Description
This text is a practical guide to the tools, skills, and techniques common to all acupuncture practice with an emphasis on those that are uniquely or creatively Japanese. It is clear, direct, and completely illustrated with high resolution close-up photography. The instructions are simple and concise so they may be easily applied to the practice of any acupuncture tradition.
Beginning with traditional needling techniques, the text covers filiform needling, supplementation and drainage, needle with moxa – all with several approaches. Moxibustion is covered to an equally great extent and detail, as are instruments, intradermal needles, press tack needles and spheres.
In addition to highly specialized Japanese techniques such as shonishinpo (treatment techniques for children) and the Manaka wooden hammer and needle technique, therapies like cupping that are used throughout Asia are described in full detail. This book is more than just a fine collection of practical instruction. The introduction provides context through a brief but very accessible tour of modern Japanese training and practice that includes a highly useful guide to root treatment. Each of the techniques is also made more valuable by the description of treatment protocols with proven histories of successful clinical application.
Author’s Comment
“We have produced a book to represents a new level of development and maturity in the field of acupuncture in the West. Most books in English reiterate the same basic materials over and over again, with a heavy emphasis on theory. It is only recently that the field (in the English language) has matured sufficiently to develop the teaching tools for the next stage of development: technical refinements and clinical detail. This book is a compilation of extremely useful common and not so common methods used in Japan. We thoroughly searched the modern literature from Japan and its specialized techniques to compile detailed descriptions of techniques used by well-known practitioners in Japan and refined the presentation through our own experience learning with Japanese teachers. We feel the photography in the text makes the methods come alive, ensuring accessibility and precision. The introductory sections give an overview of the history, nature and development of acupuncture in Japan, and how the materials in the book dovetail with techniques and methods described in other texts on Japanese acupuncture (notably the work of Manaka and meridian therapy).
The chapter on needling is perhaps the largest ever compiled in English. It covers detailed uses of the nine needles of the Ling Shu uses of the needle and tube in a variety of methods, and the moxa on the handle of the needle technique. The next chapter details the use of moxibustion, which is a highly specialized practice in Japan. The next three chapters describe the use of intradermal needles, press-tack needles and press-spheres. The following two chapters describe highly specialized uses of cupping and bloodletting. The use of Manaka’s wooden hammer and needle (helpful both in the clinic and for home therapy) is then described. The final chapter describes a number of cases compiled from the Japanese literature and the clinical cases of the authors. Each chapter contains a repetoir of established therapeutic applications for the techniques described.
The depth of clinical detail in this text will allow readers to use the book as a reference while learning to use and refine these methods.”
This text is a practical guide to the tools, skills, and techniques common to all acupuncture practice with an emphasis on those that are uniquely or creatively Japanese. It is clear, direct, and completely illustrated with high resolution close-up photography. The instructions are simple and concise so they may be easily applied to the practice of any acupuncture tradition.
Beginning with traditional needling techniques, the text covers filiform needling, supplementation and drainage, needle with moxa – all with several approaches. Moxibustion is covered to an equally great extent and detail, as are instruments, intradermal needles, press tack needles and spheres.
In addition to highly specialized Japanese techniques such as shonishinpo (treatment techniques for children) and the Manaka wooden hammer and needle technique, therapies like cupping that are used throughout Asia are described in full detail. This book is more than just a fine collection of practical instruction. The introduction provides context through a brief but very accessible tour of modern Japanese training and practice that includes a highly useful guide to root treatment. Each of the techniques is also made more valuable by the description of treatment protocols with proven histories of successful clinical application.
Author’s Comment
“We have produced a book to represents a new level of development and maturity in the field of acupuncture in the West. Most books in English reiterate the same basic materials over and over again, with a heavy emphasis on theory. It is only recently that the field (in the English language) has matured sufficiently to develop the teaching tools for the next stage of development: technical refinements and clinical detail. This book is a compilation of extremely useful common and not so common methods used in Japan. We thoroughly searched the modern literature from Japan and its specialized techniques to compile detailed descriptions of techniques used by well-known practitioners in Japan and refined the presentation through our own experience learning with Japanese teachers. We feel the photography in the text makes the methods come alive, ensuring accessibility and precision. The introductory sections give an overview of the history, nature and development of acupuncture in Japan, and how the materials in the book dovetail with techniques and methods described in other texts on Japanese acupuncture (notably the work of Manaka and meridian therapy).
The chapter on needling is perhaps the largest ever compiled in English. It covers detailed uses of the nine needles of the Ling Shu uses of the needle and tube in a variety of methods, and the moxa on the handle of the needle technique. The next chapter details the use of moxibustion, which is a highly specialized practice in Japan. The next three chapters describe the use of intradermal needles, press-tack needles and press-spheres. The following two chapters describe highly specialized uses of cupping and bloodletting. The use of Manaka’s wooden hammer and needle (helpful both in the clinic and for home therapy) is then described. The final chapter describes a number of cases compiled from the Japanese literature and the clinical cases of the authors. Each chapter contains a repetoir of established therapeutic applications for the techniques described.
The depth of clinical detail in this text will allow readers to use the book as a reference while learning to use and refine these methods.”