My Studio Shiatsu

Shiatsu in ancient times

Although Shiatsu is a relatively recent discipline, its roots can be traced back to the 6th century AD when some Chinese monks and doctors introduced their Buddhism culture, their traditions and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to Japan.

The monks spread philosophical principles, linked to physical practices, also developing different forms of martial arts.

The practice of TCM was considered so important that Prince Shotoku in 608 AD sent some delegations of students to China to specialize themselves and at that point it was spread throughout Japanese territory.
Anma and Anpuku medicine
Various medicines that came from China, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion and manual therapies, particularly Anma and Anpuku; became identified in Japan as Kampo medicine. Anma means pressing and rubbing, Anpuka means treatment of the abdomen.
The Anma and Anpuku techniques were widely practiced and in this long period one figure appears, worth mentioning. The famous herbalist Todo Yoshimasu (1702-1773) supported the theory that every alteration of health resulted from intoxication located in the abdomen - "the abdomen is the origin of life and also of every disease".

He also developed a system of mapping the abdominal areas, from which Shizuto Masunaga was probably inspired.
Shiatsu style by Tokujiro Namikoshi
Tokujiro Namikoshi, a fundamental figure in the history of shiatsu, was born in 1905 on the island of Shikoku, the southernmost part of Japan. In 1911 his family was forced to move north to the island of Hokkaido.
From the very first day his mother complained of severe joint pain (she suffered from rheumatism) and so at the age of 7 Namikoshi successfully tried to alleviate her pain. He realized his abilities and at the age of 17 moved to Tokyo to learn various massage techniques.
He became a student of the famous massage practitioner Odagawa. After four years of studies he passed the exam with full votes. In 1926 he opened a massage wellness center in downtown Sapporo.

In 1940 Namiskoshi decided to create a shiatsu school. Thus was born the "Nihon Shiatsu Gakuin", that is the Japanese School of Shiatsu (today the Japan Shiatsu College, the only shiatsu school officially recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Health).

The Namikoshi shiatsu style focuses primarily on the symptoms. The pressure technique is sophisticated and varies according to the area of ​​the body to which it must be applied. For Namikoshi, Shiatsu is an art.

Namikoshi became famous throughout the world, he died in 2000 at the age of 94.

“The heart of shiatsu is like pure maternal affection. The pressure of the hands causes the springs of life to flow." (Tokujiro Namikoshi)
Shiatsu style by Shizuto Masunaga
Shizuto Masunaga was born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1925. His first professional field was psychology, in which he graduated from Kyoto Imperial University in 1949.

Influenced by his mother, who hosted shiatsu lessons with master Tenpeki Tamai in the Masunaga family home, he later graduated from the Japan Shiatsu School in Tokyo with Tokujiro Namikoshi. From 1959 for ten years he taught clinical psychology at the school.

We can only imagine the exact stages of the process of development and separation from Namikoshi's school but in 1968 he founded his own school, the Iokai Shiatsu Center.

The style he developed is based on the treatment of the meridians and the energetic evaluation of the abdomen and back, reconnecting shiatsu to the origins of Kampo medicine. He began using the concept of kyo (empty) and jitsu (full) and meridian stretching exercises.

Masunaga considered the person as a whole and not just as a physical body that highlights a problem. He looked not only at a physiological problem but he also considered the energetic, psychic and emotional aspects and the quality of thought.

His style has spread both in Italy and in the West. Masunaga died in 1981 at the age of 57.

"Shiatsu is the embrace of the mother to her child. By applying your hand on a point or tsubo and following the meridian lines with your fingers, you may feel the echo of life." (Shizuto Masunaga)