Tokujiro Namikoshi
Encyclopedia
Tokujiro Namikoshi is the founder of Shiatsu
therapy.
He was born on the island of Shikoku
. As a young boy of seven, he discovered his hands-on
therapy
pressure
method while treating his mother’s rheumatoid arthritis
. He named this method “Shiatsu”.
In 1940, he established the Japan Shiatsu College in Tokyo. Many of his graduates now practice in Japan and overseas. Some of these graduates have popularized their own styles, called Derivative Shiatsu, such as Tadashi Izawa
of Meridian Shiatsu
and Shizuto Masunaga
of Zen Shiatsu
. Namikoshi also established the Japan Shiatsu Association in 1947. He died at age 95 in 2000.
Shiatsu
Shiatsu is Japanese for "finger pressure;" it is a type of alternative medicine consisting of finger and palm pressure, stretches, and other massage techniques. There is no scientific evidence proving that shiatsu can treat any disease, but shiatsu practitioners promote it as a way to help people...
therapy.
He was born on the island of Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
. As a young boy of seven, he discovered his hands-on
Manual therapy
Manual therapy, manipulative therapy, or manual & manipulative therapy is a physical treatment primarily used by physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths to treat musculoskeletal pain and disability; it most commonly includes massage therapy, joint mobilization and joint...
therapy
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
pressure
Pressure
Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...
method while treating his mother’s rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
. He named this method “Shiatsu”.
In 1940, he established the Japan Shiatsu College in Tokyo. Many of his graduates now practice in Japan and overseas. Some of these graduates have popularized their own styles, called Derivative Shiatsu, such as Tadashi Izawa
Tadashi Izawa
Tadashi Izawa was a Japanese Shiatsu practitioner who introduced the derivative form Meridian Shiatsu.After graduating from Kobe Second High School in 1916, he went to Korea to study at a school for Instructors...
of Meridian Shiatsu
Meridian Shiatsu
Meridian Shiatsu is a derivative form of the Japanese therapy Shiatsu. It uses the Meridian theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine that was introduced into Japan from China. Meridian Shiatsu contrasts with Tsubo Shiatsu where the tsubos or acupuncture points are determined from an anatomical and...
and Shizuto Masunaga
Shizuto Masunaga
was a Japanese Shiatsu practitioner and author of books on Shiatsu.He was born in 1925 in Kure, Hiroshima and graduated in Psychology from Kyoto University. In 1959, he graduated from the and went on to teach Psychology at the college. He is the author of Shiatsu which became Zen Shiatsu when...
of Zen Shiatsu
Zen Shiatsu
Zen Shiatsu is a derivative form of the Japanese therapy Shiatsu, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom and United States. It was developed by Shizuto Masunaga, a graduate of the who published a book entitled Shiatsu in 1974. This was translated into English in 1977 and retitled Zen...
. Namikoshi also established the Japan Shiatsu Association in 1947. He died at age 95 in 2000.