Tag: japanese school of shiatsu

What is Aze ShiatsuHow is it born? What are its differences from Namikoshi Shiatsu? What are the needs of Shiatsu for the Western public? Today we focus on answering these questions, join us on a journey that began more than 40 years ago, hand in hand with the Master Onoda.

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Namikoshi and Aze

Tokujiro Namikoshi was the one who, not only, gave shape to a therapy that included a long millenary tradition that was never structured, but also got the Japanese authorities to recognize Shiatsu therapy in the mid-20th century. In the last 30 years, some of Master Namikoshi's disciples have traveled beyond their borders to spread Shiatsu throughout the world, including Shigeru Onoda.

Master Onoda arrived in Spain in 1984 and from that moment on, working with an average of eight patients a day, he developed what we know today as Aze Shiatsu.

Aze Shiatsu is based on Namikoshi Shiatsu and uses the same technique and form of pressure. Furthermore, the basic route is practically the same; Some regions and/or points have been added that complement the Namikoshi style. In fact, Onoda is the highest representative of Aze Shiatsu in Europe.

When Shiatsu was created, at a technical level, it only contemplated pressure with the fingers. Later Aze Shiatsu has incorporated into his style the alignment of the vertebrae, exercises to maintain and/or increase flexibility and improve posture.

Currently, Shiatsu in Japan focuses more on teaching finger pressure technique. Aze Shiatsu makes a Shiatsu adapted to the needs of Westerners. It maintains the essence of therapy for the maintenance of health, but attending to the needs posed by the lifestyle of modern society. XXI century.

Through the improvement of the body structure, the appropriate pressure for Kyo – Jitsu, the work on the “warning points” and the “Aze points”, he has developed his technique derived and improved from the original Shiatsu. The foundations of Aze Shiatsu have been reflected in different publications over time and have been made known to the general public in a multitude of conferences and congresses, both national and international.

The Japanese School of Shiatsu in Spain has been teaching Shiatsu since 1990 to train professional therapists. He had done it previously, but through less structured private education.

Through the international association Namikoshi Shiatsu Europe has carried out Namikoshi Shiatsu courses and has trained instructors for the maintenance and dissemination of authentic Japanese Shiatsu.

Master Onoda, Shiatsu for Westerners

The first thing that Master Onoda understood when he arrived in Spain was the difference between the eastern and western world. Not only did the customs and way of life follow different parameters, but the Westerner and the Easterner differed both in their body structure and in their relationship with manual therapy and their expectations.

Different body structure

There is no doubt that the bone structure of both races is different. While Easterners have a spine with attenuated physiological curves, Westerners have more accentuated curves, especially lumbar lordosis. The way of moving in everyday life, the use of the body is also different. That is why the 20% of Westerners suffers from a herniated disc compared to the 2% of the Japanese. Another consequence is the neck fragility of the Westerners compared to the Japanese; Most people have the excessively tight neck muscles, which can cause: headache, migraines, torticollis, etc.

Life habits are also very different. In the West there is no tradition of maintaining the healthy body. Only sport, which is also practiced by a low percentage of people, often causes more problems than benefits.

Differences in diet

Colorectal cancer is more prevalent in Western society compared to stomach cancer, which is more common in Japan. Probably due to the intake of cholesterol and animal fat. Alcohol tolerance is also different. It is clear that both organisms respond differently.

Together, all these points mean that the problems that afflict everyone throughout life are different, both on a physical and emotional level. That is why the treatment must be personalized.

Different expectations

Although Western society is advancing in this sense, its relationship with alternative or complementary therapies, and particularly with Shiatsu, is very different from that of the Eastern citizen. Shiatsu, like any other oriental therapy, emerges as therapy preventive and of health maintenance. People regularly come to receive their therapy without waiting to be sick; They seek to keep their body in balance to better face any loss of health. In the West we go to the doctor only when we are sick, and medicine only treats those who are sick; Preventive medicine does not exist.

Furthermore, the patient puts his or her health in the hands of third parties, in this case the doctor. There is no tradition of self-maintenance of health.

On the other hand, the Western patient is accustomed to going to the doctor who gives himprescribe a medication that, in most cases, eliminates the symptom quickly. It seems that eliminating the symptom eliminates the underlying problem. Furthermore, they do not relate mind-body and their previous mental attitude is not the most appropriate.

Furthermore, they do not relate mind-body and their previous mental attitude is not the most appropriate. On the other hand, it must be understood that Namikoshi Shiatsu performs holistic “deep” work with the intention of find the root of the problem and help you solve it. Therefore, the therapeutic effects, in some cases, are not immediate.

So Onoda, upon arriving in Spain, finds all these situations. The Shiatsu he knows so far is not enough to attract patients. He decides to investigate and improve his Shiatsu.

As Master Onoda says: “Definitely, Shiatsu Namikoshi emerged for the Japanese, that's why we developed Aze for Westerners.”

Aze Shiatsu and the Aze points

Chinese medicine is closely linked to Japanese society. Even without knowing the basic approaches of this medicine, some of its principles are so ingrained that people carry out “medical practices” every day without knowing it: a home remedy for a cold, pressure or friction on a painful area. Ashi points For Chinese medicine, they are localizable points on the body that become reactive or hypersensitive when there is some type of organic imbalance. In Japanese they are called Aze points. These points do not belong to the route of the energy channels that form the framework that Chinese medicine talks about; They can be located anywhere on the body and different treatment methods are used.

Onoda incorporates work on these points into his Shiatsu. Daily practice for so many years has shown that it is possible to improve treatment by pressing beyond the regions and points of the basic course. One of the objectives of the Aze Shiatsu practitioner is to locate these particular points of each patient and press them to correct their imbalances.

In Aze Shiatsu we talk about Key Points and Aze Points. Every future Aze Shiatsu therapist must be clear about the difference between them:

 – The key points They are important points for the treatment of some imbalances. Most are points closely related to acupuncture points and are used in similar situations. Others are points of experience and proven effectiveness in working with Shiatsu, defined and located after more than twenty-five years of work.

– Aze Points It is the Japanese way of calling the ashi points referred to in traditional Chinese medicine. Ashi points have no name or specific location, they are located in painful areas when there are internal imbalances.

The key points are always identified according to the traditional location of acupuncture, but the work of Aze Shiatsu requires searching for the sensitive point exactly. In many cases it coincides with the anatomical location provided by Chinese medicine, but in many other cases it does not. The same thing happens with Aze points. It is necessary to develop the necessary sensitivity to perceive where these points are located to press them effectively.

See Aze Shiatsu book. Basic Treatment (page 21).

The need for standard treatment

“The experience with my patients and the years of research and study have taught me that in Aze Shiatsu there is a standard treatment to follow that we must respect. On this later, we can expand and add manipulations and different katas according to the pathologies that we find."

In Aze Shiatsu a work order is very important. This allows the therapy to achieve.

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Shiatsu Namikoshi Europe