressure”. The definition
seems simple.
“Shiatsu technique
refers to the use of fingers and the palm of one’s hands to apply pressure
to particular sections on the surface of the body for the purpose of
correcting the imbalances of the body, and for maintaining and promoting
health. It is also a method contributing to the healing of specific
illnesses.” This being said, the following three points were set as the major premise of Shiatsu therapy:
These three concepts are the most important when explaining Shiatsu overseas. =The Essence of Shiatsu=
The characteristic of
Shiatsu is to practice using only the fingers, palms and especially the
thumbs, but the essence of Shiatsu is “Diagnosis and Therapy combined.” =History of Shiatsu (The Beginning- The Origin of Shiatsu) =
The first occurrences of Shiatsu began with “TEATE, which
literally translated means 'hands-on' in Japanese. In today’s vocabulary
it also means “treatment”. Since ancient times, humans have instinctively
known that pain can be suppressed by putting a hand on the affected area.
The oldest record of sickness being treated by “TEATE” is about two
thousand years ago in the mythical age. Also, recorded in an old Japanese
poem, is an incident in which Sukunahikonakami, the father of Japanese
medicine, cured sickness with his bare hands. These types of legends, of
course, are not only limited to Japan and have resulted in the development
of hands-on therapies throughout the world, such as massage in Europe and
Anma in China (called Tsui-na in contemporary China). After the
prehistoric times, Kampo medicine, was imported from mainland China
through the Korean peninsula with the transmission of Buddhism. In 984,
Yasuyori Tanba wrote what is now the oldest medical book, entitled “Ishinboh”,
that currently exists in Japan and Kampo medicine became the center of
Japanese medicine. The position of Kampo medicine was maintained until the
Meiji Revolution (1867). Kampo medicine included the hands-on therapy
“Anma” in addition to its mainstream practices: acupuncture, moxibustion,
and Chinese medicine. In the Edo period, great hands-on therapy
practitioners (Anma practitioners), such as Ryouzan Goto and Shinsai Ota,
appeared one after another. In the last years of the Edo period, Genpaku
Sugita and Ryoutaku Maeno started the Western medicine prosperity of the
Meiji Period by translating “Kaitaishinsho (an anatomy text from the
Netherlands)”. With the influx of the newest medicine from western
countries, many hands-on therapies such as massage, chiropractic,
osteopathy and spongio therapy were also imported. In addition to these
foreign therapies, there were more than three hundred civil treatments;
these were ancient Japanese treatments imported from China: Anma, Douin,
Kappo, Jyujutsu, etc. and their combined forms. = The History of Shiatsu (The Middle - The Path to Legal Recognition) =
By the end of the
Second World War, much of Japanese lifestyle, values, and common ideas had
done a 180 degree turn, and the attitude toward civil medical treatment
was no exception. The Japan Shiatsu School (now the Japan Shiatsu College)
was established by Tokujiro Namikoshi in 1940. The school sent out many
practitioners who were certified by the “Metropolitan Police Board Act” in
1930. In those days, most civil medical treatments (called
quasi-medicine), including Shiatsu, were not licensed based on a
standardized national examination. They were part of a reporting system
under police jurisdiction. In 1947, soon after the war ended, the “Anma,
Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Jyudo-Aliment Business Act” was enacted by the
leader of the GHQ. This is now known as the “Anma, Massage and Shiatsu
practitioners, Acupuncture practitioners and Moxibustion practitioners
Act.” Under this law, Shiatsu and other civil medical treatments that were
recognized by the reporting system were given a suspended sentence until
1955.
This public hearing of
amendments was extremely important in the history of Shiatsu because the
bill was passed with the expression of “Anma (including Massage and
Shiatsu)”. This was the first time in history that the word “Shiatsu”
appeared in law. In 1957, two years after the hearing, the text book that
provides the definition of Shiatsu was published by the Health Ministry of
Japan. Moreover, the senseis who were the witnesses at the public hearing
published many writings about Shiatsu which were widely recognized by
society. That was also the period in which the Japan Shiatsu College
became an authorized school by the Minister of Health. Through these
processes, another amendment was made in 1964, and the name “Anma
(including Massage and Shiatsu)” became the expression of “Anma, Massage
and Shiatsu”. That was the point at which Shiatsu finally obtained legal
recognition as a Japanese original method of medical treatment.
