History of Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion

The traditional form of medicine originated in ancient China and was introduced to Japan about 1500 years ago, around the 5th Century AD. Over time acupuncture made it's way to Japan and as time transpired Japanese Acupuncture still reamined strong in the classical roots of the tradition. Schools of Acupuncture were strongly influenced by the classical medical text Nan Jing (Classic of Difficult Issues). Here some of the key foundations of Japanese acupuncture were formed such as abdominal palpation as a diagnosis, moxibustion and specific points.

In the middle of the 17th Century, a man named Waichi Sugiyama changed the course of acupuncture history in Japan. Born into a samurai family contracted smallpox as a boy and lost his sight. He gave up his samurai status and began the practise of acupuncture, blind. It is said he prayed to the goddess Benten to be give him the gift of superior acupuncture techniques. Sugiyama took the enormous system of Chinese acupuncture and summarised it into a way that was easily understandable in Japan. Based on his own experiences, he simplified and clarified therapeutics. As Sugiyama paved the way in Japan for acupuncture, subsequently acupuncture, moxibustion and massage became important occupations for the blind in Japan; a tradition which has continued into the present.

Acupuncture continued to flourish in Japan over time and the 1930's saw the formation of another large group of acupuncturists. Working mainly from the classic texts, this group developed a system that placed primary emphasis on meridian diagnosis. This treatment was performed by nourishing the deficiency and eliminating the excess so that balance could be restored. The central members of this movement were all young acupuncturists in their 20s and 30s and all possessed brilliant technical skill that has contributed greatly to the perfection of this side of acupuncture.

At present there are a number of different acupuncture systems in practice in Japan, each with it's own special characteristics. While future development of acupuncture throughout the world will be greatly influenced by changes in Chinese TCM (traditional chinese medicine), it seems likely that the unique characteristics of acupuncture and moxibustion in Japan will also play a significant role in the international development of this traditional approach to better health.

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Source: The Journal of Kampo, Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion