Traditional Medicine Shiatsu Information Centre

S h i a t s u

Shirley Jackson
interviews
Toru Namikoshi

Amma massage precedes Shiatsu
Professional development and licensing
Shiatsu in the health care system
Shiatsu in pregnancy
Shiatsu in the workplace
Shiatsu in primary education
Japan in the west
Conclusion

"OSEBA INOCHI NO ISUMI WAKU"(Toru Namikoshi) "
The Fountain of life is activated by stimulating pressure points"

Toru Namikoshi is the son of Tokujiro Namikoshi, founder of the Japan Shiatsu School in Tokyo. Toru Namikoshi visited Quebec for the first time in early November l989, and at that time I interviewed him on behalf of the MASSAGER, the journal of the Federation of massage therapists of Quebec. This article was published in french in the December l989 issue, Vol.6, #3.

Tokujiro and his son Toru have been amongst the principle promoters of Shiatsu within and outside of Japan. Tokujiro celebrated his eighty-fifth birthday in excellent health on the third of november of this year.He has no plans to retire from his work with Shiatsu.

Toru speaks fondly of his father, and of the early development of Shiatsu and the ever increasing role of Shiatsu in the Japanese health care system.

The Federation is grateful to Jean Lecompte, director of Shiatsu Ki Quebec and host of Mr. Namikoshi for permitting this interview to occur.

Amma massage precedes Shiatsu

Tokujiro Namikoshi grew up in Hokkaido in the north of Japan, where medical care was virtually unavailable. His mother suffered greatly from rheumatic pain, and her only comfort was the touch of her children, as they massaged her regularly. She preferred the touch of Tokujiro, who through his mother's guidance learned to apply steady pressure, which brought her the greatest relief. Within one month after this treatment the pain began to subside and after four months there was no more pain.

Tokujiro began to practice his new found skill on other people but was soon stopped by the authorities for lack of a permit. He was required to follow the training program for Amma, a massage technique traditionally practiced by the blind in Japan.

The practice of Amma by the blind in Japan dates back to the Shogun era. Tsunayush Tokugawa, a Shogun who was seriously ill, was cured by Sugiyama Waichia, a blind man practicing moxa, acupuncture and amma. Tsunayushi, in gratitude, granted Sugiyama a wish. The blind man requested that he be allowed to teach his healing methods to the blind. Thus there grew to be over ten thousand blind amma practitioners in Japan in the early twentieth century.

It was the amma practitioners who treated the wounded American war prisoners in Japan using massage, moxa, and acupuncture. General MacArthur, distrustful of their methods, banned oriental medicine in occupied Japan, resulting in the loss of employment for all the blind therapists.

Professional development and licensing

Tokujiro Namikoshi had been seeking recognition of Shiatsu by the Japanese government for many years and it was during the period of disenchantment with the more traditional healing practices in Japan in the mid nineteen-fifties that Shiatsu became legally recognized as a therapy. Tokujiro had already opened the Japan Shiatsu Institute in 1940 which has since become the Japan Shiatsu College of Tokyo.

The Japan Shiatsu College, nearing fifty years since its inception, now offers comprehensive training in Shiatsu, Amma, and western style massage in a three year program following which students must pass national board examinations to obtain a license. The College, of which Toru Namikoshi is now acting president, has a capacity to accept 130 students per year. In addition to the healing techniques, the curriculum includes psychology, nutrition, management, and languages. Normally, graduates seek employment in clinics apprenticing under very experienced clinicians in order to become proficient in the treatment of complex cases.

Shiatsu in the health care system

Shiatsu is increasingly employed for rehabilitation of stroke and accident victims in hospital settings. The failure of traditional medicine to deal with many degenerative and chronic diseases, and the iatrogenic effects of drugs is causing authorities to look more to the natural healing arts. Shiatsu is practised principally in Shiatsu clinics throughout the country. These clinics also offer the possibility for the lay person to learn some Shiatsu for the treatment of family and friends.

Shiatsu in pregnancy

Shiatsu is applied to reduce discomfort during pregnancy and to facilitate childbirth, as well in the treatment of premature babies to stimulate their digestive process and to sense at what moment they are ready to take in nourishment.

Shiatsu in the workplace

Industry is now benefiting from Shiatsu. In the electronics industry, such companies as Sony and Toshiba have Shiatsu rooms next to their medical clinics. There Shiatsu offers relief from the physical and mental stresses of the assembly line and sedentary work as well as treating migraines and insomnia. In the workplace treatments can be as short as fifteen minutes; a full treatment may be over an hour.

Toru Namikoshi gives presentations to employees demonstrating how they can protect their own bodies using the "do-in" or self administered Shiatsu. The body's natural capacity to heal itself is atrophying from lack of use; Shiatsu aims to restore the body's self healing powers.

Shiatsu in primary education

Grammar school children participate in an exercise ritual in the school yard every morning. Now, five minutes of preventive self-Shiatsu is part of this ritual. The pupils learn to stimulate their gums in an effort to prevent cavities, to strengthen their eyes through pressure to this area, and to keep their minds alert, and prevent headaches through head Shiatsu.

Namikoshi estimates that Shiatsu for children is growing in importance as fast food consumption and the abandonment of the futon in favour of soft western beds has the effect of weakening their constitutions.

Japan in the west

Outside Japan, Toru Namikoshi sites Holland as an occidental nation which has significantly incorporated Shiatsu into the mainstream of medical practice. In that country, the medical profession and Shiatsu therapists collaborate in the care of patients. Shiatsu's integration into the hospitals results in reduced use of medication. Shiatsu is also used as an anaesthetic in some cases. Doctors refer patients to Shiatsu therapists, even more so than in Japan where medical doctors still hesitate to fully embrace Shiatsu in its full potential.

Conclusion

Mr. Namikoshi refers to Shiatsu as a natural healing art requiring no mechanical aids, and he reports that Shiatsu is an effective preventive technique and results in a significant reduction in the consumption of prescription and non-prescription drugs.

In Quebec, Shiatsu is the second most used technique. As more and more practitioners are trained and people become aware of its benefits, Shiatsu can only grow in importance.

Shirley Jackson, Montreal

Shirley Jackson completed university degrees in Applied Social Science (B.A.1978) and in Health Administration (M.Sc.1981) before studying Shiatsu at a private institute (diploma 1989), and completing a three year comprehensive Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine training (D.E.C. 1994) all in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Member of the Quebec Federation of Massage therapists since 1989 and the Order of Acupuncturists since 1995, Ms. Jackson practiced several years in Montreal before moving to rural Quebec and opening a home-based clinic. Treating a wide variety of clients including babies, pregnant women, the elderly and factory workers from local industry, Shirley has a particular interest in ear-acupuncture and studying the latest acupuncture books.

Other interests include the family, spirituality, bicycling, swimming, friends, gardening and the internet.

Website: http://le-village.ifrance.com/shirleyjackson/
Email: shirleyjack@hotmail.com

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