On behalf of the
government, the Health Ministry of Japan, the Chief of the Public Health
Bureau, the Chief of the Medical Bureau, and the Chief of the
Pharmaceutics Bureau were in attendance. While the testimony of each
sensei was recorded word for word, the following is a selection of some of
the most important comments. First, the Director of the Japan Doctors
Association, Shimura Sensei, stated that he considered Anma, Massage, and
Shiatsu to be the same no matter what the origin and the theory because
they are all hands-on therapies; this was a common perception among
doctors (and society) in those days. Next, the Honorary Professor of Tokyo
Medical University, Fujii Sensei, who, as requested by the Health Ministry
of Japan, spent two years (1949-50) at Tokyo Medical University
researching and comparing the terms “Shiatsu”, “Anma” and “Massage”
concluded that Shiatsu is a reflex experience treatment based on Western
medical knowledge--like American Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Spongio
Therapy, and German Natool Therapy, etc—and is therefore different from Anma which is part of Kampo medicine. Fujii Sensei wrote “Shiatsu Theory
and Outline”. Serizawa Sensei, who represented Acupuncture, Moxibustion,
and Anma, asserted that Shiatsu (and Massage) were forms of Anma. In 1957,
however, he published “Shiatsu Theory and Practice”. In the book, he
stated that Shiatsu drew on a stream of old-style Anma, but also Japanese
original hands-on therapy. =The History of Shiatsu (The Latter Part - Derivative Shiatsu and Other Derivatives)=
In many regions of the
world, including sometimes Japan, people associate Shiatsu with Eastern
medicine. However, as previously stated, Shiatsu has been established as a
Japanese original hands-on therapy that is different from Anma of Kampo
medicine’s hands-on therapy. The Father of Shiatsu Therapy and the founder
of the Japan Shiatsu College, Tokujiro Namikoshi Sensei, declared, “My
Shiatsu does not have any influence from Kampo medicine.” Also, as
previously mentioned, this statement was supported by the 1949-50 research
results of Tokyo Medical University lead by honorary professor Naohisa
Fujii Sensei. The practice of combining Shiatsu with Kampo medicine theory
is called Keiraku Shiatsu or Meridian Shiatsu. In the 1972 book “Meridian
and Shiatsu Therapy” written by Tadashi Izawa, there is a quote from
Katsusuke Serizawa Sensei, who was the leading expert of Kampo medicine in
those days. Serizawa Sensei stated, “From what I have heard, Shiatsu
Therapy is a new, modern hands-on therapy based on chiropractic and
balancing hands-on therapies , and it is different from the time-honored
Anma method in the region of Kampo medicine. I am sure that the meridian
theory of Kampo medicine started being combined with Shiatsu therapy is a
derivative Shiatsu that came about after the war.” As this quote
indicates, around the 1960s, Keiraku Shiatsu, which uses mainly thumb
pressure applied to the meridian points of Kampo medicine, appeared and
rapidly became popular after the Carina boom of 1972, which happened with
the restoration of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. =Shiatsu Diffusion - Conditions Overseas and Problems=
Presently, interest in Japanese Shiatsu is spreading
rapidly overseas, gaining support for its safe and effective method. There
are, however, some problems. The most serious problem is that educational
standards are all different and sometimes stray away from the original
definition of Shiatsu. When I practice Shiatsu overseas, I am often asked,
“What form of Shiatsu do you teach at your college?” indicating that
derivative forms of Shiatsu are mistakenly believed to be equally defined
as Shiatsu Therapy. More specifically I am asked, “Do you teach Namikoshi
Shiatsu or Masunaga Shiatsu?” This is a very important question as
“Namikoshi Shiatsu” indicates the 2500-Hour Shiatsu Therapy course as
taught at the Japan Shiatsu College and recognized by the Health Ministry
of Japan for licensing as a professional practitioner. On the contrary,
“Masunaga Shiatsu” (also known as “Zen-Shiatsu” overseas) was developed by
a Namikoshi disciple (graduate of the Japan Shiatsu College), Masunaga
Seneei. The lectures of the Ioh-kai Shiatsu Center established by Masunaga
Sensei are two and half hours per week and total of thirty hours for
twelve weeks. This program is not certified by the Health Ministry of
Japan to become a professional practitioner. Many other short courses and
programs on derivative forms of Shiatsu are available throughout the
world, but not unlike Masunaga Shiatsu they do not qualify participants to
write the nationally recognized exam to become professional
practitioners. =Shiatsu World Standardized Licenses “Shiatsupractor®” = Shiatsupractor® is the name given to the recently introduced international standardized Shiatsu license. This international standardization will not only ensure quality by setting guidelines for the practitioners of Shiatsu therapy, but also for the instructors, worldwide. In the past, in countries where Shiatsu has not been regulated by law, instructors often have not learned the medical basics, such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, which are require subjects in Japan, and those instructors often focus entirely on their knowledge of Kampo medicine. The name Shiatsupractor® was first used in British Columbia, Canada in 1990’s has since been recognized by the International Shiatsu Association as the official name for the of the international standardized Shiatsu license. Presently, at the end of 2003, in the regions of North America (United States and Canada), Europe (member nations of the EU), and Japan, the use of Shiatsupractor® is officially protected as a registered trademark. In Japan, the educational standard for Shiatsupractor® approval corresponds to that of the licenses for Anma, Massage and Shiatsu Practitioners. In other regions, if there are no regulations by public officials in the country or states, the requirements are two years and 2200 hours in North America and two-to-three years and 1600 hours in Europe. =Shiatsu and Derivative Shiatsu= 1. Original Shiatsu Therapy The Road to the Recognition of Shiatsu:
In conclusion, because Shiatsu Therapy as developed by Tokujiro Namikoshi Sensei has been recognized on a civil and a government level, he is known as the father of Shiatsu. And, though many of his disciples developed their own forms of Shiatsu that have become known throughout the world and thus the original Shiatsu is often called “Namikoshi Shiatsu” to distinguish it from its derivatives, history proves that “Japanese Shiatsu is Namikoshi Shiatsu.” Shiatsu is Shiatsu. 2. Derivative Shiatsu Techniques & Theories There are many Shiatsu workshops held in Japan. These workshops are mostly organized by graduate students from the Japan Shiatsu College, who learned Shiatsu directly from Tokujiro Namikoshi sensei. In some cases, the workshops become very popular not only in Japan but throughout the world. A good example is Zen-Shiatsu created by the late Shizuto Masunaga sensei. The techniques taught at these workshops, however, are not recognized as Shiatsu treatment according to government regulations. Consequently, if a person only has a certificate from attending a workshop, s/he is not eligible to take the government examination to become a professional Shiatsu practitioner. The techniques taught at these workshops are called 'Derivative Shiatsu' to distinguish them from the original Shiatsu taught at the school that is registered with the Ministry of Health of Japan. The Following Are Well-Known Forms of Derivative Shiatsu: 1. Tsubo Shiatsu: Some of the accredited schools of the CSSBC teach Tsubo Shiatsu in the Advanced Shiatsu course. This course investigates Tsubo points from an anato-physiological point of view. Around 1980, Dr. Hiroshi Ishizuka M.D. (current principal of the Japan Shiatsu College) first introduced this theory in his seminars. In 2003, Kiyoshi Ikenaga sensei published the book “Tsubo Shiatsu” and finally presented the theory to the world. Ikenaga sensei studied Shiatsu directly from Namikoshi Sensei and graduated from the Japan Shiatsu College in 1986. 2. Keiraku (Meridian) Shiatsu: This Shiatsu treatment is based on TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) theory. Tadashi Izawa sensei published his book “Meridian and Shiatsu Therapy” in 1964. Meridian is the joining of the points which represent the energy (ki) of the organ, body parts or body materials. In Meridian Shiatsu, practitioners press the Meridian points with their thumbs therefore some believe that this technique should be deemed as a form of Acupressure. There is no set theory with regards to the treatment. (Some use the Root-Branch Treatment theory, some just press the Meridian points which are close to the problem area). Izawa sensei studied Shiatsu directly from Namikoshi Sensei and graduated from the Japan Shiatsu College in 1946. Later, he became an instructor at the college. 3. Zen (Ioh kai) Shiatsu: This form of Shiatsu was derived by Shizuto Masunaga sensei. Because “Zen” is a religious word, this form of treatment was not called “Zen Shiatsu” in Japan. This is a part of Meridian Shiatsu, but follows a separate Meridian theory from that of TCM. In Zen Shiatsu, practitioners use their elbows, knees and bony parts of the body to apply stronger pressure to the Meridian points instead of using their thumbs, fingers or palms. For this reason, some believe that this technique should not be defined as “Shiatsu”. A three-month long, non-credit workshop is available at the “Ioh-kai Shiatsu Centre”, opened by Masunaga sensei in Japan. Masunaga sensei studied Shiatsu directly from Namikoshi Sensei and graduated from the Japan Shiatsu College in 1958. 4. Tao Shiatsu: Ryukyu Endo sensei introduced this form of Derivative Shiatsu. He followed Zen Shiatsu theory, but left “Ioh-kai” after Masunaga sensei died. This theory contains religious and spiritual practicum, for example reciting a Buddhist prayer before lectures. There are several one- and two-day workshops available in Tokyo and Kyoto. Endo sensei studied Shiatsu directly from Namikoshi Sensei and graduated from the Japan Shiatsu College. 5. Oha Shiatsu: OHASHIATSU is a registered trademark. This technique was derived by Ohashi sensei, who did not graduate from the Japan Shiatsu College. He took a three-day Shiatsu workshop, which was held by Tokujiro Namikoshi sensei when he came to U.S.A in 1973. This derivative contains less thumb pressure application to the body and focuses more on balancing the body through the “Seitai” technique. Seitai is type of stretch or manipulation done to the body to maintain the best balance of the body. 6. Macrobiotic Shiatsu: The Macrobiotic Diet is well known in the world right now. Michio Kushi sensei is the developer of the Macrobiotic Diet. He mainly practices complementary medicine which is based on diet, acupuncture, meditation, Shiatsu and Chinese Herbal Medicine. They teach Macrobiotic Shiatsu as part of the Macrobiotic Career Training course at the Kushi Institute (non-profit educational organization) in Vermont, U.S.A. Kushi sensei was not trained in Shiatsu therapy at the Japan Shiatsu College. Some of the accredited schools of the CSSBC teach the Macrobiotic Diet in the Nutrition course. 7. Others: Shiatsu treatment technique is enhanced and learned through experience and thus different Shiatsu techniques will exist with each Shiatsu practitioner. There should, however, be a minimum of Shiatsu training and education completed in an appropriate Shiatsu training college or school. (The standards of such an institution should be the same as those set by the Ministry of Health of Japan. These standards include Basic Shiatsu training; basic medical sciences such as Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology; and clinical practicum. There should be a minimum of 2 years (2000 hours) of training. A practitioner who completes a short-term workshop should not be called a professional “Practitioner”. =2200-Hour Standard Curriculum for Shiatsupractor Status= Reference from the minimum standard of the Canadian Shiatsu Society of British Colombia:
1.
Compulsory Section - 1600 hours |
English Japanese Spanish Shiatsu Links
e-mail : info@shiatsutherapy.org
